 A native of Braubach, Schlusnus studied with voice teachers in Berlin and Frankfurt before making his debut at Hamburg's opera house in 1915.Schlusnus sang at Nuremberg from 1915 to 1917 and at the prestigious Berlin State Opera from 1917 until 1951.He was engaged by the Chicago Opera for its 1927-28 season and appeared at the Bayreuth Festival in 1933.