Jonathan de la Paz Zaens (bass-baritone) was born in the Philippines. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of the Philippines under Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion and completed his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts under Prof. Dr. Herbert Brauer. He has been a permanent member of the RIAS Chamber Choir Berlin since 2004. His work as a lieder singer has taken him to Germany, Italy, Sweden, Czechia, and the USA. As a concert singer, he repeatedly performs the bass parts of the great oratorios. He is also intensely devoted to contemporary music, singing in the world premiere of Karl-Heinz Stockhausen’s Düfte-Zeichen at the Salzburg Festival and taking on the role of Lucifer in Stockhausen’s German stage premiere of Michaels Jugend vom Donnerstag aus Licht at the Berlin Festival.

What was your most memorable experience during your time in the choir?

The concert Chorrenaissance – wie ein Phönix (Choir Renaissance – Like a Phoenix) on September 16, 2020, remains an unforgettable experience for me. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we weren’t allowed to sing at all at the beginning. Only under strict regulations were we then able to make music together individually, in pairs, and later in small groups. It was a strange experience. When we were allowed to sing together as a full choir for the first time that day—despite being three meters apart—we gave a beautiful and emotional concert! I still have tears in my eyes when I look back and listen to excerpts from the concert.