Recital Michael Volle

Michael Volle studied with Josef Metternich and Rudolf Piernay. After engagements at the opera houses in Mannheim, Bonn, Düsseldorf, and Cologne, he became a member of the ensembles at the Zurich Opera House and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. In Zurich, he performed roles such as Marcello (La bohème), Eugene Onegin, Yeletsky (Pique Dame), Roland (Fierrabras), Sixtus Beckmesser, Hans Sachs (Meistersinger von Nürnberg), and Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande). Guest appearances have taken him to all major opera houses at home and abroad (including Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, London, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, Milan, Florence, New York) and to prestigious festivals (such as Salzburg, Bregenz, Baden-Baden). At the Bayreuth Festival, he sang Beckmesser in 2007 and 2008, Hans Sachs in 2017, and the Dutchman in 2023. Most recently, he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Florence in the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff, and as Hans Sachs at the Vienna State Opera. In Milan, he impressed as Pater Ecstaticus in Mahler’s 8th Symphony and as Jochanaan in Salome. At the Hamburg State Opera, he shone alongside Klaus Florian Vogt in the role of Wolfram in Wagner’s Tannhäuser. In 2008 and 2023, the magazine Opernwelt named him “Singer of the Year.” For his interpretation of Wozzeck, he was awarded the German Theater Prize “Der Faust” in 2009. In recognition of his stage achievements, he received the award for “Best Male Singer” at the Oper! Awards 2023. At the Zurich Opera House, his recent roles include Wolfram in Tannhäuser (2012), the title role in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer (2016), Nabucco (2019), and Boris Godunov (2020).

Matthias Schulz, born in 1977 in Bavaria, studied piano at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and economics at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. He has a long-standing relationship with the Salzburg Festival, where he was appointed project manager, concert and media officer, and in 2009 head of concert planning. In this position, he was responsible for co-designing the programs as well as coordinating and interlinking all festival productions. A particular focus was on contemporary music theater. In 2012, Matthias Schulz became Artistic Director and Commercial Managing Director of the Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg. In addition to programming the festival and concert series, his responsibilities as CFO and HR director included fundraising, marketing, press relations, and media productions. From 2017 to 2024, he was Artistic Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. Alongside expanding the core repertoire, including numerous world premieres, Matthias Schulz established successful formats for early music and experimental music theater. He placed strong emphasis on fostering young talent and increased the accessibility of the house through innovative opera formats and by attracting new audiences. He oversaw the transition from Daniel Barenboim to the appointment of Christian Thielemann as General Music Director. Since August 2025, Matthias Schulz has been Artistic Director of the Zurich Opera House. As a pianist, chamber musician, and accompanist, he has collaborated closely with artists such as Elīna Garanča and Michael Volle. He is a board member of various festivals, a jury member of international competitions, and a member of the boards of trustees of the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Liz Mohn Foundation.