Thomas Quasthoff is a German bass-baritone. Quasthoff has a range of musical interest from Bach cantatas, to lieder, and solo jazz improvisations. Born with severe birth defects caused by thalidomide, Quasthoff is, and has phocomelia.
Early life and career
Quasthoff was born in Hildesheim with serious birth defects caused by his mother's exposure during pregnancy to the drug thalidomide, which was prescribed as an antiemetic to combat her morning sickness. Quasthoff was denied admission to the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, owing to his physical inability to play the piano, rather than a lack of skill required for entry to the conservatory. In the early stages of his education as a singer, Quasthoff was promoted by Sebastian Peschko. Thus, he chose to study voice privately. He also studied law for three years. Prior to his music career, he worked six years as a radio announcer for NDR. He also did voice-over work for television.
Music career
Quasthoff's music career was launched in 1988 when he won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, earning praise from the baritoneDietrich Fischer-Dieskau. In 1995, he made his American debut at the Oregon Bach Festival at the invitation of artistic directorHelmuth Rilling; in 1998, he was one of the soloists for the festival's world premiere of Penderecki's Credo, the recording of which won a Grammy Award for best choral recording. In 2003, he made his staged operatic debut as Don Fernando in Beethoven's Fidelio at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Simon Rattle. Quasthoff recorded for Deutsche Grammophon. In addition to recordings of classical repertoire, he released his first jazz album for DG, , with Till Brönner, Alan Broadbent, Peter Erskine, Dieter Ilg, and Chuck Loeb. For the 2006/2007 concert season, Quasthoff was one of Carnegie Hall's "Perspectives" artists. However, illness forced him to cancel his first two appearances in that capacity. As artist-in-residence at the Barbican Hall, London, Quasthoff invited some of his favourite fellow artists in a series under the title Die Stimme which marked his 50th birthday. Quasthoff was a guest of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in February 2009. In January 2012, Quasthoff announced his retirement from public performance. He cited various reasons such as illness, the strains of touring, and the death of his brother Michael from lung cancer. Quasthoff is also a voice professor. He previously taught at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, Germany. He is currently a professor at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin. He has continued to appear in concert, notably as the speaker in Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder.
In 2006, Quasthoff married Claudia Stelzig, a German TV journalist. In a 2003 interview, Quasthoff revealed that he is an active political thinker, is a socialist, and was opposed to the Iraq War. He also expressed regret that the Israeli–Palestinian conflict could not be resolved via compromise.
