Steffen Jespersen is an award-winning Danish countertenor specializing in Baroque repertoire. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, he completed his studies at the Opera Academy in 2021 and became the first countertenor to be accepted into the Royal Danish Theatre’s Young Artist Program (2021–2023), where he studied under vocal coaches Marianne Rørholm and Susanna Eken. During this time, Steffen received several of Denmark’s most prestigious talent awards, including the Hans Voigt Memorial Grant (2021), and was named Opera Talent of the Year at the Copenhagen Opera Festival (2023). In 2025, he was a finalist in The International Handel Singing Competition at the London Handel Festival and returned in 2026 to sing the title role in Händel’s Titus L’Empereur.
His recent engagements include his role debut as Didymus in Händel’s Theodora with Camerata Øresund. He also appeared in Josefine Opsahl’s Ekko at Copenhagen Opera Festival and at Den Fynske Opera.
Upcoming engagements include recitals for voice and lute, J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Concerto Farinelli, as well as concerts and recordings in 2026 with Athelas Sinfonietta featuring music by Matias Vestergård Hansen from Lisbon Floor.
Later this year he will appear as Oberon at Søholm Opera in a production of Brittens A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Steffen made his debut in 2018 with the Scandinavian Baroque ensemble Camerata Øresund, performing the role of Giustino in Vivaldi’s Il Giustino, and has since performed with leading Baroque ensembles and orchestras throughout Scandinavia. He has also premiered several contemporary operas, including a leading role in Matias Vestergård Hansen’s Lisbon Floor in 2022, which won Opera of the Year at the Danish Arts Awards. That same year, Steffen premiered his own concept for a staged Händel concert with Camerata Øresund at the Royal Danish Opera, centered on the famed castrato Senesino.
In 2023, Steffen appeared in Kasper Holten’s award-winning production of Daníel Bjarnason’s Brothers at the Copenhagen Opera Festival. Also in 2023, he toured with Concerto Copenhagen, performing solo Bach cantatas in Denmark and Germany. Politiken critic Thomas Michelsen wrote of his performance: Steffen stole the show… Today, he cemented his talent.
Alongside his operatic work, Steffen has for many years been active in shedding light on political and societal issues in Denmark as a member of the Danish satire group MAGT. Through their performances, MAGT has engaged audiences across Denmark, performing to more than 20,000 people on their most recent tour and amassing more than 100.000 followers on social media.
Titus, L’Emperéur, London Händel Festival, 2026
Steffen Jespersens countertenor in the title role was dreamy and ethereal, despite it feeling quite different in nature overall. There was a sense of depth to it that is not often heard in countertenors, and his sound was also possessed of a certain edge.
- musicOMH
I particularly enjoyed the outstanding countertenor pairing of Steffen Jespersen and Francis Gush, both sublime technicians and communicators.
– The Audio Standard
Thankfully the Danish countertenor Steffen Jespersen brought great nobility and personality to the role… sung with lovely tone… Titus's final aria was delivered powerfully by Jespersen.
– Robert Hugill
Countertenor Steffen Jespersen delivered a beautiful and heartfelt portrayal of Didymus. The role suited his voice perfectly, showcasing its impressive consistency across the range. He sang The raptur’d soul with a fine sense of the melodic line and a well-considered use of ornamentation.
- Andrew Mellor
www.klassisk.org
With coloratura notes as precise as clockwork, Steffen Jespersen’s bright voice was a special experience. The Danish countertenor, as the soldier Didymus, willing to die for Theodora, was simply excellent. A light, bright, completely precise falsetto voice with total control. Impressive.
- Thomas Michelsen, Politiken
Countertenor Steffen Jespersen is brilliant in the high ranges as a devilish chauvinist.
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