ARTTU KATAJA
baritone
Finnish baritone Arttu Kataja has established a distinguished international career spanning opera, concert, and lied performance. He graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and launched his professional trajectory by winning the Lappeenranta Singing Competition in 2002, followed by prizes at major competitions, including the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg.
In 2006, Kataja secured a permanent ensemble residency at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin. At his home house, he has performed a vast array of baritone repertoire under legendary musical directors like Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle and Zubin Mehta. His notable house roles include Figaro and Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Guglielmo and Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Papageno and Sprecher (Die Zauberflöte), Marcello and Schaunard (La Bohème), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Vater (Hänsel und Gretel), Musiklehrer (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Heerrufer (Lohengrin).
Beyond Berlin, Kataja is a highly sought-after guest artist. His international operatic engagements include Theater an der Wien, Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, Staatsoper Hamburg and Deutsche Oper am Rhein. In his native Finland, he frequently collaborates with the Finnish National Opera and Tampere Opera, where his performances include Germont (La Traviata, 2024) and Rodrigo (Don Carlo, 2026). He is also a regular guest at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, appearing in Tosca (2022), Roméo et Juliette (2023) and Boris Godunov (2025).
As an acclaimed concert singer and recitalist, Kataja works with world-class orchestras and conductors. Recent highlights include Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr. Brouček with the London Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s St. John Passion with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (Jesus) with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. His appearances span major venues such as the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (Schnittke’s Faust Cantata), Concertgebouw Amsterdam (Sibelius’ Kullervo), and Philharmonie Berlin (Faure’s Requiem). In 2025–2026, he performed Brahms' Requiem with FNO, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Dresden Philharmonic, and Sibelius’ Tulen synty with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
Deeply dedicated to Lied, Kataja frequently partners with pianist Pauliina Tukiainen. His much-praised albums include Des Knaben Wunderhorn (2024), Winterreise (2022), and Serious Songs (2020).
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Calendar
2026
18.01. Staatsoper Berlin
24.01. R. Wagner: Lohengrin
Conductor: Simone Young
Stage director: Calixto Bieito
Heinrich der Vogler: René Pape
Lohengrin: Eric Cutler
Elsa von Brabant: Elza van den Heever
Friedrich von Telramund: Wolfgang Koch
Ortrud: Anja Kampe
Heerrufer des Königs: Arttu Kataja
30.01. Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Utrecht
Netherlands Radio Choir
Conductor: Karina Canellakis
J. Sibelius: The origin of fire
Arttu Kataja, baritone
01.02. Staatsoper Berlin
07.02. R. Wagner: Lohengrin
Conductor: Simone Young
Stage director: Calixto Bieito
Heinrich der Vogler: René Pape
Lohengrin: Eric Cutler
Elsa von Brabant: Elza van den Heever
Friedrich von Telramund: Wolfgang Koch
Ortrud: Anja Kampe
Heerrufer des Königs: Arttu Kataja
04.03. Tampereen ooppera
06.03. G. Verdi: Don Carlo
08.03 Conductor: Giancarlo Andretta
10.03. Stage director: Tuomas Parkkinen
12.03 Philip II: Mika Kares
14.03. Elisabeth de Valois: Marjukka Tepponen
Don Carlos: Tigran Hakobyan
Rodrigo: Arttu Kataja
Princess Eboli: Maria Turunen
Voice from Heaven: Emma Kajander
The Grand Inquisitor: Petri Lindroos
The Monk: Markus Suihkonen
21.03. Kammerchor Stuttgart, Stadtkirche Calw
Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart
F. Mendelssohn: Paulus
Conductor: Frieder Bernius
Kathrin Lorenzen | Sopran
Florian Sievers | Tenor
Arttu Kataja | Bass
