Born in Leipzig, Patrick Grahl was initially a member of the Thomanerchor under the baton of Georg Christoph Biller. He then received his vocal training at the University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in Leipzig under Berthold Schmid, graduating with distinction from the master class. Courses with Peter Schreier, Gotthold Schwarz, Gerd Türk, Ileana Cotrubas, and Karl-Peter Kammerlander provided important impulses for his artistic development.
On the opera stage, he has performed as Don Ottavio (Mozart: Don Giovanni) at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, as Jaquino (Beethoven: Fidelio) with the Insula Orchestra under the baton of Laurence Equilbey, at the Marvão Festival (Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail), and in other roles at the Opéra National de Lyon, as well as in Helsinki and Budapest.
Since winning first prize at the XX. International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig in 2016, he has been a highly sought-after concert and oratorio singer, with numerous CD and radio recordings documenting his work. He has performed with ensembles such as the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the NDR Radiophilharmonie, the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI di Torino, and the London Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of conductors like Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, Daniele Gatti, Zubin Mehta, Hartmut Haenchen, Ludwig Güttler, Peter Schreier, Manfred Honeck, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Ton Koopman, Philippe Herreweghe, Christoph Poppen, Andrew Manze, Leopold Hager, Omer Meir Wellber, and Stefano Montanari.
In the 2024/25 season, several exciting projects await the singer: Handel’s Messiah at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg under the baton of Hansjörg Albrecht; Mozart’s Requiem in Bamberg under Manfred Honeck and in Dresden, Hamburg, and Munich with the Dresden Philharmonic and the Kreuzchor under Martin Lehmann; Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in Berlin and Leipzig under the Thomaskantor Andreas Reize. At the Wiener Konzerthaus, he will sing Haydn's The Seasons and go on tour with the RIAS Chamber Choir (St. Matthew Passion by Bach) to Berlin, Barcelona, Valencia, and Santander. He will also make his debut in Prague with the Czech Philharmonic under the baton of Semyon Bychkov (Bach's Mass in B Minor).
In addition to his numerous engagements on the concert and opera stage, Patrick Grahl places great importance on chamber music projects and song recitals: in 2024/25, he will give solo and ensemble recitals at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg and Hohenems.
His song CD Dichterliebe, accompanied by Daniel Heide, was released on the CAvi label. This was followed in September 2024 by the CD Das ferne Lied with Klara Hornig, released by Rondeau Production, featuring some works by composers Wilhelm Weismann and Rudolf Wagner-Régeny that were recorded for the first time. For the Bach anniversary in 2023/24, the Gaechinger Cantorey, under Hans-Christoph Rademann, realized the project Vision Bach, a comprehensive presentation of Bach's first cantata cycle, in which Patrick Grahl played a significant role. Three CDs have already been released, with more to follow.
