David Steffens

Biography

David Steffens was born in Bavaria and started his vocal studies during secondary school with Kjellaug Tesaker at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg. He then continued his studies at the Mozarteum with Horiana Branisteanu and participated in the opera class of Josef Wallnig and Eike Gramss as well as in the Lied class of Wolfgang Holzmair.
In 2006, he received a scholarship for the Cusanuswerk Bonn and the Gianna-Szel scholarship of the Mozarteum where he finished his master studies in July 2011 with distinction. Being the best graduate of his year, he was awarded the Lilli-Lehmann medal of the International Foundation of the Mozarteum, as well as the Gottlob-Frick medal. He went to master classes held by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Ruggero Raimondi, Christa Ludwig, Thomas Hampson, Helmut Deutsch, Rudolf Piernay, Francisco Araiza and Thomas Moser.
In 2010 he gave his debut at the Landestheater Salzburg in the role of Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro) before being engaged at the Zurich International Opera Studio for the season 2011/12. In 2012 the young bass performed at the ‘Young Singers Project’ of the Salzburg Festival.
From 2012 to 2014 David Steffens was a member of the ensemble of the Stadttheater Klagenfurt. There he added roles to his repertoire such as the Hermit (Der Freischütz), Nourabad (Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles), Achilla (Händel’s Giulio Cesare) and Tchelio (Prokofjev’s The Love to Three Oranges). His Baron Ochs in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier was received with great enthusiasm.
At the Klosterneuburg Opera Festival he sang in Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and at Herrenchiemsee Festival he could be heard as Rocco in Beethoven’s Fidelio. His most recent engagements are at the Osmin at the Opéra de Fribourg, the Opéra de Lausanne and the opera festival in Schwerin as well as Truffaldin and the Water Gnome at the Stuttgart State Opera.
As of the season 2015-2016, he will be part to the ensemble at the Stuttgart State Opera.
David Steffens performed in the Gewandhaus Leipzig, at Teatro Manzoni in Bolognia, as well as part of the Tiroler Osterfestspiele, the Mozartwoche in Salzburg, the festival St. Markus in Zagreb and the festival Louvie-Juzon.
He has already sung with recognised international orchestras and under the baton of renowned conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Christoph von Dohnànyi, Theodor Guschlbauer, Enoch zu Guttenberg, Zubin Mehta, Ingo Metzmacher, Peter Schneider und Lothar Zagrosek.