Biography.

American tenor Christopher Sokolowski has been praised for his “shimmering velvet voice,” “technical maturity well beyond his years,” and “Wagnerian power and stage savvy” (Ôlyrix). In the 2023/24 season he made his debut as the title role in Verdi’s Ernani at the Theater St. Gallen to great acclaim, with the press praising him as an ideal casting (Oper! Magazin, Kronenzeitung), additionally calling him “an extremely convincing, intense interpreter of Ernani, […] able to fill the role with natural, perfect vocal support and a dynamic, precisely nuanced tone” (Oper Aktuell), “an incredibly agile performer … [with] a highly individual timbre, a well-developed middle range and a radiant high register” (Das Opernglas), “giving the role a vibrant power and a compelling, sometimes almost wild presence” (Ostschweizer Kultur).

Since his transition to the dramatic tenor Fach he has performed in St. Gallen as Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), Siegmund (Die Walküre, “Der Ring an einem Abend”), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), and the tenor soloist in a scenic production of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, for which Polish magazine Ruch Muzyczny writes “Christopher Sokolowski has the talent, personality, and makings of a great spinto tenor.” He additionally made debuts at the Staatsoper Hannover as Wagner and Neréo in Boito’s Mefistofele and at Oper Frankfurt as Ken in Vito Žuraj’s Blühen, stepping in for a colleague at 24-hours' notice to sightread the atonal modern score. In the summer of 2023, he performed the Prince in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges at Des Moines Metro Opera, “unleashing torrents of gleaming sound, each phrase more impressive than the last” (Opera Today).

In the 2019/20 season he sang the title role of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito at the Bregenz Theater while still in his second year of the Staatsoper Stuttgart Opera Studio. In Stuttgart, he debuted many roles with the company in critically celebrated new productions of Mefistofele (Wagner and Neréo), Don Carlos (Le comte de Lerme), Die sieben Todsünden (der Bruder), Le nozze di Figaro (Don Curzio), and Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen (Zeremonienmeister), as well as roles in repertory productions of Carmen, Ariodante, Pikovaya dama, and Der Schauspieldirektor. With the Staatsoper Stuttgart he was also seen in concert at the Baden-Baden Festspiele and the Opéra National du Rhin. 

A grand finalist of the Paris Opera Competition, he performed Zandonai and Wagner at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées to great acclaim. He was awarded the Rohatyn Great Promise Award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition, the Hermann Leopoldi Musikpreis in Vienna’s International Otto Edelmann Competition, and was a grand finalist in Innsbruck’s International Cesti Competition. In concert he has performed often in New York and cities across the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, and Japan in repertoire ranging from the baroque to world premieres, including much of the major oratorio and concert works of Bach, Britten, Handel, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Orff, Schubert, and Vivaldi.

A native of New York’s Hudson Valley, Christopher Sokolowski completed his vocal studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music (M.M.) and the Purchase Conservatory (B.M.). He was a guest artist for the Tanglewood Music Center and the Fondation des Treilles Académie de la voix.

Sche​dule.

THÉÂTRE DES
CHAMPS-ELYSÉES

Paris Opera Competition

Finalist
Selections from Wagner’s Die Walküre and Zandonai’s Giulietta e Romeo
Conductor: Victor Jacob
Les Frivolités Parisiennes

September 15
THEATER
WINTERTHUR

Verdi:  Requiem

Tenor soloist
Director: ​Krystian Lada
Conductor: Modestas Pitrenas
Musikkollegium Winterthur

PREMIERE ​September 22
THEATER
ST. GALLEN

Opening Ceremony

Tenor soloist
Selections from Beethoven’s Fidelio
Conductor: Modestas Pitrenas
Sinfonieorchester St.Gallen

October 21
THEATER
ST. GALLEN

Verdi:  Ernani

Ernani
Director: ​Barbora Horáková
Conductor: Modestas Pitrenas
Sinfonieorchester St.Gallen

premiere january 20
THEATER
ST. GALLEN

Rossini:  Guillaume Tell

Rodolphe
Director:  Julien Chavaz
Conductor: Michael Balke
Sinfonieorchester St.Gallen

premiere may 5
HÄNDEL
FESTSPIELE HALLE

Closing Concert

Tenor soloist
Selections from Handel’s Samson
and Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila
Conductor: Peter Kopp
Staatskapelle Halle

June 9
Season 2022/23

Theater St. Gallen, Bologne:  L’amant anonyme, Colin, September 17, 25; October 2, 5; November 7, 9, 17, 20; December 2, 9

