Manuel Walser

Swiss baritone Manuel Walser studied voice under Thomas Quasthoff at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and finished his studies in July 2015 with distinction. In addition to Thomas Quasthoff, some of his most important mentors and teachers are Brigitte Fassbaender, Frédéric Gindraux, and Wolfram Rieger. At the Das Lied International Song Competition in Berlin he received both 1st Place and the Audience Award in 2013. He is also a laureate of the Stella Maris International Song Competition and received the Armin Weltner Foundation Award in May of 2014.

Since 2015/16 he has been a member of the Ensemble of the Wiener Staatsoper, where he has performed Harlekin/ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Masetto/DON GIOVANNI, Schaunard/ LA BOHÈME, Publio/LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, Christian/UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, Marullo/RIGOLETTO, Antonio/ LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Hunter/RUSALKA, Dominik/ ARABELLA, Fiorello/IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Alessio/LA SONNAMBULA.

Manuel Walser has had an extensive and active concert career. A special highlight was his performance of Christ in Bach’s MATTHÄUS-PASSION at the Verbier Festival in the summer of 2015, under the musical direction of Thomas Quasthoff. Further highlights of the 2014/2015 season were his performance in Händel's ISRAEL IN EGYPT with the Concentus Musicus under Christopher Moulds, and in a musical comedy titled SALOMONS REISE with Mozart arias conducted by Rubén Dubrovsky at the Baroque Days in Stift Melk. In 2018 he will perform Bach’s MATTHÄUS-PASSION under Ton Koopman at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

Manuel Walser is passionately dedicated to the art of Lied. He can regularly be heard in recitals with Anano Gokieli, Alexander Fleischer, Malcolm Martineau, Alejandro Picó- Leonís, Wolfram Rieger, Jonathan Ware, and Justus Zeyen. He has given recitals at the Oster Festival Bayreuth, the Schubertiade Hohenems, the Berliner Philharmonie, and at the Lucerne Festival. He performed with Malcolm Martineau at the Haus für Mozart at the Salzburger Festspiele 2014. This opportunity resulted in a Schubert recital at the Oxford Lieder Festival together with Kate Royal and Malcolm Martineau. A recital with Thomas Quasthoff and Justus Zeyen took Manuel Walser to the Paris Philharmonic for the first time. In August 2015 he sang Schubert’s WINTERREISE at the Schubertíada in Vilabertran, to great acclaim, as well as at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, accompanied by Wolfram Rieger. Another important debut took place in December 2015 at the Wiener Musikverein. He made his debut at the Wigmore Hall in March 2017.