TENOR
Michael Schade
Representation: World
- Helga Machreich-Unterzaucher
- +43 (0)5 06 80-012
- machreich@machreich-artists.com
GALLERY
BIOGRAPHY
Celebrated as one of the leading tenors of our time, the German-Canadian Michael Schade makes regular guest appearances on the most prominent opera stages and concert halls across Europe and North America. He has enjoyed a particularly close collaboration with the Vienna State Opera, while also appearing frequently at the Metropolitan Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Bavarian State Opera, La Scala in Milan, the Liceu Barcelona, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Opéra Bastille in Paris and the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.
His role debuts as Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus) in Toronto and as Florestan (Fidelio) under Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Theater an der Wien were acclaimed by audiences and press alike. Other highlights have included Aschenbach (Death in Venice) and Peter Grimes in Hamburg, Max in Weber's Freischütz at the Berlin State Opera and the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, and his role debut as Eisenstein in the traditional New Year's Eve Fledermaus at the Vienna State Opera. This was followed by new productions of Strauss' Elektra (Aegisth) at the Canadian Opera Company, as well as Strauss' Daphne (Leukippos) and Erik in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer at the Hamburg State Opera. Michael Schade was heard as Florestan under the baton of Yannick Nezet-Séguin in Montréal as well as with Paavor Järvi and the Tonhalle Orchestra in a concertante Fidelio.
In the spring of 2023, Michael Schade enjoyed great success as Herod in a new production of Strauss' Salome at the Canadian Opera Company and made his Australian in autumn 2023 - in Melbourne, as Flamand in Strauss’ Capriccio under the baton of Simone Young, followed by the title role in Mozart's Idomeneo at Opera Australia. In April 2025, Michael Schade celebrated a great success as Hauptmanns in Berg's Wozzeck at the Canadian Opera Company. In February 2026, he can be heard for the first time at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm in Elena Langer's Figaro Gets a Divorce.
For many years, Michael Schade has been a regular guest at the Salzburg Festival in new productions of Mozart's La clemenza di Tito, Purcell's King Arthur, Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Haydn's Armida, Cherubini's Medée, von Winter's Das Labyrinth and in the title role of Schubert's Fierrabras, as well as on the concert and Lied podium. From 2008 to 2010 he was Creative Director of his own Young Singers Project.
With a large concert repertoire ranging from Bach's Passions to Mahler's Lied von der Erde, Michael Schade regularly works with conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Iván Fischer, Valery Gergiev, Stefan Gottfried, Daniel Harding, Pablo Heras-Casado, Philippe Jordan, Fabio Luisi, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nezet-Séguin, Peter Oundjian, Sir Simon Rattle, Christian Thielemann, Robin Ticciati, Franz Welser-Möst and Simone Young. His music-making was strongly influenced by numerous performances with Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
At the beginning of the 2024-2025 season, Michael Schade could be heard with Schönberg's Gurre-Lieder with the NDR Elbphilharmonieorchester under the direction of Alan Gilbert at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and at the Lucerne Festival, followed by Handel's Alexander's Feast with Concentus Musicus at the Vienna Musikverein and in Lausanne, Bruckner's Te Deum at the Vienna Konzerthaus and Mozart's Requiem in Wiener Neustadt. Together with Concentus Musicus, he sang Mozart/Händel arias at the Mozartwoche Salzburg and with Schubert arias at the Vienna Musikverein. In the 2025-2026 season, he can be heard in numerous recitals, as well as with Orff's Carmina Burana under Andres Orozco-Estrada at the Rheingau Festival, in the Cologne Philharmonie in Lucerne and Antwerp, with the piece Der Stein der Weisen together with the Hofkapelle München under Rüdiger Lotter at the Theater an der Wien, with Verdi's Requiem in Calgary, and with a Dowland programme together with Fahmi Alqhuai in Spain.
