Robert Holzer

Born at Waldhausen in Upper Austria in 1963, Holzer trained at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz with Gertrud Schulz and at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Rudolf Knoll, took first prize at the Austrian Bundesjugendwettbewerb and made his debut at the Wiener Kammeroper. An engagement at the Stadttheater Bern opened the way to guest work abroad: he first sang at the Vienna State Opera in 1991 and was leading serious bass at the Nationaltheater Mannheim from 1996 to 2000. Sarastro, Rocco, Philip II, La Roche, Baron Ochs, the Landgrave, Gurnemanz, Fasolt, Hunding, King Heinrich, the Wassermann in Rusalka and Gounod's Méphistophélès have all been his, and Rome, Seoul, Beijing and Barcelona have heard him. In oratorio he is closely associated with Franz Schmidt's Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln, which he has sung with the Wiener Symphoniker. He has taught song, oratorio and opera at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz since the 2006–07 season, and has headed its institute of voice and music theatre since 2011.