Tenor
Bio
Messiah – Grand
Philharmonic Choir
Stephen Preece, Kitchener Waterloo
Record
"Joseph Schnurr was an excellent Tamino. His tenor
vocal was controlled and effortless. His acting was
very good and he was an excellent foil for a very funny
Papageno."
Magic Flute – Orchestra London
Brian Hay, norules-nolights.com
Joseph Schnurr is one of Canada’s most exciting young
lyric tenors, establishing an impressive career on
concert and operatic stages both here and in Europe.
A Graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, Joseph’s
opera credits as a student at the Hochschule für Musik
Hanns Eisler in Berlin include Tom
Rakewell (The Rake’s Progress) and
the title role in Handel’s Xerxes. In
2007, he sang Aeneas in Purcell’s
Dido and Aeneas at Berlin’s Tempodrom. Berlin
audiences also saw his portrayal of
Tamino in Die Zauberflöte in
der U-Bahn, and in 2008, Joseph sang Sándor
Barinkay in J. Strauss’ Der
Zigeunerbaron in Bodensee.
Joseph Schnurr was tenor soloist in Messiah
with Regina Symphony Orchestra, the
Evangelist in both St. John
Passion and St. Matthew Passion (Grand
River Baroque Festival) and presented a recital of
Schumann’s Dichterliebe for the Canadian
German Festival in Toronto.
In 2009, Joseph joined the Pacific Opera Victoria’s
Resident Artist program, singing First
Priest/Armed Guard in Victoria, and
Tamino in a co-production of Die
Zauberflöte with Orchestra London.
Recent European performances for this versatile singer
include Evangelist in St. John
Passion at Canterbury Cathedral, England,
Orpheus in the Berliner Symphoniker
production of Haydn’s Orpheus und Eurydike, a
Liederabend at Berlin’s Bode Museum, and
Tamino in a co-production of Die
Zauberflöte with Stuttgart Opera in Vladivostok,
Russia.
In Canada during the 2009/10 season, Mr. Schnurr sings
Haydn’s Creation with Chorus Niagara, Haydn’s
Lord Nelson Mass and Schubert’s Mass in
G with Karen Schuessler Singers (London), and
Messiah with Grand Philharmonic Choir, the
Bach Elgar Choir of Hamilton, Guelph Chamber Choir and
Grand River Chorus.