With more than 260 recordings to his credit and an intensive career as singer, conductor, scholar and teacher, René Jacobs has achieved an eminent position in the field of Baroque and Classical vocal music. He received his early musical education as a choirboy at St Bavo cathedral in his native city of Ghent. Remaining active as a singer during his university studies in Classical Philology, his encounters with Alfred Deller, Gustav Leonhardt and the Kuijken brothers were to determine his orientation towards Baroque music and specialization as countertenor, in which he very soon established his reputation as one of the most prominent singers of his time. In 1977 he founded the ensemble Concerto Vocale, exploring Baroque operatic and vocal chamber music repertoire and he recorded with this ensemble a series of remarkable internationally award-winning World Premieres.

René Jacobs made his debut as an opera conductor in 1983 with a production of Antonio Cesti’s »L’Orontea« at the Innsbruck Festival of early Music, where later he held the position of artistic director from 1996 to 2009. 

Through his long successful collaborations with the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden since 1992, Theater an der Wien (Vienna) since 2006, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie (Brussels), Salzburger Festspiele, Festival of Aixen-Provence, Paris Opera and other leading international stages in Europe, USA and Asia, he has been conducting from early baroque to Rossini and from the most unknown to the most famous titles. His work is distinctive for its pioneering spirit and profound studies of historical sources. Examples of such are his Mozart operas recordings, remarkable for their unique fusion of scholarship and musical instinct. His »Le Nozze di Figaro« was rewarded by a Grammy and the Gramophone magazine quoted: »René Jacobs’s Mozart opera series are one of the recorded marvels of our time«.

Alongside to his extensive operatic activity, performing sacred music and oratorio has always been an important part of René Jacobs’ career and in that field as well, praised for his continuous exploration of unknown works such as »Maddelena ai piedi di Cristo« by Antonio Caldara (among others), or as the innovative performer of the well-known repertoire of J. S. Bach’s Passions or Mozart’s Requiem.

Increasingly René Jacobs has also been developing the symphonic repertoire with Haydn’s and the last symphonies of Mozart (released by Harmonia Mundi) and more recently, with the complete cycle of Schubert symphonies released by Pentatone.

Elected Doctor Honoris Causa by the Universities of Ghent and Innsbruck, René Jacobs has received the most prominent prizes from international critics. His internationally acclaimed recording of Beethoven’s »Leonore« (the 1st version of 1805) was hailed by the UK newspaper »The Guardian«: »Perhaps the most significant 2020 anniversary project was René Jacobs’ recording of Leonore 1805 version.” His more recent recording of Beethoven’s »Missa solemnis« released in January 2021 was equally acclaimed internationally as an »Event« with the highest praises.