22.03. Kammerchor Stuttgart, Friedenskirche Ludwigsburg Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart
F. Mendelssohn: Paulus
Conductor: Frieder Bernius
Kathrin Lorenzen | Sopran
Florian Sievers | Tenor
Arttu Kataja | Bass
27.03. De Nieuwe Kolk, Assen
28.03. De Harmonie, Leeuwarden
31.03. De Lawei, Drachten
01.04 De Oosterpoort, Groningen
J.S. Bach: St. Matthew passion
Conductor: Hartmut Haenchen
Tenor: Jan Petryka/Fabio Trümpy
Evangelist: Kieran Carrel
Jesus: Arttu Kataja
Bariton: Tobias Berndt
Sopran: Judith Spießer
Alt: Marie Seidler
NNCK & Roder Jongenskoor
22.04. Staatsoper Berlin
24.04. G. Puccini: Madama Butterfly
26.04. Conductor: Keri-Lynn Wilson
30.04. Stage director: Eike Gramss
Cio-Cio-San: Elena Guseva
Suzuki: Natalia Skrycka
Kate Pinkerton: Sandra Laagus
Pinkerton: Najmiddin Mavlyanov
Sharpless: Arttu Kataja
Goro: Junho Hwang
Yamadori: Irakli Pkhaladze
Onkel Bonze: Gerard Farreras
Kommissar: Hanseong Yun
10.05. Recital, Hochschule für Musik, Dresden
Songs by Sibelius-Kuula-Kilpinen-Madetoja
Arttu Kataja, baritone
Pauliina Tukiainen, piano
20.05. Recital, Liedfestival Zeist
Songs by Sibelius-Kuula-Kilpinen-Madetoja
Arttu Kataja, baritone
Pauliina Tukiainen, piano
22.05. Staatsoper Berlin
24.05. W.A.Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
Conductor: Tim Fluch
Stage director: August Everding
Sprecher: Arttu Kataja
03.07. Rheingau Musikfestival, Kloster Eberbach
Kammerchor Stuttgart
Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart
F. Mendelssohn: Paulus
Conductor: Frieder Bernius
Kathrin Lorenzen | Sopran
Florian Sievers | Tenor
Arttu Kataja | Bass
04.07. ION Nürnberg, St. Lorenz
Kammerchor Stuttgart
Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart
F. Mendelssohn: Paulus
Conductor: Frieder Bernius
Kathrin Lorenzen | Sopran
Florian Sievers | Tenor
Arttu Kataja | Bass
19.07. Recital, Kuhmo chamber music
20.07. J. Sibelius: Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte
21.07. A. Merikanto: Keinutan kaikua
F. Schubert: Die Mutter Erde
J.Brahms: O wüsst ich doch den Weg zurück
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F. Schubert: Winterreise
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E.Grieg: Jeg elsker dig
Arttu Kataja, baritone
Pauliina Tukiainen, piano
Repertoire
Concert
Bach, C.P.E. Magnificat
Bach, J.S. Weihnachtsoratorium
Johannes-Passion
Matthäus-Passion
Magnificat
Messe h-moll
Kantaten
Beethoven 9. Sinfonie
Missa Solemnis
Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem
Haydn Die Schöpfung
Die Jahreszeiten
Händel Messiah
Mahler Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Mendelssohn Elias
Paulus
Mozart Requiem
Schnittke Seid nüchtern und wachet
Schostakowitsch 14. Sinfonie
Schumann Faust Szenen (Faust, Marianus)
Sibelius Kullervo
Tulen synty
Repertoire
Opera
Beethoven Don Fernando (Fidelio)
Bernstein Maximilian (Candide)
Britten Mr. Flint (Billy Budd)
Ferryman (Curlew River)
Donizetti Belcore (L’elisir d’amore)
Malatesta (Don Pasquale)
Cecil (Maria Stuarda)
Eötvös Asleik (Sleepless)
Gounod Capulet (Roméo et Juliette)
Haydn Enrico (L’Isola disabitata)
Licone/Caronte (Orlando Paladino)
Humperdinck Vater (Hänsel und Gretel)
Massenet Bretigny (Manon)
Mozart Il Conte Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro)
Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro)
Guglielmo (Così fan tutte)
Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte)
Leporello (Don Giovanni)
Papageno (Die Zauberflöte)
Sprecher (Die Zauberflöte)
Puccini Marcello (La Bohème)
Schaunard (La Bohème)
Sharpless (Madama Butterfly)
Sonora (La fanciulla del West)
Rossini Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia)
Don Alvaro (Il viaggio a Reims)
Taddeo (L’Italiana in Algeri)
Salieri Mr. Slender (Falstaff)
Strauss, R. Musiklehrer (Ariadne auf Naxos)
Geisterbote (Frau ohne Schatten)
Verdi Germont (La Traviata)
Rodrigo (Don Carlo)
Wagner Heerrufer des Königs (Lohengrin)
Weber Ottokar (Freischütz)
Weill Sparbüchsen-Bill (Mahagonny)
Discography
Contact
Boris Orlob Management Jägerstrasse 70 · D-10117 Berlin
Phone: +49-30-20 45 08 39
Fax: +49-30-20 45 08 49
info@orlob.net
www.orlob.net