Born in Leipzig, Patrick Grahl was initially a member of the Thomanerchor Leipzig under Georg Christoph Biller. He subsequently studied voice at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Leipzig with Berthold Schmid, graduating with distinction from the Master Class programme. He received further artistic impulses from masterclasses with Peter Schreier, Gotthold Schwarz, Gerd Türk, Ileana Cotrubas and Karl-Peter Kammerlander.
Since winning First Prize at the 20th International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig in 2016, Patrick Grahl has established himself as a highly sought-after concert and oratorio singer. His artistic work is documented by numerous CD and radio recordings. He performs regularly with leading ensembles and orchestras including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Dresden Philharmonic, 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, working with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, Daniele Gatti, Zubin Mehta, Manfred Honeck, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Ton Koopman, Philippe Herreweghe and Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
On the opera stage, his roles have included Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Jaquino in Fidelio with the Insula Orchestra under Laurence Equilbey and the Gstaad Festival Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden, as well as performances in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Festival Internacional de Música de Marvão. Further operatic engagements have taken him to the Opéra National de Lyon, Helsinki and Budapest.
In the 2026/27 season, Patrick Grahl can be heard across Europe and Asia with renowned orchestras and conductors. Highlights include Franz Schmidt’s Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under Lorenzo Viotti, a tour of France with the Orchestre National de France, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio under Trevor Pinnock. Further major engagements include Bach’s Mass in B minor with the RIAS Kammerchor and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under Justin Doyle, Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the Orchestre National de France in Paris under Eun Sun Kim, Mozart’s Requiem with the Munich Philharmonic under Manfred Honeck, Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Dresden Philharmonic under Hans-Christoph Rademann, and Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the Philharmonie Luxembourg Orchestra under Paavo Järvi. He will also embark on a European tour of Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Utopia Orchestra under Teodor Currentzis.
Alongside his numerous concert and opera engagements, Patrick Grahl is deeply committed to chamber music and song. Recent highlights include solo and ensemble recitals at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg and Hohenems. His recording of Schumann’s Dichterliebe, accompanied by Daniel Heide, was released on the CAvi label. In September 2024, he released Das ferne Lied with Klara Hornig on Rondeau Production, featuring works by Wilhelm Weismann and Rudolf Wagner-Régeny, some of which were recorded for the first time. In September 2026, the duo followed this with Morgensterne, featuring works by Robert Schumann, Alexander Zemlinsky and Johannes Weyrauch. For the Bach anniversary in 2023/24, the Gaechinger Cantorey under Hans-Christoph Rademann realised Vision Bach, a complete recording of Bach’s first annual cycle of cantatas, in which Patrick Grahl was a major contributor.
Since the 2024/25 academic year, Patrick Grahl has also held teaching positions at the music universities in Dresden and Leipzig. In addition, he shares his experience and expertise in masterclasses and educational programmes, including those of the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and the Sommer Musik Akademie Schloss Hundisburg.
