Josef Protschka

Introduction:

"Interested in humans generally and in musicians especially, I’ve been longing my whole life for the most beautiful, perfect individual sound and sound sensibility - that’s why I teach."

"The unity of heart and brain, emotion and mind has always been my guiding thread in living, performing and teaching."

The German tenor Josef Protschka has been celebrated worldwide as a Lieder and operatic vocalist with an extensive repertoire. For more than thirty years he has regularly appeared at the most prestigious opera houses of Europe and America, and in major festivals and performing events.

Born in Prague, he grew up in Düsseldorf and studied classical philology, philosophy, and German literature in Bonn and Tübingen. He worked as a journalist in Germany and Austria, and as managing director of the Cusanuswerk Foundation before dedicating himself exclusively to his singing career.

Beginning in Gießen and Saarbrücken, his foundations in the basic repertoire were laid at the Oper Köln - firstly as an internationally-acclaimed Mozart tenor, and subsequently in major dramatic roles, such as Don Jose, Hans, Tom Rakewell, Hermann, Eric, among others. Significant debuts soon followed; the Vienna State Opera, Salzburg Festival, Scala di Milano, SemperOpera Dresden, State Opera Hamburg, Opera Zürich, Covent Garden London (Florestan), Teatre de la Monnaie Brüssel (Lohengrin), Bregenz Festival (Hoffmann), Wiener Festwochen (Fierrabras), Maggio Musicale Firenze, and many more.

Josef Protschka regular collaborates with leading stage directors and conductors, appearing in numerous TV productions and international radio broadcasts. He has taken part in no less than fifty recordings, with most of them receiving notable national and international critic awards.

Since the mid-90s, Protschka has held the position of professor for voice and interpretation in Copenhagen (DKDM) and Cologne/ Aken.

From 2002 - 2009 he was director of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (HfMT Köln), and in 2012 he opened the Studio for Vocal Interpretation (SVI) in Pulheim near Cologne.

Protschka actively gives masterclasses in Europe, South Africa, and China on a regular basis, and for many years has been highly sought after as a judge at prestigious international voice competitions.

Together with Florian Uhlig, the celebrated pianist and artistic director of the International Mozart Festival Johannesburg (IMFJ), Protschka has directed an important and innovative educational project for highly-talented South African singers (a collaboration between the IMFJ and the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln) since 2012.