Christian Hilz studied voice at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen with Jakob Stämpfli. Private studies and master classes with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, Bonaldo Giaotti and Joshua Rifkin, among others, complemented his training.
Since the 1990s Christian Hilz has gained a reputation as a versatile baritone with a wide-ranging repertoire. Concert invitations and opera engagements have taken him to the musical centers of Europe and America.
His artistic activities focus on the periods of late baroque, romantic and the Lied repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries. He is increasingly interested in chamber music projects and the development of own programmes with a particular emphasis on the balance and interaction between text and sound.
His discography reflects the diversity of repertoire in over 40 CD recordings.
After teaching at the Kirchenmusikalisches Institut der Universität Erlangen, at the Erlanger Musikinstitut and as a substitute professor in voice in early music at the Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen, he held the position of professor of voice and chamber music at the Hochschule der Künste Bern and at the Schweizer Opernstudio from 2009 to 2023.
Collaborations in research projects on the interpretation of 19th century music, the artistic interplay of declamation and singing, lectures and publications enhanced his activities there.
He gives and has given numerous masterclasses and was appointed artistic director of the Austria Baroque Academy in 2015.
Further studies in the field of theatre and music management at the LMU Munich and continuing education as well as artistic consulting work for various festivals have broadened his view of the musical world.
Christian Hilz became a member of the Management Board of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in September 2022. He teaches a Lied class, courses in the Barock-Romantic repertoire and in music management / career studies. He is head of the specialized master in performance practice as well as head of the bachelor Renaissance-Romantic and responsible for advanced studies and Ergänzungsstudium.