Claes-Håkan Ahnsjö

Swedish tenor, born August 1, 1942 - Stockholm, Sweden

He took a teaching degree in 1966 and then studied singing at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm 1966–69. Among his teachers were Erik Saedén, Aksel Schiøtz and Max Lorenz. He made his debut as Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera in 1969. He was employed at the Royal Opera from 1969–1973 before being engaged at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich in 1973 where he stayed until 1999. He was appointed Kammersänger in Munich in 1977.

He has performed as a guest on stages and in concert halls in Sweden (including Drottningholm's palace theatre), the rest of Europe, Japan and the USA. The repertoire includes parts in works by, among others, Haydn, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner, Hindemith and Berg. Among the roles can be mentioned Idamante in Idomeneo, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, Des Grieux in Manon, David in The Masters in Nuremberg and the title role in Albert Herring.

Ahnsjö was professor of singing at the Academy of Music in Munich 1996–1997 and opera director at the Royal Opera in Stockholm 2000–2001.