German opera singer (baritone / bass-baritone). Born in 1966 in Burghausen, Bavaria. He studied at the Munich University of Music and Theatre, then studied under Josef Metternich and Gianni Raimondi.
He began his stage career in 1991 at the Stadttheater Bern, Switzerland. From 1993 to 1996, he was a soloist at the Stuttgart State Opera. In 2005, he moved to Vienna, where he sang at the Vienna Volksoper, then switched to freelancing and began performing on the world's largest stages.
In 2006, he made his debut as Hans Sachs in Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" at the Frankfurt Opera – this became one of the key moments of his career.
Koch is a welcome guest at the Bayreuth Festival, where from 2013 to 2015 he performed the roles of Wotan and the Wanderer in "The Ring of the Nibelung". His repertoire includes leading baritone roles: Amfortas and Klingsor ("Parsifal"), Wotan / the Wanderer ("The Ring of the Nibelung"), Hans Sachs ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"), Kurwenal ("Tristan und Isolde"), Jakob Schmidt ("Tannhäuser"), Telramund ("Lohengrin"), Alberich ("The Ring of the Nibelung"). Koch is one of the few singers who performs both Wotan and Alberich in "The Ring of the Nibelung". This is unique because these roles require completely different voice types and characters.
Among his Italian roles: Scarpia ("Tosca" – debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2019), Falstaff (Verdi's opera of the same name), Michele ("Il Trittico" by Puccini), Iago ("Otello"). Also in his repertoire: Pizarro ("Fidelio" by Beethoven), Mandryka ("Arabella" by Strauss), the Count ("Capriccio" by Strauss), Jochanaan ("Salome" by Strauss), the title roles in "Doktor Faust" (Busoni) and "Lear" by Rihm, as well as Barak – one of his favorite roles, which he performed at the Vienna State Opera under the baton of Christian Thielemann.
Koch is one of the leading contemporary interpreters of Pfitzner's opera "Palestrina". He has performed three different baritone roles in it: Count Luna in Munich (2009/10), Borromeo in Frankfurt (2010), and Morone in Vienna (2021/22). Particular success came from his performance as Cardinal Borromeo at the Vienna State Opera under Christian Thielemann in December 2024.
Koch has been awarded the honorary title of Kammersänger of the Bavarian State Opera (2014).
He began his stage career in 1991 at the Stadttheater Bern, Switzerland. From 1993 to 1996, he was a soloist at the Stuttgart State Opera. In 2005, he moved to Vienna, where he sang at the Vienna Volksoper, then switched to freelancing and began performing on the world's largest stages.
In 2006, he made his debut as Hans Sachs in Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" at the Frankfurt Opera – this became one of the key moments of his career.
Koch is a welcome guest at the Bayreuth Festival, where from 2013 to 2015 he performed the roles of Wotan and the Wanderer in "The Ring of the Nibelung". His repertoire includes leading baritone roles: Amfortas and Klingsor ("Parsifal"), Wotan / the Wanderer ("The Ring of the Nibelung"), Hans Sachs ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"), Kurwenal ("Tristan und Isolde"), Jakob Schmidt ("Tannhäuser"), Telramund ("Lohengrin"), Alberich ("The Ring of the Nibelung"). Koch is one of the few singers who performs both Wotan and Alberich in "The Ring of the Nibelung". This is unique because these roles require completely different voice types and characters.
Among his Italian roles: Scarpia ("Tosca" – debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2019), Falstaff (Verdi's opera of the same name), Michele ("Il Trittico" by Puccini), Iago ("Otello"). Also in his repertoire: Pizarro ("Fidelio" by Beethoven), Mandryka ("Arabella" by Strauss), the Count ("Capriccio" by Strauss), Jochanaan ("Salome" by Strauss), the title roles in "Doktor Faust" (Busoni) and "Lear" by Rihm, as well as Barak – one of his favorite roles, which he performed at the Vienna State Opera under the baton of Christian Thielemann.
Koch is one of the leading contemporary interpreters of Pfitzner's opera "Palestrina". He has performed three different baritone roles in it: Count Luna in Munich (2009/10), Borromeo in Frankfurt (2010), and Morone in Vienna (2021/22). Particular success came from his performance as Cardinal Borromeo at the Vienna State Opera under Christian Thielemann in December 2024.
Koch has been awarded the honorary title of Kammersänger of the Bavarian State Opera (2014).
