Matthias Hoffmann

The Austrian bass-baritone gained his first musical experience as a treble soloist with the Innsbrucker Capellknaben and was a member of the concert choir of the Wiltener Sängerknaben from 2007. He completed his bachelor's degree in concert vocal studies with Karl-Heinz Hanser and his master's degree in lied and oratorio with Florian Boesch at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna. Hoffmann is a prize-winner of the "Musica Juventutis" competition at the Vienna Konzerthaus and the "Songbook" song selection competition of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, as well as the winner of the first Tyrolean Classical Singers' Prize. From 2015 to 2017 he was a member of the International Opera Studio of Oper Köln and then became a member of the permanent ensemble.

The Oper Köln audience knows him as Schaunard in "La Bohème", Collatinus in "The Rape of Lucretia", Harašta in "The Cunning Little Vixen", Pluto in "Orpheus in the Underworld", Marchese d'Obigny in "La Traviata", Figaro in "Le nozze di Figaro", 1st Soldier in "Salome", Wotan in "Die Walküre für Jung und Alt", Archbishop of Reims / Florent d'Illiers in "Jeanne d'Arc – Szenen aus dem Leben der Heiligen Johanna" and through his participation in the "Comedian Harmonists".

From Cologne, guest engagements have taken him to the Nederlandse Reisopera and Theater Bonn as well as the Tiroler Landestheater.

Hoffmann is also active as a concert and oratorio singer, appearing as a concert soloist in China, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and Austria. He also gives regular concerts as a lieder singer, for example his house debut in 2019 with Malcolm Martineau and has performed a programme of Schubert's Lieder in the Pierre-Boulez-Saal, Berlin. He is also a scholarship holder of the Heidelberg Liedakademie together with pianist Toni Ming Geiger and thus also works regularly with Thomas Hampson.

In 2019 he was awarded the Offenbach Prize. This prize, donated by the 'Freunden der Kölner Oper', honours a young ensemble member who has distinguished himself or herself through outstanding performances and exceptional stage presence.

In the 2020.21 season, Matthias Hoffmann made his role debut at Oper Köln as Papageno in Mozart's “Die Zauberflöte". He was also heard in the musical farce "Mazeltov Rachel'e" by Christian von Götz. Other roles include Old Fox in the world premiere of "Die Geschichte vom Fuchs, der den Verstand verlor", Zuniga in "Carmen", Korowjew in York Höller's "Der Meister und Margarita" and Papageno in “Die Zauberflöte".

In the 2022.23 season he will appear on stage as Priam in "Les Troyens", Achilla in "Giulio Cesare in Egitto" and Speaker / 1st Priest in “Die Zauberflöte”.