South African tenor Katleho Mokhoabane, born in 1996, will make his debut in 2026 in the title role of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito at the Vienna State Opera, in a new production by Jan Lauwers conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado.
Since autumn 2024, Katleho has been a member of the ensemble at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, where he sings Tamino (The Magic Flute), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Alfredo Germont (La traviata), as well as the Sailor/A Young Shepherd in a new production of Tristan and Isolde.
At the turn of the year 2024/25, Katleho sang the tenor part in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano under Emmanuel Tjeknavorian. He made his debut as Ferrando (Così fan tutte) earlier that season at Staatstheater Kassel.
From 2022 to 2024, Katleho was a member of the Vienna State Opera’s Opera Studio. He made his stage debut there as Kunz Vogelgesang in Keith Warner’s production of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Other appearances included the Fourth Jew in R. Strauss’ Salome, L’humana fragilità and Pisandro in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, the First Priest in The Magic Flute, Joe in La fanciulla del West, the Song Seller in Il tabarro, and the First Knight of the Grail in Parsifal.
He made his Wiener Konzerthaus debut in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and performed as tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Bochabela String Orchestra on tour at the Bregenz Festival and Rheingau Musik Festival.
During the 2021/22 season, Katleho appeared both as soloist and chorus member, including Count of Lerma/A Royal Herald (Don Carlo) at Oper Bonn and the Solo Prisoner in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at Theater Koblenz.
Katleho earned his bachelor’s degree in 2018 at Tshwane University of Technology, performing Ferrando (Così fan tutte) and Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro). He was later awarded a postgraduate scholarship following a masterclass series at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival with Professor Josef Protschka. He completed his master’s degree (2019–2022) at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln under Professor Brigitte Lindner and privately with Professor Protschka.
While in Cologne, Katleho appeared as Ferrando (Così fan tutte) in a university production at Theater Aachen and as Alfred in Johann Strauss’ The Bat. He gave concerts across North Rhine-Westphalia and participated successfully in several competitions, including CLIP in Portofino (3rd Prize), the Debut Singing Competition (2nd Prize), and the International Music Competition Cologne (1st Prize).
In summer 2025, Katleho was awarded First Prize at both the 22nd Concours International de Chant Lyrique de Canari and the 3rd International UNISA National Voice Competition in South Africa.
Katleho began singing as a boy soprano in his local church choir, conducted by his father, before moving to the tenor section in his school choirs.
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