Kammersänger (male) or Kammersängerin (female), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was bestowed by princes or kings, when it was styled ''Hofkammersänger(in)'', where ''hof'' refers to the

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

. The title is given in Germany and in Austria usually on the recommendation of relevant national and local institutions. In

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

, some concert halls bestowed this designation.

Titles and recipients

Austria

Österreichischer Kammersänger (male) / Österreichische Kammersängerin (female)

The honorary title is awarded by the Federal President of Austria on the proposal of the responsible Federal Minister since 1971. *

Germany

Kammersänger (male) / Kammersängerin (female)

* Elise Kutscherra de Nyss (Coburg, 1894) *

Gerhard Unger Gerhard Unger (26 November 1916 – 4 July 2011) was a German lyric tenor. Born in Bad Salzungen, he studied in Berlin and began singing concerts and oratorios in 1945, once the war was over. Unger made his debut as an opera singer in 1947 in ...

(1952) *

Theo Adam Theo Adam (1 August 1926 – 10 January 2019) was a German operatic bass-baritone and bass singer who had an international career in opera, concert and recital from 1949. He was a member of the Staatsoper Dresden for his entire career, and sang ...

(1955) * Hans-Dieter Bader (Hanover, 1981) * Alfred Vökt (Frankfurt, 1989) * (Frankfurt, 1993) *

Axel Köhler Axel Köhler (born 1959 in Schwarzenberg, Saxony, East Germany) is a German countertenor and opera director. In 1994, he won the Handel Prize. Since 2009, he has been Artistic Director of the Halle Opera House. Early life Axel Köhler studied v ...

(Halle, 1998) * Klaus Schneider (Karlsruhe, 2003) * Linda Watson (Düsseldorf, 2004) *

Doris Soffel Doris Soffel (born 12 May 1948, Hechingen, Germany) is a German mezzo-soprano. Doris Soffel first played the violin, then switched to singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. She was member of the Stuttgart Opera ensemble from 1 ...

(Cologne, 2007) * Hans-Otto Weiß (Mainz, 2010) * Winfrid Mikus (Heidelberg, 2011) * Roland Hartmann (Meiningen, 2011) * Romelia Lichtenstein (Halle, 2012) * Hannes Brock (Dortmund, 2012) * Jörg Sabrowski (Kiel, 2012) * Thomas de Vries (Wiesbaden, 2014) * Jochen Kupfer (Nürnberg, 2016) * Thomas Jesatko (Mannheim, 2016) * (Erfurt, 2017) * Jeffrey Dowd (Essen, 2019) *

Claudia Mahnke Claudia Mahnke is a German operatic mezzo-soprano, a member of the Oper Frankfurt, with guest appearances at leading opera houses and the Bayreuth Festival. Career Mahnke was born in Meerane in Saxony, Germany. While she attended school she was ...

(Frankfurt, 2021) * Christina Clark (Essen, 2022) * Marie-Helen Joël (Essen, 2022) * Rainer Maria Röhr (Essen, 2022) * Wilfried Staber (Heidelberg, 2022) * Jürgen Rust (Mainz) * Wilma Schmidt (Hanover)

Berliner Kammersänger / Berliner Kammersängerin

Sylvia Geszty as Cleopatra in Händel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Berlin, 1970

The honorary title has been given by the Senate of Berlin since 1962. In the reunified Berlin, from 1990 to 2010, 17 singers have received this honor. *

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, ...

(1963) *

Sieglinde Wagner Sieglinde Wagner (21 April 1921 – 31 December 2003) was an Austrian operatic contralto, who could also sing mezzo-soprano roles. Wagner was born in Linz, and studied in Linz and Munich. In 1947, she made her debut at the Vienna State Opera. Tw ...

(1963) *

Sylvia Geszty Sylvia Geszty (born Sylvia Maria Ilona Wytkowsky; ; 28 February 1934 – 13 December 2018) was a Hungarian-German operatic coloratura soprano who appeared internationally, based first at the Staatsoper Berlin in East Berlin and from 1970 at the S ...

(1968) * Peter Lagger (1970) *

Erika Köth Erika Köth (15 September 1925 in Darmstadt – 20 February 1989 in Speyer) was a German operatic high coloratura soprano, particularly associated with the roles of Zerbinetta and Zerlina. Köth began a musical studies in Darmstadt with E ...

