The Icelandic tenor Jóhann Kristinsson is a recipient of numerous awards and distinctions. In 2024, he was named Classical Singer of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards. He won the prestigious Stella Maris International Vocal Competition, where he also received the Jury Prize of the Vienna Musikverein, and he placed third and won the Audience Award at the International Singing Competition Das Lied in Heidelberg. Additionally, he was a finalist at the International Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau.

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After an already successful international career as a baritone, Jóhann has transitioned to the tenor repertoire. He has worked intensively with leading specialists in the field, including Stuart Skelton, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Volker Krafft and his vocal coach, Valerie Sorel, to make this transformation possible. His move into the tenor repertoire marks a natural evolution of his voice and artistry, combining the depth and warmth of his baritone background with a new brilliance and expressive range.

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Jóhann completed his Master’s degree with distinction in the class of Prof. Scot Weir at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, where he also received guidance from Thomas Quasthoff and Júlia Várady. He was subsequently a member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera, where he appeared in numerous productions, including Miriways, Un Ballo in Maschera, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Madama Butterfly, among others. He later performed the role of "Jean" in Philippe Boesmans’ Julie with the Hamburger Symphoniker under Sylvain Cambreling at the Lausitz Festival, Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

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On the concert stage, Jóhann has collaborated with leading orchestras and conductors, including Eva Ollikainen, Bertrand de Billy, Kent Nagano, Herbert Blomstedt, and Cristian Măcelaru. With the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, he has performed Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, the latter of which he later recorded in a historically informed performance with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra under Kent Nagano at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (BIS Records, 2025). Other highlights include Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater with the Oslo Philharmonic, Bach’s St. John Passion with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, and Britten’s War Requiem with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.

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As a passionate interpreter of art song, Jóhann has performed at major festivals such as Heidelberger Frühling, Oxford Lieder Festival, and Schubertiade Hohenems. Together with pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz, he has given recitals across Europe and led a joint masterclass at the Pollini Conservatory in Padua, Italy.

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Jóhann has also appeared with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Phil, Basque National Orchestra, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, under conductors including Manfred Honeck, András Schiff, Lothar Koenigs, and Patrick Hahn.