Christian Damsgaard-Madsen
A warm, flexible tenor voice and a strong stage presence have enabled Christian to work across a wide spectrum of music drama. His specialty lies in operatic roles with strong character, where his musicality and dramatic talent can fully unfold. His recording of the simple farmhand Arv in Carl Nielsen’s Maskarade, with Michael Schønwandt and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, received widespread critical acclaim. He has also worked with conductors such as Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Nicholas Cleobury, Christian Kluxen, Olof Boman, and Benjamin Bayl. On stage, he has collaborated with directors including Kasper Holten, Àlex Ollé, Floris Visser, Philip Kochheim, Annilese Miskimmon, Deda Colonna, and Elisabeth Linton.
Among the many roles he has performed, he has particularly distinguished himself as a character tenor: Goro in Madama Butterfly (Puccini) with Den Jyske Opera, Creonte in Antigona (Traetta) at Theater Osnabrück, and Ivan in The Nose (Shostakovich) at the Royal Danish Theatre. Most recently, he performed the anti-hero Jennaro in J.P.E. Hartmann’s rediscovered masterpiece Ravnen on tour throughout Denmark with Den Jyske Opera. In addition, Christian is also a performer and producer of the new Danish Christmas oratorio Dejlig er Jorden, which toured extensively across Denmark in 2021 and 2023.
Christian grew up in Aarhus and studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Udo Reinemann and Margreet Honig. He also holds a Master’s degree in Musicology and Rhetoric from Aarhus University. Working with a team of renowned vocal teachers and coaches with diverse expertise, he continuously refines his technique and explores the possibilities of his voice, while constantly expanding his repertoire and expressive range. Christian has also pursued further studies with Tonny Landy, Ulrich Stærk and Klavs Lewinsky (Copenhagen), John Lidal (Norwegian National Opera, Oslo), Gregory Lamar (Berlin), and most recently with Eldo Laro (Deutsche Oper Berlin) and Thomas Bagwell (Royal Danish Theatre).
