Steven Ebel is a freelance tenor professionally active in Germany. With an emphasis on character development and text expression he has made a name for himself in several Fachs. He started his career in New York City winning many competitions, including the Montreal Concours International and the New York Oratorio Society. He then won a spot on the Jette Parker Young Artist Progamme and for two years he worked at the Royal Opera House - Covent Garden in London. Afterwards he joined the ensemble at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe and later the Staatsheater Mainz. He has also sung guest engagements in the USA, UK, Chile, Italy, Russia, France and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He is also an accomplished composer and studied with Prof. Wolfgang Rihm at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, Germany.

This season he returns as a guest to Staatstheater Mainz as Podestá in La finta giardiniera and as Nordsee in the world premiere of Fish Forward. He also returns to Theater Koblenz as Father Greenwood in Dead Man Walking.

In Mainz (2016 - 2021) he sang the title role in La clemenza di Tito, Il Podestá in La finta giardiniera, Alfred in die Fledermaus, Basilio (with aria) in Le Nozze die Figaro, Boris in Katya Kabanova, Jonathan in Saul, Steuermann in Fliegender Holländer, Le Chevalier in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Erich in the musical Comedian Harmonists, Capito in Hindemith's Mathis der Mahler and Lysander in Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream.

In Germany he has guested at Theater Aachen, Musiktheater im Revier (Gelsenkirchen) singing Le Chevalier and Aalto Musiktheater Essen as Konrad in Hans Heiling. At Theater Koblenz as Robert Wilson in Doctor Atomic and Tenor I in Arvo Pärt’s Miserere, Studmann in Wolf unter Wölfen and the DEA of Sting’s musical The Last Ship as Gideon. A frequent guest at Theater Regensburg he sang: Erik in Fliegender Holländer, Konrad in Hans Heiling, Direktor in Freax by Moriz Eggert and The Dream of Gerontius.

As an ensemble member at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe (2012-2015) he sang The Fisher in Le Rossingnol, Robert Wilson in Dr. Atomic, Bob Boles in Peter Grimes, Steuermann in Fliegender Holländer, Licinius & Cinna in La Vestale, Froh in Das Rheingold, & Sali in A Village Romeo and Juliet. He ended his tenure with a triumphant Pylades in Ifegenie auf Taurus there and repeated his success with the role at the Gluck International Festspiel in Nürnberg.

While a member of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme in Covent Garden from 2009-2011 he sang Jaquino in Fidelio, Malcom in Macbeth (Opus Arte DVD), Rimenes in Artaxerxes, Gernando in L'isola disabitata amongst others.

International engagements include Lechmère in Britten's Owen Wingrave at the Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse, France, Boris in Katya Kabanova in Santiago de Chile, in a concert version of Strauss' Salome with the Philharmonie National de Lyon saw him give his debut as the First Jew and Second Nazerene. Pylades in Ifegenie auf Taurus with the Gluck International Festspiel in Nürnberg. Plus operetta concerts around the Bodensee and the Zürich Tonhalle with the Konstanz Philharmonie. Gerontius of Elgar's beloved oratorio The Dream of Gerontius with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He made his Concertgebouw debut in the role of Der Priester in Jörg Widman's Babylon.

Early career highlights include Quint in Turn of the Screw (Opera Cleveland & Casleton Festival), Jimmy in Mahagonny (Tanglewood Music Festival, Lucca, Pisa, Ravenna & Livorno), Tamino in The Magic Flute (Cleveland Institute of Music), Tito La clemenza di Tito (New York Opera Forum).

As a concert singer he has sung recitals at the Tanglewood Festival, Ravinia Festival (with Brian Zeger), Heidelbergerfrühling Festival, Merkin Hall (NYC) and the Konzerthaus Berlin, also Messiah for the International Händelfestpiel in Karlsruhe plus Bach at the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche and Puccini's Missa di Gloria.

He is also an active composer he has studied composition with Wolfgang Rihm at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Karlsruhe. Now he is composer in residence at Muiskakademie diapason where he writes string music for young players and participatory music theater pieces for children. At the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in 2017 and 2018 he composed music and was the music director for two massive Children’s Music Theater pieces (ca. 120 Children) Odyssee II & III with his wife, Sophie Ebel as co-writer and performer. While in London he premiered 6 works in his two years at Covent Garden including a staging of his song cycle Diary of a Young Poet (picture above) in the Linbury Theater. The Seeker, a CD of his own compositions to Rilke texts is available online on the Turquoise Coconut label.

He premiered his many works at the Badisches Staatstheater including two Christmas pieces for children's chorus and tenor with orchestra: Knecht Ruprecht and Weihnachtliches Friedensgebet, plus the premiere of his 30 minute song cycle about WWI soldier poets; Reise der Soldaten and Moral Discourse, and a philosophical cantata for chamber ensemble and tenor.

Photography by Andrew Finden