Michael Volle has established himself as one of the leading baritones. He has been a student of the distinguished singers Josef Metternich and Rudolf Piernay.
First permanent engagements at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, Bonn and Cologne. From 1999 until 2007 Michael Volle was a regular member of the Zurich Opera House were since then he has interpreted inter alia in new productions roles like Beckmesser/Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (leading team: Welser-Möst/Lehnhoff), Eugen Onegin (under Vladimir Fedosseyev), Golaud/Pelléas et Mélisande, Barak/Die Frau ohne Schatten and in 2012 Hans Sachs/Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (leading team: Gatti/Kupfer).
In the 2007/2008 season Michael Volle joined the Munich State Opera, singing in new productions the title roles of Eugen Onegin and Wozzeck and Pentheus/Die Bassariden. Furthermore he has performed roles such as Count/Le Nozze di Figaro, Morone, Kurwenal, Amfortas, Wolfram, Amonasro and as guest artist Guillaume Tell/title role in 2014.
Guest performances at the important international opera houses so at the Royal Opera House London (Salome/ Jochanaan, Lulu/Dr. Schön and Jack the Ripper, Tristan und Isolde/Kurwenal, Aida/ Amonasro, Tosca/Scarpia and Les vepres siciliennes/ Guy de Montfort), Opéra National de Paris (Arabella/Mandryka), Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels, Teatro alla Scala di Milano and the Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg and Vienna State Operas. Recent engagements include his role debut as Wotan/Die Walküre (Seville) and a new production of Lulu/Dr. Schön /Jack the Ripper at the Berlin State Opera in (Barenboim/Breth). Debut at the Metropolitan Opera New York in 2014 as Mandryka/Arabella and Hans Sachs/Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (HD live performance).
Mr. Volle is a regular performer at the leading festivals such as the Munich Opera Festival, Schwetzingen, Baden-Baden, Edinburgh. Bayreuth Festival 2007 and 2008: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg/Beckmesser (production by Katharina Wagner). Salzburg Festival 2013: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg/Hans Sachs (leading team: Gatti/Herheim).
Michael Volle dedicates also a great part of his career to lied recitals and to concert commitments with the world's finest orchestras and with important conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Maurizio Pollini, Seiji Ozawa, Charles Dutoit, Riccardo Muti, Franz Welser-Möst, Antonio Pappano, Lawrence Foster, Rostropowitch, Kent Nagano, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Mariss Jansons, Thomas Hengelbrock, Philippe Herreweghe, James Conlon, James Levine.
TV appearances/ARTE, CD and DVD recordings on the EMI, HARMONIA MUNDI, ARTHAUS, NAXOS, OEHMS CLASSICS, OPUS ARTE and PHILIPS labels. Film production The Hunter's Bride/Der Freischütz (2009). Michael Volle is recipient of the important German Theatre Award "Faust" and "Singer of the Year" by the opera magazine "Opernwelt" (2008 and 2014).