(1970) *

Ingvar Wixell Karl Gustaf Ingvar Wixell (7 May 19318 October 2011) was a Swedish baritone who had an active international career in operas and concerts from 1955 to 2003. He mostly sang roles from the Italian repertory, and, according to ''The New York Times'' ...

(1970) *

Barry McDaniel Barry McDaniel (October 18, 1930 – June 18, 2018) was an American operatic baritone who spent his career almost exclusively in Germany, including 37 years at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He appeared internationally at major opera houses and f ...

(1970) *

Vera Little Vera Pearl Little-Augustithis (December 10, 1928October 24, 2012) was an American contralto and mezzo-soprano opera singer who belonged to the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin for more than four decades. She performed each of the important m ...

(1970) * Gundula Janowitz (1974) * José van Dam (1974) * Karl-Josef Hering (1975) * Catarina Ligendza (1976) * (1983) *

Uta Priew Uta Priew (born 3 August 1944) is a German operatic mezzo-soprano. Life Born in Karlsbad, Priew began as a chorist at the in Bernburg. She took singing lessons with Wolfgang Rainer and Erna Feierabend at the "Georg Friedrich Händel" Conser ...

(1984) *

Jochen Kowalski Jochen Kowalski (born 30 January 1954) is a German alto or mezzo countertenor, noted for his very rich timbre. Early life Jochen Kowalski was born in Wachow, Nauen District, Bezirk Potsdam, in East Germany (now a small village belonging to t ...

(1994) * Karan Armstrong (1994) *

Matti Salminen Matti Kalervo Salminen (born 7 July 1945) is a Finnish operatic bass, now retired, who has sung at the most important opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan and Bayreuth Festival. He is distinguished by an imposing figure and ...

(1995) * (1995) * (1998) *

René Pape René Pape (born 4 September 1964) is a German operatic bass. Pape has received two Grammys, was named "Vocalist of the Year" by Musical America in 2002, "Artist of the Year" by the German opera critics in 2006, and won an ECHO award (the German ...

(2000) *

Roman Trekel Roman Trekel (born Pirna near Dresden in 1963) is a German operatic baritone and Lied-singer. He was awarded the title of Kammersänger Kammersänger (male) or Kammersängerin (female), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German honorific title for d ...

(2000) * (2001) * Christiane Oertel (2003) * Clemens Bieber (2010) * Reinhard Hagen (2010) * Lenus Carlson (2010) *

Michaela Kaune Michaela Kaune (born 1968) is a German operatic soprano. Life Born in Hamburg, Kaune initially sang privately in various choirs. She originally wanted to study law, but then decided to study singing. She received her vocal training at the Mus ...

(2011) * Brigitte Geller (2012) * Peter Renz (2012) * Jens Larsen (2013) *

Peter Seiffert Peter Seiffert (born 4 January 1954) is a German tenor. Biography Born in Düsseldorf, Seiffert studied at the Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf and made his debut in 1978 at the Deutschen Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf/Duisburg. In 1979, he was ...

(2014) * Dorothea Röschmann (2016) * Victor von Halem (2016) *

Kwangchul Youn Kwangchul Youn (born 1966) is a South Korean operatic bass and academic voice teacher. He made an international career based in Germany, from 1994 to 2004 at the Berlin State Opera. He has performed leading roles at international opera houses an ...

(2018) * Karolina Gumos (2022) * (2022) * Caren van Oijen (2022) * Tom Erik Lie (2022) *

Evelyn Lear Evelyn Shulman Lear (January 8, 1926 – July 1, 2012) was an American operatic soprano. Between 1959 and 1992, she appeared in more than forty operatic roles, appeared with every major opera company in the United States and won a Grammy Award in ...

* Ernst Haefliger * * Werner Enders *

Erich Witte Erich Witte (19 March 1911 – 30 June 2008) was a German stage actor, operatic tenor and opera director. He was based for almost five decades at the Berlin State Opera, and performed leading roles at major opera houses in Europe and at the Metro ...

Bayerischer Kammersänger / Bayerische Kammersängerin

Final curtain call Parsifal Bayerische Staatsoper July 2018

The title has been awarded by the Bavarian Ministry of Culture since 1955 for outstanding artistic achievements to singing soloists of the Bavarian State Opera, the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and the Staatstheater Nürnberg. , more than 130 artists have been honoured. The prerequisite is at least five years of membership in an ensemble at a state theater or regular guest appearances. * Gottlob Frick (1954) * Hans Hotter (1955) *

(1955) *

Hertha Töpper Hertha Töpper (; 19 April 1924 – 28 March 2020) was an Austrian contralto in opera and concert, and an academic voice teacher. A member of the Bavarian State Opera, she appeared in leading roles at major international opera houses and festivals ...