Staatsoper Hannover, Boito:  Mefistofele, Wagner / Neréo, October 16

Neues Zürcher Orchester, Verdi:  Messa da Requiem, Tenor soloist, November 5

Theater St. Gallen, J. Strauss:  Die Fledermaus, Gabriel von Eisenstein, November 11, 13; December 8, 10, 19, 31

Tonhalle St. Gallen, Wagner/Loriot:  Der Ring an einem Abend, Siegmund (Die Walküre), January 12, 13, 15

Oper Frankfurt, Žuraj:  Blühen, Ken, January 28

Theater St. Gallen, Mozart:  Die Zauberflöte, Tamino, January 29; February 5

Theater St. Gallen, Verdi:  Messa da Requiem, Tenor soloist, May 6, 14, 17, 21, 26, 30; June 2, 4, 11

Des Moines Metro Opera, Prokofiev:  The Love for Three Oranges, The Prince, July 8, 16, 18, 21

Season 2021/22

 Theater St. Gallen, Mazzoli: Breaking the Waves, Dr. Richardson,  September, November 2021

Theater St. Gallen, Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, Priester, Geharnischter,  October, December 2021

Fondation des Treilles, Académie de la voix, Scenes and arias from Idomeneo, Lucia di Lammermoor, and La favorite, October 2021

Theater St. Gallen, Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, Tamino, November 2021

Theater Basel, Verdi: Don Carlos, Le Comte de Lerme, February 2022 (Cancelled due to COVID)

Theater St. Gallen, Verdi: La traviata, Gastone, March 2022

Palais Ehrbar, Otto Edelmann Concert, Opera arias with mdw Kammerorchester, April 2022

Kölner Philharmonie, J. Strauss II: Die Fledermaus, Dr. Blind, June 2022

St. Galler Festspiele, Verdi: Giovanna d'Arco, Delil, June 2022

Season 2020/21

Staatsoper Stuttgart, JOiN, Purcell/Kok:  Artus, Osmond Film Project and Recording, October 2020

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Monteverdi: Madrigals, Lamento della ninfa;  Interrotte speranze, February 2021

Staatsoper Stuttgart, J. S. Bach: Johannespassion, Tenor, April 2021 (Cancelled due to COVID)

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Britten: Billy Budd, Novice, April 2021 (Cancelled due to COVID)

Kölner Philharmonie, J. Strauss: Die Fledermaus, Dr. Blind, May 2021 (Cancelled due to COVID)

Opernfestspiele Heidenheim, Wagner: Tannhäuser, Walther von der Vogelweide, July 2021 (Cancelled due to COVID)

Season 2019/20

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Bizet: Carmen, Remendado, September – November 2019

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Verdi: Don Carlos, Le comte de Lerme, October – November 2019

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Prokofiev: Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen, Zeremonienmeister, November – December 2019

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Curzio, December 2019

Vorarlberger Landestheater, Mozart:  La clemenza di Tito, Tito Vespasian, January – February 2020

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Weill: Die sieben Todsünden, Bruder, March 2020

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Opera Studio in Concert, Scenes from Die Entführung aus dem Serail, La fille du régiment, and The Rake's Progress, March 2020

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Boito: Mefistofele, Wagner, Nereo, April 2020 (Cancelled due to COVID)

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Britten: Death in Venice, Glassmaker, Singer, May 2020 (Cancelled due to COVID)

Season 2018/19

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Handel: Ariodante, Odoardo, September – December 2018

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Prokofiev: Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen, Zeremonienmeister, December 2018 – January 2019

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Tchaikovsky: Pikovaya dama, Chaplitsky, January 2019

Staatsoper Stuttgart, JOiN, Mozart: Der Schauspieldirektor, Herr Herz (Vogelsang), January – February 2019

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Weill: Die sieben Todsünden, Bruder, January – March 2019

Staatsoper Stuttgart, Boito: Mefistofele, Wagner, Nereo, June – July 2019

theater
bremen

Wagner’s Lohengrin

Lohengrin
Conductor: ​Stefan Klingele
Director: Frank Hilbrich
Bremer Philharmoniker

PREMIERE September 15
konzerthaus
berlin

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony

Tenor soloist
Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin

December 30 & 31
staatsoper
hannover

The Greek Passion

Manolios
Selections from Beethoven’s Fidelio
Conductor: Modestas Pitrenas
Sinfonieorchester St.Gallen

premiere april 11
THEATER

Opera

Role
Director
Conductor
Orchestra

date
THEATER

Opera

Role
Director
Conductor
Orchestra

date
theater

Opera

Role
Director
 Conductor
Orchestra

date

Media & Press.

