Georg Zeppenfeld

Georg Zeppenfeld, a renowned bass from Attendorn in Westphalia, began his musical journey with a teaching degree in music and German studies. Concurrently, he perfected his talent in concert and opera singing at the prestigious music academies in Detmold and Cologne, where he completed his training under the guidance of Hans Sotin. After initial engagements in Münster and Bonn, he joined the Saxon State Opera Dresden in 2001, which remains his artistic home to this day.

Zeppenfeld has conquered the stages of the most important opera houses in Europe and the USA with his exceptional voice and has performed at the most renowned concert venues worldwide. His repertoire includes significant roles in the Italian and German genres, such as Rocco (Fidelio), Kaspar (Der Freischütz), King Karl (Fierrabras), Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Zaccaria (Nabucco), Banco (Macbeth), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), King Philip II (Don Carlo), Daland (The Flying Dutchman), Landgrave Hermann (Tannhäuser), King Heinrich (Lohengrin), King Marke (Tristan und Isolde), Hunding (Die Walküre), Gurnemanz (Parsifal), Veit Pogner and Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger), Baculus (Der Wildschütz), Gremin (Eugene Onegin), the Water Goblin (Rusalka), Arkel (Pelléas et Mélisande), Pimen (Boris Godunov), Peneios (Daphne), and La Roche (Capriccio). Particularly outstanding is his portrayal of Sarastro in Mozart's The Magic Flute, which he performed under Claudio Abbado in Baden-Baden and many other major opera houses.

His remarkable debut as Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the 2019 Salzburg Easter Festival under Christian Thielemann marked a highlight in his career. Since 2010, he has been a regular performer at the Bayreuth Festival, excelling in the most important roles of his repertoire.

In the 2024/25 season, Zeppenfeld returns to the stage of the Semperoper Dresden, including new productions as King Treff (The Love for Three Oranges), Frère Laurent (Roméo et Juliette), and King Heinrich (Lohengrin). Additionally, he will perform well-known roles such as Rocco (Fidelio), Sarastro (The Magic Flute), and Daland (The Flying Dutchman). The role of King Marke (Tristan und Isolde) will accompany him this season, including performances at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and in concert performances in Monte Carlo and Dresden. At the Vienna State Opera, he will once again take on the roles of Rocco (Fidelio) and Sarastro in a new production of The Magic Flute.

Further highlights of the upcoming season include performances at the Anima Mundi Festival in Pisa with Dvořák's Stabat Mater under the direction of Trevor Pinnock, lieder evenings with Gerold Huber on piano at the Schubertiade in Hohenems, Budapest, and the Frankfurt Opera, as well as engagements at the Bayreuth Festival in Parsifal and Die Meistersinger.

Zeppenfeld has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Chailly, Sir Colin Davis, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniele Gatti, Daniel Harding, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Thomas Hengelbrock, Marek Janowski, Fabio Luisi, Lorin Maazel, Andris Nelsons, Marc Minkowski, Antonio Pappano, Kirill Petrenko, Christian Thielemann, and Franz Welser-Möst. His impressive work is documented on numerous CDs, DVDs, as well as radio and television productions. For his extraordinary achievements, Zeppenfeld was named »Kammersänger of the Saxon State Opera Dresden« in 2015 and received the Foundation Prize for the Promotion of the Dresden Semperoper in 2018. In 2022, he was awarded the Austrian Music Theater Prize for his outstanding performance in Parsifal at the Vienna State Opera.