Equally as a lieder singer, the artist has been acclaimed at major venues including Vienna's Musikverein, Konzerthaus and State Opera, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, New York's Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, London's Wigmore Hall, the Verbier Festival, the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, and the Grafenegg Festival. Recent recitals have taken him to the Vienna State Opera, La Scala in Milan and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Among his numerous recordings, those with Harnoncourt include Bach's St. Matthew Passion (Grammy Award-winning), Verdi's Messa da Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Orlando Paladino, Mozart's Zaide and La clemenza di Tito. Other award-winning recordings include Mahler's Lied von der Erde with the Vienna Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez, Mozart's Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado, and Strauss's Daphne conducted by Semyon Bychkov (Grammy nomination in 2005) and the live recording of a Mozart gala at the Salzburg Festival. Additional successes include Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin with Malcolm Martineau, Soirée Française and Mozart: Aria & Duetti, Die schöne Müllerin with Rudolf Buchbinder (live recording) and the DVDs of Arabella (Vienna State Opera), Das Labyrinth (Salzburg Festival) and the Vienna Philharmonic's Summer Night Concert.
In 2007, the artist was awarded the title of Austrian Kammersänger (Chamber Singer). Since 2014, Michael Schade has been the artistic director of the International Baroque Days at Melk Abbey, which take place annually at Whitsun. In 2017 Michael Schade became an Officer to the Order of Canada (OC), and in 2019 took up the position as singing professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts, where he dedicates himself intensively to the next generation of singers in addition to numerous master classes.
2025 | 2026
This biography is to be reproduced without any changes, omissions or additions, unless expressly authorized by artist management.
DISCOGRAPHY
Mozart | Henneberg | Schack | Gerl: Der Stein der Weisen
Michael Schade, Martin Summer, Leonor Amaral, Kai Kluge, Elena Harsányi,
Katjan Maderer, Jonas Müller, Theresa Pilsl, Joachim Höchbauer
Hofkapelle München | Chor der KlangVerwaltung
Conductor: Rüdiger Lotter
Label: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi | 2024
Antal Doráti: Der Künder
Tomasz Konieczny, Michael Schade, Rachel Frenkel
Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Teatr Wielki Choir
Conductor: Martin Fischer-Dieskau
Label: Orfeo | 2022
Heinrich von Herzogenberg: Columbus
Andrè Schuen, Michael Schade, Markus Butter
Grazer Philharmoniker | Chor der Oper Graz
Conductor: Dirk Kaftan
Label: CPO | 2018
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem (Fragment)
Mojca Erdmann, Okka von der Damerau, Michael Schade, Christof Fischesser
Münchner Philharmoniker | Philharmonischer Chor München
Conductor: Zubin Metha
Label: Münchner Philharmoniker | 2018
CALENDAR
Robert Schumann: Liederkreis Op. 39
Selected Lieder by Fanny und Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Clara and Robert Schumann
Michael Schade, tenor
Justus Zeyen, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Magnificat Wq 215
Nuria Rial, soprano I
Shira Patchornik, soprano II
Sophie Harmsen, alto
Michael Schade, tenor
Johannes Kammler, bass
Concentus Musicus Vienna
Collegium Vocale 1704
Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor
Michael Schade, tenor
Max Volbers, recorder
Sebastian Wienand, harpsichord
In contrast to her famous husband, we know next to nothing about Johann Sebastian Bach's first wife Maria Barbara Bach apart from the stages of her life. Max Volbers now wants to change that. For the Baroque Days, he is designing a programme based around the family connections of Maria Barbara and the rest of the Bach family, drawing threads from events to compositions and thus creating the appearance of a woman who possibly comes very close to the actual Maria Barbara. Together with Michael Schade and his musical partner Sebastian Wienand, he will fill the sacred space with music in the atmospheric ambience of the collegiate church at night. The ‘Melker Marienlied’, one of the treasures of the abbey library from the 12th century, is sure to be a special highlight, newly set to music by Johannes Schachtner and premiered by Michael Schade.
FURTHER INFORMATION & TICKETSBreakfast matinée with Michael Schade
Karolina Ellinger, moderator
Musical organisation:
Franziska Hoffmann, clarinet & basset horn
Christine Foidl, clarinet & basset horn
Simon Pibal, clarinet & basset horn
It's entertaining, enjoyable and gets Whit Monday off to a good start: the now traditional breakfast with Michael Schade is a convivial way to start the day, with the Melk artistic director chatting away and telling backstage stories and tales.
FURTHER INFORMATION & TICKETSCarl Orff: Carmina Burana
Annija Adamsone, Soprano
Michael Schade, Tenor
Michael Nagy, Baritone
Bürgerchor Köln
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Artistic Direction
CONTACT
Representation: World
- Helga Machreich-Unterzaucher
- +43 (0)5 06 80-012
- machreich@machreich-artists.com
