Deutsche Grammophon Signs Tenor Jonathan Tetelman

Deutsche Grammophon is delighted to announce the signing of an exclusive agreement with Jonathan Tetelman. The 33-year-old Chilean-American tenor, acclaimed for everything from his “lyrical suppleness” to his “dramatic verve” (Neue Musikzeitung), has taken the opera world by storm since launching his career five years ago. Jonathan joins the Yellow Label fresh from his debut in the title-role of Verdi’s rarely performed Stiffelio for Opéra national du Rhin (“an absolute gem … as convincing in the lyricism of the love duets as he is in the violence of anger or the serenity restored by forgiveness” – ResMusica). His schedule for the 2021–22 season includes returns to the roles of Puccini’s Cavaradossi and Pinkerton for his respective debuts at the Theater an der Wien and Bregenz Festival and his role debuts as Loris Ipanow in Giordano’s Fedora at Oper Frankfurt and Jacopo Foscari, alongside Plácido Domingo, in Verdi’s I due Foscari for the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

Jonathan Tetelman is currently in Las Palmas to record his Deutsche Grammophon debut album at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and its Chief Conductor, Karel Mark Chichon. The recording, set for international release in summer 2022, presents a programme of Verdi and verismo arias and other lyric works.

“It is a great personal honour to become part of Deutsche Grammophon’s family of artists,” comments Jonathan Tetelman. “This album creates a portrait of what I feel represents my path as an artist, combining a few lesser-known works with arias and duets for the romantic tenor voice. We’re focusing on the Italian and fuller lyric French repertoire, which is a great place to start. Since making the switch from baritone to tenor, I have honed my craft and sharpened my focus. It’s an amazing thing for me now to record the results of all that work. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity and determined to give my best.”

“We are delighted to welcome Jonathan to the Yellow Label,” notes Dr Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon. “Critics have already compared him to the finest tenors of yesterday and today, comparisons justified by his exceptional artistry, vocal qualities and gift for expressive communication. He’s truly a major talent with a brilliant career ahead.”

Andreas Kluge, DG’s Senior Manager Artist Promotion and A&R, recalls first hearing Jonathan Tetelman earlier this year in a livestreamed performance from Deutsche Oper Berlin of Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini. “I was immediately gripped by the quality of his voice, its striking timbre and strength, and by his film-star looks. When we met, it was clear that Jonathan is also blessed with great intelligence and an appealing, down-to-earth personality. We recorded a video production of opera arias and Italian songs with him in April and, following Jonathan’s concerts with Elīna Garanča and Maestro Chichon in July, scheduled his first album sessions in Las Palmas.”

Jonathan Tetelman was born in 1988 in Castro, Chile. At seven months old, he was adopted by American parents and raised in Princeton, New Jersey. His vocal talents were spotted during childhood by a local music teacher and cultivated at Princeton’s American Boychoir School. He earned his undergraduate degree, as a baritone, from the Manhattan School of Music before going on to graduate studies at Mannes School of Music, where he began to make the gradual transition to tenor, a process he later finalised with teacher Mark Schnaible, who remains a teacher and mentor today.

Jonathan then worked for three years as a DJ at a Manhattan club before entering an immersive, make-or-break six months of practice and study. His hard work paid off, and his career credits since include Rodolfo (La bohème) for Komische Oper Berlin and English National Opera; Cavaradossi (Tosca) for Teatro Regio Torino, Opéra de Lille and the Liceu, Barcelona; and both Alfredo Germont (La traviata) and Rodolfo at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.