CHRISTOPHER HOCHSTUHL
Tenor
Christopher Hochstuhl
Mr. Hochstuhl is currently a member of the NRW Opernstudio, where he can be seen performing with the city opera houses in Essen, Dortmund, Wuppertal, and Gelsenkirchen. Highlights of this season include Orpheus in Gelsenkirchen's Orpheus in der Unterwelt and Pontius Pilate/Annas in Wuppertal's Jesus Christ Superstar. Mr. Hochstuhl is also to be seen in supporting roles in Essen's productions of Il trittico, Don Carlo, and La bohème and in concert with Oper Dortmund. In December of 2019, Mr. Hochstuhl made his German principal debut singing the lead tenor role of Pilot in Stadttheater Gießen's new baroque pastiche Glaube.Liebe.Abschied. Mr. Hochstuhl was scheduled to make his debut with Opera Wilmington as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte in the summers of 2020/2021 (twice postponed due to COVID). Mr. Hochstuhl has performed with professional opera companies and festivals across the United States. In the winter of 2019, Mr. Hochstuhl was seen with the Sarasota Opera, performing several concerts in the cities of Sarasota, Venice, and Bradenton as Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Florindo (Mascagni's Le maschere), and Orphée (Orphée aus enfers). He also made appearances in Sarasota Opera's Turandot, Die Zauberflöte, and Nabucco. In the summer of 2019, Mr. Hochstuhl made his debut with Teatro Nuovo covering the roles of Giannetto and Isacco in Rossini's La gazza ladra. Mr. Hochstuhl also performed the tenor solo in movement 9 of Rossini's Stabat Mater, La gazza in La gazza ladra, and appeared in Bellini's La straniera.
Highlights of earlier seasons included Lucano and Liberto Capitano in Montevedi's L'incoronazione di Poppea with Opernfest Berlin, Oronte in Handel's Alcina as a professional fellow in the Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival, and performances with the New York City Opera in Rameau's Pygmalion and the American premier of Wuorinen’s Brokeback Mountain. Mr. Hochstuhl has also performed with Boise's Opera Idaho, the Bel Canto Festival at Caramoor (NY), and the Arezzo Opera Festival. With Opera Idaho, Mr. Hochstuhl covered Nemorino in the mainstage production of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, performed the role in an outreach tour of 38 performances across the state of Idaho, and soloed in concerts in the cities of Boise, McCall, and Pocatello. With Caramoor, Hochstuhl appeared in Bellini's Il pirata and concerts of bel canto songs and opera in both the Venetian Theater and Spanish Cortile under the baton of Will Crutchfield. With the Arezzo Opera Festival, Mr. Hochstuhl performed the role of Oronte in Händel's Alcina at the Badia delle Santa Flora e Lucia in Arezzo, Italy.
An active concert soloist, Hochstuhl recently made his debut with the Princeton Pro Musica as tenor soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music in Princeton University's Richardson Auditorium. Additional concert soloist credits include Handel's Messiah; Mozart's Requiem with the Saint Paul’s Episcopal Orchestra in Wilmington, NC; and J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion and Johannes-Passion with the Saint Peter’s Lutheran Period Orchestra (NYC). Mr. Hochstuhl has also premiered 3 new-work commissions as tenor soloist: The Courtship by Valingieri with AnticoModerno in the First Lutheran Church of Boston, Mass by Fitzmartin with the Philadelphia Sinfonia in Verizon Hall of the Kimmel Center (Philaldephia), and Lux Notcis by Sedek with the New Jersey Choral Arts Society.
Mr. Hochstuhl’s second passion in life is teaching classical and musical theatre solo singing and thus he maintains a private studio between performances. Mr. Hochstuhl is also on the voice faculty of the college preparatory division of Rowan University. Many of Mr. Hochstuhl’s students are now pursuing professional music degrees in musical theatre and voice performance at universities across the United States. Amongst acceptances to several programs, recent alumni of the studio are studying musical theatre at Boston University, the University of Tampa, James Madison University, and The College of New Jersey. Students of classical singing are studying currently at the Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ) and Montclair University. Current students are performing roles in their high schools’ musicals and regional theatre programs with the Broadway Theatre of Pitman, the Paper Mill Playhouse, the McCarter Theatre, and the Count Basie Theatre. Additionally, students have placed in competitions such as NJ NATS, and have received awards from their regional theaters.
Having completed a focus in voice pedagogy with the Westminster Choir College, Mr. Hochstuhl has presented his original research at the 2017 Voice Foundation (Philadelphia), World Voice Day (Princeton), Gender & Sexuality Studies Colloquium (Rider University), and the Independent Scholarship and Creative Activities Presentations (Rider University). Mr. Hochstuhl completed his first publication in 2015 for his writing on gender transgression and masculinity in the music of female Disney Villains, “Poor Unfortunate Gender Stereotypes”, published by W.W. Norton & Company on The Avid Listener.
Prior to dedicating himself to professional voice studies in conservatory, Mr. Hochstuhl studied the flute, and was even accepted to Indiana University’s BM in Flute Performance program. Mr. Hochstuhl still enjoys performing as a flutist on occasion. He has recorded on the Naxos Label in the CD “Carolae: Music for Christmas” featuring the music of James Whitbourn, James Jordan, and the Williamson Voices. This CD was nominated for preliminary voting for a GRAMMY in best choral performance.
Mr. Hochstuhl is an alumnus of the Westminster Choir College, having completed both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree under the tutelage of Charles Walker. At Westminster, Mr. Hochstuhl was repeatedly featured in the college's opera company and art song festivals. He also served as the graduate assistant of voice pedagogy, overseeing student/faculty research and working with students to assimilate theoretical concepts studied in voice science into practical application in their own singing in the Presser Voice Laboratory.
