Live from Vienna: “Die Fledermaus” with Diana Damrau and Jonas Kaufmann
Jonas Kaufmann who has already sung the role of Eisenstein in concert at the Semperoper in Dresden will make his stage debut in this role in the New Year's Eve performance at the Vienna State Opera, with Diana Damrau (Rosalinde), Ilia Staple (Adele), Jörg Schneider (Alfred), Adrian Eröd (Falke), Jochen Schmeckenbecher (Frank), Daria Sushkova (Orlofsky), and Michael Niavarani (Frosch); Markus Poschner will conduct. The performance will be broadcast on several channels: from 6 p.m. via live streaming by the State Opera and on Ö1 in 5.1 surround sound, as well as from 8:15 p.m. on ORF III / Erlebnis Bühne. Photo: ORF / Hans Leitner
Applause for Strauß on ORF 3
Applaus für die Gebrüder Strauß is the title of a family concert that will be presented at the Tyrolean Festival Erl on December 14 at 4:00 p.m., with the artistic director as a special guest: Jonas Kaufmann will perform the Lagoon Waltz from A Night in Venice. The concert will be recorded by ORF and broadcast on the same day at 8:13 p.m. on ORF 3 / Erlebnis Bühne.
30th Advent benefit concert of BMW Munich
On December 16, 2025, BMW Munich's 30th Advent benefit concert will take place in the Herkulessaal of the Residenz. The program includes works by Bach, Humperdinck, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, and Reger, as well as the famous Christmas carol Minuit, chrétiens by Adolphe Adam, sung by Jonas Kaufmann. His partners are Diana Damrau, José Carreras, and the Bavarian State Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. The concert will be broadcast via livestream.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Menschen in Europa Award
Passau, November 23, 2025: At a ceremony in Passau, Kaufmann was presented with the Passauer Neue Presse's Menschen in Europa award by publisher Angelika Diekmann for his artistic contributions and social commitment. This year, Kaufmann is the patron of the Christmas donation campaign organized by Mediengruppe Bayern in cooperation with SOS Kinderdörfer, which will benefit around 10,000 children in Ethiopia. “Children are the weakest link in our society, and in times of war, famine, or other disasters, they are usually defenseless,” the singer emphasized in a panel discussion with Arabella Kiesbauer; as a father of four children, he said it was particularly important to him to provide help in this area. In his laudatory speech, Thomas Gottschalk described himself as a big fan of the singer, calling him the “George Clooney of opera.” Here is the link to the recording of the event.
Presenter Arabella Kiesbauer, Jonas Kaufmann, Menschen in Europa initiator Angelika Diekmann, laudator Thomas Gottschalk, and CEO of SOS Kinderdörfer weltweit Lanna Idriss. Photo: J. Schlegel
German-Austrian Friendship
Recently, I had the great honor to accompany Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier as cultural representative in his delegation during his visit to Austria. This three day visit was the first of his kind after 28 years, and comprised of many special events, including visits to sites of cultural and economic significance in Vienna and in Tirol. We celebrated the opening of the new German embassy in Vienna, where I performed together with Helmut Deutsch pieces by the Austrian Johann Strauß and the German Richard Strauss - demonstrating the unity and friendship these two countries enjoy. As a citizen of both countries, and as a European, I worshiped the inspiring encounters and discussions. At a time when so much seems to divide us, it was wonderful to celebrate the special friendship that exists between Germany and Austria. Jonas Kaufmann
Photo: Bundesregierung / Guido Bergmann
Interview The iPaper
Who could resist hearing one of the world’s most beautiful voices up close, singing alone with a piano? Song recitals, especially of Lieder (song in German), used to be standard fare in concert-goers’ diaries. Yet now, beyond specialist series and festivals, such events are becoming oddly rare. In a world dominated by pop songs – surely not so different, just noisier – exactly why the classical song recital has become an endangered species is a mystery. Jonas Kaufmann, widely regarded as the “world’s greatest tenor”, is determined to solve it.
“Everywhere we have difficulties in selling song recitals, because people are no longer used to this genre,” the German superstar says, on the phone from his summer holiday. “Maybe it’s not an easy-access art form. People are afraid it will be too long or too boring. And that’s sad, because it is unique and so intense that it would be a shame if it were just to vanish from the world’s artistic map.” Read more
The Golden Johann Strauss Award for Jonas Kaufmann
Deutsch-Wagram near Vienna, September 5, 2025: At the Marchfelderhof, Jonas Kaufmann received the Golden Johann Strauss Award, an honor bestowed by the Johann Strauss Society Vienna, which had previously been awarded to Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Renate Holm, and Otto Schenk.
Numerous celebrities offered their congratulations, including entrepreneur Hans Peter Haselsteiner, festival president Helga Rabl-Stadler, Tyrol's governor Anton Mattle, soprano Birgit Sarata, and bass Kurt Rydl. Peter Grossmann, head of the Marchfelderhof, also unveiled a marble plaque in honor of Jonas Kaufmann.
Vienna State Opera’s ‘Opern Air Concert’ on various channels
On Sunday, 7 September, in Vienna's Burggarten: the Vienna State Opera's ‘Opern Air Concert’, a special event with, among others, Elīna Garanča, Sonya Yoncheva, Jonas Kaufmann, Benjamin Bernheim and Boris Pinkhasanovich, as well as the choir and orchestra of the Vienna State Opera conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Admission is free. Those who cannot attend in person will have the opportunity to watch the concert via live stream at play.wiener-staatsoper.at at 7 p.m. It will also be broadcast on ORF III at 8:15 p.m. Afterwards, it will be available to watch on ORF.ON for three months. From 18 September, the complete concert will be available on arte.tv for around a year. A slightly abridged version will be broadcast on ARTE on 12 October.
Live from the Bayerische Staatsoper: Cavalleria rusticana & I Pagliacci
Today at 7pm: from the Nationaltheater in Munich BR-KLASSIK broadcasts the double premiere of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci live on the radio. As recently at the Vienna State Opera, Jonas Kaufmann will once again be heard in the role of Canio. The singer spoke to Sylvia Schreiber about the new production of the Verismo twins and his role in an interview for BR-Klassik. Photo: Geoffroy Schied
