THOMAS JOHANNES MAYER – † December 15, 2025

The German baritone Thomas Johannes Mayer, one of the most distinguished and internationally acclaimed singers of his generation, has passed away. Over many years, he left a lasting impact on the world’s leading opera stages through his artistic authority and stylistic clarity.

At the core of his repertoire were major roles such as Mandryka, Barak, Jochanaan, Hans Sachs, Telramund, Amfortas, Wotan/Wanderer and the Dutchman, performed at leading opera houses including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Vienna State Opera, the New National Theatre Tokyo, the Dutch National Opera and the Bayreuth Festival. Further engagements took him to venues such as Teatro Real Madrid, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Zurich Opera House, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and Copenhagen.

His international career began at Teatro alla Scala in Milan with the title role in Alban Berg’s Wozzeck. He subsequently appeared regularly at renowned opera houses including the Bavarian State Opera Munich, the Opéra National de Paris, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Hamburg State Opera, Zurich Opera House, La Monnaie in Brussels and the Palau de les Arts Valencia, as well as at major festivals in Bayreuth, Salzburg and Bregenz. In the concert repertoire, he collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Thomas Johannes Mayer worked with eminent conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Christian Thielemann, Sir Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano and Simone Young. He studied at the Cologne University of Music with Liselotte Hammes and Kurt Moll, following earlier academic studies in history, German studies, music education and philosophy.

With his passing, the operatic world loses an artist of exceptional integrity, intellectual depth and lasting artistic presence.