Jakob Lehmann

His recent highlights have included collaborations with Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Bruckner Orchester Linz, Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonkünstler Orchester, Saarländisches Staatsorchester, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, and Beethoven Orchester Bonn, as well as productions of La damnation de Faust at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; Lucia di Lammermoor with Opéra de Rennes, Angers-Nantes Opéra, and Opéra de Massy;  the original 1847 version of Verdi’s Macbeth with Teatro Nuovo; and  Il barbiere di Siviglia and Ernani with North Carolina Opera.

Held in high regard among period instrument orchestras for his expertise in the historically-informed performance styles of Classical and Romantic repertoire, he has also worked with groups that include Anima Eterna Brugge, Concerto Köln, Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, and Orchestra La Scintilla, and has recently been named Artistic Partner of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. With the chamber orchestra Eroica Berlin, an ensemble he founded in 2015, he focuses on translating the impulses and inspirations from period performance to modern instruments.

As a specialist for the music of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and the entire  Bel Canto period, he has contributed greatly to the exploration and research into the historically-informed performance of this corner of the repertoire, and his interpretations have been described by the press as  “masterful” (Opéra), “extraordinary” (KulturExtra) and “striking” (Das Opernglas). From 2019 until 2025, he served as Associate Artistic Director of New York-based opera company Teatro Nuovo, leading productions of operas of that repertoire to great critical acclaim, he and presently serves as the company’s Artistic Advisor.

As a lecturer and coach in the topics of Romantic performance practice and the Bel Canto style, he is working with institutions such as the Juilliard School New York, Mozarteum Salzburg, Dutch National Opera Studio, Royal Conservatory The Hague, and the Hochschule der Künste Bern. In 2023, he was elected as the President of the German Rossini Society and is also a member of the American Rossini Society.

Jakob’s discography encompasses a wide range of repertoire on various labels, including his 2024 recording of Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri with Eroica Berlin on Pan Classics, which was praised for its “astonishing approach” (Avant Scène Opera) and “relentless enthusiasm” (Opera Wire). Forthcoming release include Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solennelle with Monteverdi Choir and  Orchestra, and operatic excerpts by Wagner with Les Siècles and Beth Taylor, all on harmonia mundi.