 Press Kit

© Philippe Girard

© Philippe Girard

© Philippe Girard

© Philippe Girard

© Philippe Girard

© Philippe Girard

© Edyta Dufaj, Theater St. Gallen

© Edyta Dufaj, Theater St. Gallen

© Edyta Dufaj, Theater St. Gallen

January 2024 • Konzert und Theater St. Gallen

Verdi: Ernani

“Christopher Sokolowski is an extremely convincing, intense interpreter of Ernani. He portrays this totally disturbed young man, tormented by inner demons, with a forceful, present physicality (he is on stage practically non-stop). His engagingly timbred tenor sounds increasingly liberated as the evening progresses. It is extremely pleasing that he does not force his voice at any point, but is able to fill the role with natural, perfect vocal support and a dynamic, precisely nuanced tone.” — Oper Aktuell

“Ernani is sung by tenor Christopher Sokolowski, who with an almost youthful vigor seizes the opportunity to show off his dramatic skills. He is truly impetuous at the start of the evening, giving the role a vibrant power and a compelling, sometimes almost wild presence. He never loses credibility in his passion, his loyalty, or his suffering from the ‘impossibility of love,’ as stated by Peter Verhelst.” — Ostschweizer Kultur

“Christopher Sokolowski was most convincing in the title role–not only because the handsome young American is an incredibly agile performer, but also because he best withstood the storm that was raging on the St. Gallen stage and respected the structuring of the phrases in a meaningful way. His tenor has a highly individual timbre, a well-developed middle range and a radiant high register.” — Das Opernglas

“Everything revolves around the titular character Ernani, superbly cast with the young American tenor Christopher Sokolowski, absolutely moving in his deep inner turmoil, with his dark side, his sadness, his musically security and precision, with magnificent, melodious high notes and a beautifully controlled, rich timbre - what a joy to listen to him, powerful and clear to the end, his almost exuberant energy superb.” — Arcimboldis World

“The young-looking Christopher Sokolowski, with his impulsive and powerful but still clarion tenor, is the ideal cast for the special interest that the production shows in Ernani. He portrays a young man traumatized by his experiences, who becomes the prey rather than the leader of the rebels.” — Oper! Magazin

“Ernani is played by Christopher Sokolowski, whose powerful tenor and self-expressive, sometimes acrobatic acting make him an ideal cast.” — Kronenzeitung

© Paris Opera Competition

© Paris Opera Competition

© Paris Opera Competition

September 2023 • ​Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

Paris Opera Competition

“Christopher Sokolowski, American tenor, shows a technical maturity well beyond his years, enabling him to master the multiple facets of his shimmering velvet voice. He also displays Wagnerian power and a stage savvy that denotes a certain experience.” — Ôlyrix

© Duane Tinkey, Des Moines Metro Opera

© Duane Tinkey, Des Moines Metro Opera

© Duane Tinkey, Des Moines Metro Opera

July 2023 • Des Moines Metro Opera

Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges

“Sokolowski navigated the ever changing and equally absurd moods of the Prince with finesse…Sokolowski’s heroic tenor voice turned the hapless Prince into a compelling hero, his clear tone and skillful technique making the most of Prokofiev’s score.” — Schmopera

“Mr. Sokolowski is all goofy puppy dog, with unerring comic instincts, unleashing torrents of gleaming sound, each phrase more impressive than the last.” — Opera Today

© Edyta Dufaj, Theater St. Gallem

© Edyta Dufaj, Theater St. Gallen

© Edyta Dufaj, Theater St. Gallen

April 2023 • Konzert und Theater St. Gallen

Verdi: Messa da Requiem

“Christopher Sokolowski has the talent, personality, and makings of a great spinto tenor.” — Ruch Muzyczny

“The vocal soloists were exceptional, above all the clarity of tenor Christopher Sokolowski.” — Ostschweizerinnen

“The demanding solo parts, confidently to ravishingly mastered by [the soloists] were given a very concrete fate.” — St. Galler Tagblatt

January 2024

Portrait: St. Galler Tagblatt

Plötzlich Held: Der amerikanische Tenor Christopher Sokolowski stürmt am Theater St.Gallen ins dramatische Fach.

Read more

October 2023

Portrait: Iowa Public Radio

Meet rising opera star Christopher Sokolowski. 

Read more

October 2022

Familienbande auf der Bühne: St. Galler Tagblatt

In der Operette «Die Fledermaus» singen und tanzen am Samstag im St.Galler Theaterprovisorium gleich zwei Geschwisterpaare.

Read more

Contact.

General Management:

Zemsky Green Artists Management
104 West 73rd Street, Suite 1
New York, NY 10023 USA
+1 (212) 579-6700

[email protected]
Alan Green
[email protected]
Arabella Green
[email protected]
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