biography
The German baritone Hans Gröning received his vocal training from Kammsängerin Gisela Schröter and works regularly with Gregory Lamar. He gave his debut as winner of the Rheinsberg Palace Chamber Opera International Singing Competition. His first regular engagement brought him to the Theatre of Eisenach. Since 2004, he has worked extensively as freelance singer in Germany and abroad.
Hans Gröning has had formidable successes in contemporary opera. In 2006 he sang the title role of Wolfgang Rihm’s Jakob Lenz, a production of Muziektheater Transparant from Antwerp, at the Copenhague Opera, in Brussels, Rotterdam, Luxemburg and at the Bastille Opera in Paris.
He has sung many roles at the Komische Oper Berlin, including Fafarello in The Love for three Oranges (Director: Andreas Homoki), the title role in the commissioned work, The Rider with the Wind in his Hair, by Frank Schwemmer, Albany in Aribert Reimann’s Lear (Director: Hans Neuenfels) and the Gypsy in Mussorgsky’s The Fair at Sorochyntsi (Director: Barrie Kosky).
Prominant roles in his standard repertoire include Alban Berg’s Wozzeck, Paul Hindemith’s Cardillac, Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Telramund (Lohengrin) and Albrich (Das Rheingold).
Gröning has worked with distinguished conductors such as Kurt Masur, Michail Jurowski, Alejo Perez, Markus Poschner, Matthias Foremny, Markus Huber, Friedemann Layer, Anthony Bramall and Guido Johannes Rumstadt. His many concert appearances have included the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Wroclaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, the Cologne Philharmonic Hall, the Vienna Concert Hall and the Brucknerhaus in Linz.
At the Staatstheater Nürnberg he sang the title role of Wolfgang Rihm’s Jakob Lenz (Director: Tilman Knabe), Telemann’s Pimpinone and the Pirate King in Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance (Director: Christian Brey).
After his successful debut at Gärtnerplatz in Munich as Ollendorf (Der Bettelstudent) he has been engaged to sing Prince Ypsheim (Wiener Blut) and for the reopening of the house in 2017 the part of Zeta in The Merry Widow. He also sang the part of Popoff in the operetta The Chocolate Soldier by Oscar Straus (Director: Peter Konwitschny). Presently, he sings Bartolo in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Director: Josef E. Köpplinger).
In 2023 he returns to the Staatstheater Nürnberg to sing General Boum in La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein (Director: Andreas Kriegenburg). He will guest as Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Nationaltheater Mannheim and he will sing the title role in Jaromir Weinberger’s Wallenstein in Osnabrück.
(updated January 2023)
