Biography
Christopher Robson (Countertenor), born in Scotland in 1953, is recognized as one of the leading singers of his generation. Since his debut with the English National Opera in 1981 in David Freeman's ground breaking production of Monteverdi's Orfeo, he has made his mark in Opera and Concert performing music from the Middle Ages through to the Avante-Garde, and has won critical acclaim for the energy and committment of his performances. Over a period of 15 years at the ENO he sang the title role in Handel's Julius Caesar, as well as Arsamenes in Xerxes and Polinesso in Ariodante and Oberon in Midsummer Night's Dream. He gave the UK Premiere's of Akhnaten (title role) by Philip Glass and LEAR (Edgar/Poor Tom) by Aribert Reimann. In an ENO tour of the then Soviet Union in 1990, he was the first Countertenor to sing on stage in Kiev and at the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow (Xerxes).
Christopher has also sung in the UK with the Royal Opera Covent garden, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Opera Factory, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Glyndebourne Touring Opera. In the USA he has sung with Houston Grand Opera (Akhnaten, US Premiere), New York City Opera (Akhnaten), and Chicago Lyric Opera(Serse). He has also appeared in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Sao paulo, Barcelona, Kiev, Moscow, Antwerp, and other major European opera houses with directors such as Richard Jones, David Alden, Willy Decker, Robert Carsen, Pierre Audi, Eike Grams, Robert Lehmeier, John Copley, Peter Sellars, Nicholas Hytner and Martin Duncan. He has worked with many of the major orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Academy of Ancient Music, the OAE, London Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Concentus Musicus Wien; worked with Niklaus Harnoncourt, Claudio Abbado, Mark Elder, Zubin Mehta, Sir Charles Mackerras, Ivor Bolton and Gary Bertini.
Since 1994 he has been a regular guest at the Bavarian State Opera Munich, appearing in Giulio Cesare (title role and Tolomeo), Serse (Arsamenes), The Rake's Progress (Baba the Turk), Coronation of Poppea (Arnalta), Ariodante (Polinesso) Rodelinda (Unulfo), and Die Fledermaus (Orlofsky).
World Premieres include the Refugee in Jonathan Dove's Flight (Glyndebourne), Ometh in John Casken's Golem (London), John Lunn's The Maids (London, with brother Nigel Robson in a specially created adaptation of the Genet play). In 2002 he opened the Munich Opera Festival with the K-Projekt 12/14, a specially commissioned "one-man opera" based on the writings of Kafka by Hans Jurgen von Bose.
Christopher Robson has recorded for Decca, Chandos, Harmonia Mundi, Meridien, Naxos, etc., and has frequently appeared on Radio, Television and Film. He was awarded the Muenchener Opernfestspiel Preis in 1997 and 2002 (the only person to have received the prize twice), and in 2003 he was honoured with the title "Bayerische Kammersaenger" by the Bavarian Minister of Culture in recognition of his services to Music and Opera.
Christopher currently lives with his son in East Sussex, England.
