Kouta Räsänen has studied at the Sibelius-Academy in his native Finland under the direction of Jaakko Ryhänen as well as in Florence with Rolando Panerai. A “Soloist of the Year 2002” at the Finnish Opera Union, he came second at the Lappeenranta Singing Competition and third at the Timo Mustakallio Competition. After several appearances in Finland, e.g. at the Finnish National Opera, he joined the ensemble of the Chemnitz Opera in 2006. He has also given guest performances in Munich/Gärtnerplatz and Weimar. His repertoire includes such parts as Landgraf (Tannhäuser), Heinrich (Lohengrin), Fasolt (Das Rheingold), Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Sarastro (Zauberflöte), Alidoro (La Cenerentola), Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore), Don Pasquale, Ferrando (Il trovatore), Ramfis (Aida), Colline (La bohème) and Mephistopheles (Faust). He has given recitals in Finland, Stockholm, Paris, Amiens, Tehran, Toronto as well as in Calumet, Michigan. He performed with many Finnish Orchestras in such works as Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Christmas Oratorio and Magnificat, Händel’s Messiah, The Creation by Haydn, Mozart’s Requiem and Golgotha by Frank Martin. In Chemnitz he performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Mozart’s, Dvořak’s and Verdi’s Requiems.
