About this Artist

Hailed as one of the world’s leading tenors, German-Canadian Michael Schade enjoys a close collaboration with the Vienna State Opera, where he was last seen in new productions of Mozart’s IDOMENEO and LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, as Prince in Dvořák’s RUSALKA and as Flamand in Strauss’ CAPRICCIO. He frequently performs at the Metropolitan Opera, the Munich Opera and the Canadian Opera Company and has appeared at the Bavarian State Opera, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Liceu Barcelona, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Opéra Bastille in Paris. In November 2013 Michael Schade celebrated his role debut as Peter Grimes at the Hamburg State Opera.

His most recent role debuts as Eisenstein/DIE FLEDERMAUS in Toronto and Florestan in Beethoven’s FIDELIO at the Theater an der Wien under Nikolaus Harnoncourt were celebrated by audience and reviewers alike. Further highlights of the recent past included Aschenbach/ DEATH IN VENICE in Hamburg, Max in Weber’s FREISCHÜTZ at the Berlin State Opera and a new production at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, as well as Stolzing in Wagner’s MEISTERSINGER at the 2016 Glyndebourne Festival and his role debut as Eisenstein in the traditional FLEDERMAUS at the Vienna State Opera. Highlights of the 2018/2019 season include a new production of ELEKTRA/Aegisth at the Canadian Opera Company as well as Strauss’ DAPHNE/Leukippos at the Hamburg State Opera.

As one of the favorite artists of the Salzburg Festival for almost two decades, Michael Schade has appeared in new productions of Mozart’s LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, Purcell’s KING ARTHUR, Mozart’s ZAUBERFLÖTE, Haydn’s ARMIDA, Cherubini’s MEDÉE, von Winter’s DAS LABYRINTH and in the title role of Schubert’s FIERRABRAS, as well as giving concerts and song recitals. From 2008 to 2010 he initiated and was active as Creative Director of the Salzburg Festival’s Young Singers Project.

Given his immense concert repertoire, ranging from Bach’s Cantatas and Passions to Mahler’s LIED VON DER ERDE, he works regularly with conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnányi, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, Pablo Heras-Casado, Mariss Jansons, Philippe Jordan, James Levine, Fabio Luisi, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kent Nagano, Peter Oundjan, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Christian Thielemann, Robin Ticciati, Franz Welser-Möst, and Simone Young. Furthermore, his musical activities were strongly influenced by his frequent collaboration with Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Special highlights of the 2017/2018 season were the concerts Michael Schade was giving at Vienna’s Konzerthaus as “Artist in Residence” as well as concerts with the Montréal Symphony Orchestra under Kent Nagano, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Alain Altinoglu, with the Staatskapelle Dresden under Donald Runnicles, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Peter Oundjian, with the Orquesta Nacional de España under David Afkham, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin and with Concentus Musicus under Stefan Gottfried.

The 2018/2019 season brings a new production of the “Little Prince” - an education project with the Vienna Boys Choir. Furthermore, he can be heard in Beethoven’s IX. Symphony in Ottawa, in Haydn’s SEASONS at the Brucknerhall in Linz, with Mahler’s DAS LIED VON DER ERDE in Quebec and with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Paris, in Händel’s MESSIAH and Mendelssohn’s ELIJAH at the Vienna Musikverein, in an Easter Concert at Grafenegg and with Schubert’s DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN in Vienna and Amsterdam.

As a recitalist, the artist has been celebrated for his appearances at major halls such as the Musikverein, Konzerthaus and State Opera in Vienna, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, and with presenters such as the Verbier Festival, the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and at the Grafenegg Festival. His most recent song recitals took place at the Vienna State Opera, at La Scala Milan and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

A prolific recording artist, Michael Schade has performed in Bach’s ST. MATTHEW’S PASSION with Harnoncourt (Grammy Award), Verdi’s MESSA DA REQUIEM, Handel’s MESSIAH, Haydn’s ORLANDO PALADINO, Mozart’s ZAIDE and LA CLEMENZA DI TITO. Other notable recordings include Mahler’s LIED VON DER ERDE with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Pierre Boulez, Mozart’s REQUIEM with the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado, and Grammy-nominated DAPHNE under Semyon Bychkov in 2005, as well as a live recording of a Mozart Gala at Salzburg Festival. His list of awards includes three Junos for CBC Records’ DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN with Malcolm Martineau, “Soirée Française” and “Mozart: Arie e Duetti”. Recent releases include live recordings of DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN with Rudolf Buchbinder at Grafenegg and DVDs of ARABELLA (Vienna State Opera), DAS LABYRINTH (Salzburg Festival) and of the SUMMER NIGHT CONCERT of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 2013.

In 2007, the Republic of Austria appointed Michael Schade as Kammersänger. Mr. Schade was artist-in-residence at the Musikverein in Vienna, featuring his own subscription series in the 2009/10 season. He is the Artistic Director of the Hapag Lloyd Stella Maris International Vocal Competition. In 2014 the Internationale Barocktage Stift Melk has appointed Mr. Schade its Artistic Director through 2022. In 2017 Michael Schade was granted the title Officer to the Order of Canada (O.C.).