Christa Bonhoff is a German

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

and

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

singer.

Early life

Bonhoff was born in

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

Education

Bonhoff studied singing at the Hochschule für Musik Hamburg with Annie Schoonus.

Career

Already as a student she joined the choir

NDR Chor The NDR Chor (North German Radio Choir) is the choir of the German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), based in Hamburg. It was founded in 1946, with Max Thurn as the first director of then 55 singers. The group has participated in premieres ...

and worked as a guest for the

Hamburgische Staatsoper The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Genera ...

. She has concentrated on singing in

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

s. She was the soloist in recordings of Bach's ''

Christmas Oratorio The ''Christmas Oratorio'' (German: ''Weihnachtsoratorium''), , is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It is in six parts, each part a cantata intended for performance on one of t ...

'' (2002) and ''

St John Passion The ''Passio secundum Joannem'' or ''St John Passion'' (german: Johannes-Passion, link=no), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the older of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during his first year as direc ...

'' (2006) with the conductor Michaela Prentl, the SebastianChor, Hubert Nettinger as the

Evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

Gerlinde Sämann Gerlinde Sämann (born 1969) is a German soprano known for her performances in concerts and operas. She is particularly associated with the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her concert repertoire also includes lieder, oratorio, early music, and con ...

, Thomas Hamberger and Tim Hennis. In 2002, she founded together with

Monika Frimmer Monika Frimmer (born 1955) is a German soprano in opera and concert. Career Monika Frimmer studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover in Hannover. She studied further in master-classes and worked with Birgit Nilsson, Elisabeth S ...

Dantes Diwiak Dantes Diwiak (born in Slovenia) is a classical tenor, who grew up and has worked mostly in Germany. Career Dantes Diwiak studied singing with Klaus Kirchner and opera at the Musikhochschule Hannover with Theo Altmeyer. He took master classe ...

and

Peter Kooy Peter Kooij (or, internationally Kooy, born 1954, in Soest) is a Dutch bass singer who specializes in baroque music. Biography Kooij started his musical career at 6 years as a choir boy. However he started his musical studies as a violin stud ...

a quartet ''Tanto Canto'' to sing rarely performed music

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

, with piano or with ensemble. The quartet recorded in 2005 excerpts from the collections ''Augsburger Tafel-Confect'' (short for: ''Ohren-vergnügendes und Gemüth-ergötzendes Tafel-Confect'', in English: ''Augsburg Table Confectionery, Pleasuring the Ears and Delightful to the Soul'') of the composers

Valentin Rathgeber Johann Valentin Rathgeber (3 April 1682 – 2 June 1750) was a German composer, organist and choirmaster of the Baroque Era. Life Rathgeber was born in Oberelsbach. His father, an organist, gave him his first music lessons. At the beginning o ...

and Johann Caspar Seyfert. Bonhoff recorded

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

settings and other sacred music in Latin of

Johann Adolph Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...

. In 2004 she recorded sacred music of

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

with the chamber choir I Vocalisti, conducted by Hans-Joachim Lustig. In 2005 she performed in St. Petri,

Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is an independent town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has ...

, in Honegger's oratorio ''

Le Roi David ''Le Roi David'' was composed in Mézières, Switzerland, in 1921 by Arthur Honegger, as incidental music for a play in French by René Morax. It was called dramatic psalm, but has also been performed as oratorio, without staging. The plot, base ...

''. In 2007 she performed in Rossini's ''

Petite messe solennelle Gioachino Rossini's ''Petite messe solennelle'' (Little solemn mass) was written in 1863, possibly at the request of Count Alexis Pillet-Will for his wife Louise to whom it is dedicated. The composer, who had retired from composing operas more ...

'', conducted by Matthias Zangerle. She has collaborated with the choir Nordschleswigsche Musikvereinigung, in 2008 in

Francesco Durante Francesco Durante (31 March 1684 – 30 September 1755) was a Neapolitan composer. Biography He was born at Frattamaggiore, in the Kingdom of Naples, and at an early age he entered the '' Conservatorio dei poveri di Gesù Cristo'', in Naples, ...

's ''Magnificat'',

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

's ''Confitebor'' and

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

's early ''Messa di Rimini'' (1809), in 2009 in Haydn's ''

Missa in angustiis The ' (Mass for troubled times), commonly known as the ''Nelson Mass'' ( Hob. XXII/11), is a Mass setting by the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn. It is one of the six masses written near the end of his life that are seen as a culmination of Hay ...

'' and Bach's

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172 (), , is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, composed in Weimar for Pentecost Sunday in 1714. Bach led the first performance on 20 May 1714 in the , the court chapel in the ducal Schloss. ''Erschallet, ihr Lieder'' is an early work in a ...

''. In 2009 she performed Haydn's ''

Paukenmesse ''Missa in tempore belli'' ('' en, Mass in Time of War'') is a setting of the mass by Joseph Haydn. It is catalogued Mass No. 10The Haydn masses are sorted using chronological indices given by New Grove. The Hoboken catalogue had also placed the m ...

'', celebrated in a church service for the 200th anniversary of the composer's death, in

St. Petri, Hamburg Saint Peter's Church (German language, German: ''Hauptkirche St. Petri'', German coll.: ''Petrikirche'') in Hamburg, Germany stands on the site of many former cathedrals. Built by order of Pope Leo X, it has been a Evangelical Church in Germany, Pr ...

. In 2010 she appeared in a concert of the

Universität Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...

in the oratorio '' Die Glocke'' of

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a prominent staple of the standard v ...

. In November 2010 she was the mezzo-soprano soloist in Verdi's ''

Messa da Requiem The ''Messa da Requiem'' is a musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass ( Requiem) for four soloists, double choir and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi admired. The first performance, at ...

'' in

St. Martin, Idstein St. Martin is the name of a Catholic parish and church in Idstein, Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Germany. The official name of the church is . The name of the parish became St. Martin Idsteiner Land on 1 January 2017, when it was merged with five other ...

. Christa Bonhoff is married to the tenor

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhoff, Christa German contraltos German operatic mezzo-sopranos Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)