Markus Schäfer, tenor, was born in Germany. He was a member of the opera studio in Zurich. He later on was a member of the opera houses of Hamburg and Düsseldorf. He has also performed regularly in numerous opera houses and festivals all over the world such as those in Essen, Munich, Koln, Berlin and others. His opera repertoire included Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, Tamino in Die Zauberflote, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Mozart) and many others. He has performed the Evangelist in many Bach works in festivals such as Ansbach, Leipzig and Luzern. He currently teaches at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Hanover. This is his first performances with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, IBA and the Israeli Opera.