Alexander Knop started singing with Anne Ringart in Paris before studying at the Hochschule für Musik in Mannheim. He then joined the opera course at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe where he studied with Klaus-Dieter Kern.
During his training he performed all of Mozart’s most important baritone roles - Papageno, Guglielmo and Count Almaviva – and graduated singing the role of Dandini. While training he was invited to perform at Stuttgart Opera and at the Handel Academy in Karlsruhe, and then went on to study with Tom Krause, Michelle Wegwart, Umberto Finazzi and Irwin Gage. Alexander’s current teacher is Kurt Widmer in Basel.
In 2003 and 2004 Alexander was a member of the Opera Studio at Strasbourg’s Opéra du Rhin. His first professional engagements included Reigen by Philippe Boesmans (the Count) at the Athénée Theatre in Paris and Lausanne Opera, Nozze di Figaro (Figaro) at Besançon Opera under conductor Jérémie Rohrer, and Lulu and Parsifal at Strasbourg’s Opéra National du Rhin.
In 2008 he was invited by Strasbourg’s Ballet du Rhin to perform Robert Schumann’s cycle Dichterliebe for a new ballet on tour. In 2009/10 he sang the role of Jean in Philippe Boesmans’ opera Julie (conductor: Jean-Paul Dessy, director: Matthew Jocelyn) on tour in France – notably at the Théâtre de l’Athénée in Paris – and at the Ars Musica Festival in Belgium.
Alexander is frequently invited to perform oratorios and Lieder in France and abroad.
In 2009 he received a grant from the Cercle Richard Wagner, and that same year he was selected by the Bayreuth Festival to take part in a Rising Star concert.
A keen performer of contemporary music Alexander took part in the world premiere of Pierre Thilloy’s oratorio Mosella at the Metz Arsenal and at Trier Opera, as well as in La Toute petite tétralogie with Belgium ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. With the latter he performed the premiere of Pascal Charpentier’s opera L’homme qui s’efface at Rouen Opera in 2011.
Among his upcoming projects Alexander will perform the roles of Donner and Gunther in the Ring Saga (Richard Wagner, Jonathan Dove) at the Casa da Musica in Porto, the Cité de la Musique in Paris and at the Musica Festival in Strasbourg (conductor: Peter Rundel), and in 2012 he will take part in a revival of Julie at Limoges Opera.
Recently Alexander Knop performed the role of Schaunard in La Bohème at the National Opera in Maribor, Slovenia under Marko Letonja.