(1955) *

Leonie Rysanek Leopoldine Rysanek (14 November 1926 – 7 March 1998) was an Austrian dramatic soprano. Life Rysanek was born in Vienna and made her operatic debut in 1949 in Innsbruck. In 1951 the Bayreuth Festival reopened and the new leader Wieland Wagne ...

(1956) *

(1959) * Fritz Wunderlich (1962) * Kieth Engen (1962) * Lisa della Casa (1963) *

Inge Borkh Inge Borkh (born Ingeborg Simon, 26 May 1921 – 26 August 2018) was a German operatic dramatic soprano. She was first based in Switzerland, where she received international attention when she appeared in the first performance in German of Meno ...

(1963) * Astrid Varnay (1963) *

Karl-Christian Kohn Karl-Christian Kohn (21 May 1928 in Losheim am See – 20 January 2006) was a German opera singer (bass). Life After his education at the Hochschule für Musik Saar from 1949 to 1952 Kohn made his debut at the Stadttheater Saarbrücken (today ...

Ingeborg Hallstein Ingeborg Hallstein (born 23 May 1936) is a German coloratura soprano, known for the purity and range of her voice. She had an international career as a guest singer on the opera houses of Europe and was a member of the Bavarian State Opera from 1 ...

(1968) *

Birgit Nilsson Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide répertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner ...

(1970) *

Brigitte Fassbaender Brigitte Fassbaender (; born 3 July 1939), is a German mezzo-soprano opera singer and a stage director. From 1999 to 2012 she was intendant (managing director) of the Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck, Austria. She holds the title Kammersäng ...

(1970) * Gisela Ehrensperger (1974) * Wolfgang Brendel (1976) * Hermann Winkler (1977) * Kurt Moll (1979) * Júlia Várady (1979) *

Willi Brokmeier Willi Brokmeier (born 8 April 1928) is a German operatic lyric tenor. He focused on operetta roles, with an expressive voice and great acting talent, also appearing in several operetta films. He participated in world premieres and revivals, and ...

(1980) *

Edith Mathis Edith Mathis (born 11 February 1938) is a Swiss soprano and a leading exponent of the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart worldwide. She is known for parts in Mozart operas, but also took part in premieres of operas such as Henze's '' Der junge Lord ...

(1980) *

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

(1981) * Lucia Popp (1983) *

Hildegard Behrens Hildegard Behrens (9 February 1937 – 18 August 2009) was a German operatic soprano with a wide repertoire including Wagner, Weber, Mozart, Richard Strauss, and Alban Berg roles. She performed at major opera houses around the world, and receive ...

(1987) *

Edita Gruberova Edita is a female first name, a form of Edith. It may refer to: *Edita Abdieski (born 1984), Swiss singer *Edita Adlerová (born 1971), Czech opera singer *Edita Aradinović (born 1993), Serbian singer *Edita Brychta (born 1961), English actress *E ...

(1989) *

(1992) * Waltraud Meier (1996) * Ann Murray (1998) * Thomas Allen (2003) *

Gabriele Schnaut Gabriele Schnaut (born 24 February 1951) is a German classical singer who started her operatic career as a mezzo-soprano in 1976 and changed to dramatic soprano in 1985. She has appeared internationally and performed at the Bayreuth Festival from ...

(2003) *

Vesselina Kasarova Vesselina Kasarova ( bg, Веселина Кацарова; born 18 July 1965) is a Bulgarian operatic mezzo-soprano. Early life and education Kasarova was born in the central Bulgarian town of Stara Zagora. Under the communist regime she studie ...

(2005) *

Anja Harteros Anja Harteros (born 23 July 1972) is a German soprano. Since winning the 1999 Cardiff Singer of the World competition she has been particularly associated with the Bavarian State Opera and enjoyed an international career. In her earlier career ...

(2007) * Diana Damrau (2007) * Anne Lünenbürger (2008) * Jonas Kaufmann (2013) * Wolfgang Koch (2014) *

Christian Gerhaher Christian Gerhaher (born 24 July 1969, in Straubing) is a German baritone and bass singer in opera and concert, particularly known as a Lieder singer. Career Christian Gerhaher studied with Paul Kuën and Raimund Grumbach at the Hochschule ...

