Obituary for Prof. Martin Bruns
We mourn the loss of Prof. Martin Bruns
25 November 1960 – 30 January 2026
It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of our former voice professor and vice-rector Martin Bruns, who passed away far too early at the age of only 65 after a serious illness.
Swiss baritone Martin Bruns worked as a voice professor at the Zurich University of the Arts and at the Cologne University of Music and Dance in Aachen. He initially taught as a visiting professor from 2010 before being appointed to a professorship in voice at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin in 2011. His vocal class had numerous successful graduates.
Prof. Martin Bruns, who had previously studied violin in Basel and subsequently became a member of the Bern Symphony Orchestra, later decided to study singing, which he did in Fribourg and Munich as well as at the Juilliard School in New York with Daniel Ferro, whose singing school also had a significant influence on his own teaching. He was a member of the ensemble at the Hessian State Theatre in Wiesbaden and made guest appearances at the opera houses in Bern, Freiburg, Düsseldorf and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, as well as on major international stages and with renowned orchestras worldwide.
Among the teaching staff, graduates and administration, we remember him as an open, warm-hearted person and committed colleague who always worked with great enthusiasm for the students and the school. For his class, he was an excellent professor in all educational matters, always there for his students and, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, going above and beyond to address their individual concerns and worries. As head of the voice programme and member of the departmental council, he was an extremely dedicated professor in all matters, leaving a gap in the teaching staff that will be difficult to fill.
We mourn his passing and remember his artistic and educational achievements with great sadness. We will always hold Martin Bruns in grateful memory.
On behalf of the school community
Prof. Andrea Tober, President
Prof. Byron Knutson, Head of Department A Voice/Directing