Jóhann Kristinsson

Icelandic baritone Jóhann Kristinsson won the Stella Maris Vocal Competition in September 2019. From 2017-19 he was a member of the Young Artists Programme at the Hamburg State Opera in Germany.

Jóhann began his vocal studies with Bergþór Pálsson in Iceland in 2009. He later studied at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin with Scot Weir and received lessons from Thomas Quasthoff, Julia Varady and Wolfram Rieger.

Jóhann was a finalist at the Robert Schumann competition in Zwickau in 2016. He went on to win third prize and the audience prize at the International Vocal Competition Das Lied in Heidelberg the following year. Jóhann has appeared at the Heidelberger Frühling festival, the Oxford Lieder Festival, the Dresden Music Festival, at the Hamburg State Opera, at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin and at The Icelandic Opera. He has worked with front rank conductors including Herbert Blomstedt, Kent Nagano, Pier Giorgio Morandi and Stefano Ranzani.

In 2018, Jóhann was named Most Promising Young Artist at the Icelandic Music Awards. He was also nominated in two other categories: Singer of the Year and Musical Event of the Year, the latter for his recital with pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz.

This season, Jóhann will appear with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, La Scala Chamber Orchestra and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra among others. He will also appear at the Hamburg State Opera in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Verdi’s La Traviata and Johannes Harneit’s IchundIch.

Jóhann has benefitted from career advice and guidance from established international singers including Thomas Hampson, Graham Johnson, Helmut Deutsch, Christian Gerhaher, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Deborah Polaski and Giacomo Aragall. He signed to Nordic Artists Management in 2019.