Biography
Matthias Goerne is one of the most versatile and internationally sought-after vocalists and a frequent guest at renowned festivals and concert halls. He has collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras, conductors and pianists. Born in Weimar, he studied with Hans-Joachim Beyer in Leipzig, and later with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Matthias Goerne has appeared on the world’s principal opera stages including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Zürich Opera House, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro Real in Madrid, Paris National Opera, and the Vienna State Opera. His roles range from Pizzaro (Fidelio), Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Amfortas (Parsifal), Wotan (Die Walküre, Das Rheingold), Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde), Orest (Elektra), and Jochanaan (Salome) to the title roles in Béla Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle and Alban Berg’s Wozzeck.
Full Biography
Matthias Goerne is one of the most versatile and internationally sought-after vocalists and a frequent guest at renowned festivals and concert halls. He has collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras, conductors and pianists. Born in Weimar, he studied with Hans-Joachim Beyer in Leipzig, and later with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Matthias Goerne has appeared on the world’s principal opera stages including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Zürich Opera House, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro Real in Madrid, Paris National Opera, and the Vienna State Opera. His roles range from Pizzaro (Fidelio), Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Amfortas (Parsifal), Wotan (Die Walküre, Das Rheingold), Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde), Orest (Elektra), and Jochanaan (Salome) to the title roles in Béla Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle and Alban Berg’s Wozzeck.
In the 2024-25 season, Goerne is Artist in Residence of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra for its 145th anniversary and will present Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. Concerts take the baritone to the Bavarian State Opera (Sechs Monologe aus Jedermann) under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski. In Tel Aviv he sings Mahler’s Rückert Lieder under the musical direction of Lahav Shani.
He sings the title role of Wozzeck in Alban Berg’s opera at the Hamburg International Music Festival and presents Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder at the Salzburg Festival. Recitals take the baritone to Milan, Baden-Baden, the Schubertiada, Amsterdam, Salzburg, Bordeaux, Barcelona and the Ravinia Festival in Australia (Adelaide and Sydney).
Goerne’s artistry has been documented on numerous recordings, many of which have received prestigious awards, including four Grammy nominations, an ICMA Award, a Gramophone Award, the BBC Music Magazine Vocal Award 2017, and a Diapason d’or arte. After his legendary recordings with Vladimir Ashkenazy and Alfred Brendel for Universal Music, he recorded a series of selected Schubert songs on 12 CDs for harmonia mundi (The Goerne/Schubert Edition) with eminent pianists. His latest recordings of Brahms songs with Christoph Eschenbach, of Schumann songs with Markus Hinterhäuser, of Mahler songs with the BBC Symphony, and of Wagner arias with the Swedish Radio Symphony have received rave reviews.
