Holger Marks-Simonis

The Berlin-based tenor Holger Marks-Simonis studied singing with Marga Schiml and James Wagner at the conservatoires in Karlsruhe and Hamburg, and went on to attend masterclasses with James Taylor, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Joan Morris and William Bolcom.

Since then he has built a wide-ranging career as an opera and concert singer, with engagements in Hamburg, Lugano, Paris, Prague and Warsaw. He has appeared in venues such as the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Philharmonies in Berlin and Essen, the Rheingoldhalle in Mainz, Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich, Berlin Cathedral and the Wieskirche in the Pfaffenwinkel, alongside numerous performances in Norway, Italy, France, Switzerland, the USA and South America. In 2010 he made his debut with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra in Caracas and with the Berliner Philharmoniker, who have since invited him back regularly for solo parts under conductors including Pierre Boulez, Seiji Ozawa and Sir Simon Rattle. He has portrayed Jesus several times in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s »Jesus Christ Superstar«, including on Germany’s largest open-air stage in Ötigheim near Karlsruhe.​

Jazz is another of his great passions, which he pursues through his work with the vocal group Berlin’s 4 and other ensembles. His solo work has been documented in recordings for ZDF, ARTE, 3sat, France Musique, SWR, rbb, NDR and on various CDs. Holger Marks-Simonis has been a permanent member of the three-time Grammy-winning Rundfunkchor Berlin since 2008.