(2015) * Jochen Kupfer (2016) * Anja Kampe (2018) * Alex Esposito (2020) * Marlis Petersen (2021) * Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (2021) * (2021) * Lucian Krasznec (2021) * (2021) *

Bo Skovhus Bo Skovhus (born May 22, 1962 in Ikast, Denmark) is a Danish opera singer (baritone). Skovhus studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, at the Royal Academy for Opera of Copenhagen and in New York with Oren Brown. While studying voi ...

(2022) *

Helen Donath Helen Jeanette Donath (née Erwin; born July 10, 1940) is an American soprano with a career spanning fifty years. Biography She was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and studied there at Del Mar College. Later she studied in New York with Paola Nov ...

Hamburger Kammersänger / Hamburger Kammersängerin

Since 1961, the title has been given by the Hamburg Senate. , it has been awarded 28 times since 1928. * Toni Blankenheim (1961) *

Helga Pilarczyk Helga Pilarczyk (12 March 1925 – 15 September 2011) was a German operatic soprano. Born in Schöningen, she originally trained as a pianist, at Braunschweig and at the . However, she made her debut as a contralto at the Staatstheater Braunschw ...

* Ursula Boese (1969) *

(1975) * Kurt Moll (1975) *

Franz Grundheber Franz Grundheber (born 27 September 1937) is a German operatic baritone. At the Hamburg State Opera, he performed over 150 roles from 1966. His voice is flexible enough to sing Italian opera as well as Wagner roles and contemporary opera; he is a ...

(1986) * Heinz Kruse (1988) * Harald Stamm (1988) *

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numero ...

(1989) * Bernd Weikl (1993) *

(1995) * Andreas Schmidt (1997) * (2011) * Gabriele Rossmanith (2011) * Andrzej Dobber (2015) * (2017) * (2017) * (2017) * Klaus Florian Vogt (2019)

Sächsischer Kammersänger / Sächsische Kammersängerin

The title has been for members of the ensembles of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the Landesbühnen Sachsen since 1998. *

Evelyn Herlitzius Evelyn Herlitzius (born 27 April 1963) is a German opera singer, a dramatic soprano. She is known for performing major roles in works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, such as Brünnhilde, Isolde and Elektra, at the Semperoper, the Bayreuth F ...

(2002) *

Camilla Nylund Camilla Nylund (born 11 June 1968) is a Finnish operatic soprano. She appears internationally in lyric-dramatic roles such as Beethoven's Leonore, Verdi's Elisabetta, and Wagner's Elisabeth and Sieglinde. She is especially known for portrayin ...

(2008) *

Georg Zeppenfeld Georg Zeppenfeld (born 1970) is a German operatic bass. Life Born in Attendorn, Zeppenfeld studied first music and Germanistik at the , then concert and opera singing at the music academies in Detmold and Köln, and then with Kammersänger H ...

(2015) * Christa Mayer (2020) * Günther Leib

Baden-Württembergischer Kammersänger / Baden-Württembergische Kammersängerin

Reinhold Fritz Reinhold Fritz (16 March 1884 – 30 October 1950) was a German operatic bass-baritone. He was engaged at the Stuttgart Court Opera for 25 years and was awarded the title Kammersänger. He performed a broad repertoire of both serious and comic ...

(1917) * Marga Höffgen (1976) * (1977) * Karan Armstrong (1985) * Hans Rössling (1988) * Erich Syri (1989) * (1993) * (1996) * (2001) * Simone Schneider (2016) * Yuko Kakuta (2016) * Liang Li (2016) * Torsten Hofmann (2016) * Diana Haller (2021) * Adam Palka (2021) * Matthias Wohlbrecht (2022) *

Wolfgang Windgassen Wolfgang Windgassen (26 June 1914 – 8 September 1974) was a heldentenor internationally known for his performances in Wagner operas. Life and career Born in Annemasse, France, he was the son (and pupil) of a well known German Heldentenor, Frit ...

* Fritz Schaetzler

Sweden and Denmark

The equivalent designation in Sweden and Denmark are respectively '' Hovsångare'' (male) or ''Hovsångerska'' (female) and ''

Kongelige Kammersangere Kongelige Kammersangere or The Royal Chamber Singer is a prestigious award given to Danish Opera singers by the monarch. Only about 50 people have received the award since it was started in 1700. The first non-native Danish person who was appointed ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kammersanger Austrian music German music Opera terminology German words and phrases