Moritz Gogg was born in 1974 in Graz, Austria.  His musical career initially began with the piano. He was a prize-winner of various piano competitions, and worked as a repetiteur and musical director at the Oper Graz.

The baritone completed his vocal studies with Helena Lazarska at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna where he also took part in Walter Berry’s and Robert Holl’s Lied courses. Moritz graduated with distincition in 2000. He gained further artistic inspiration from masterclasses given by Hilde Zadek, Thomas Hampson, Hans Hotter, Daniel Sarge, and Wicus Slabbert.

Moritz Gogg is a prize-winner of the 1991 Jugend musiziert and the 1997 International Ferruccio Tagliavini competitions. He was awarded the first-prize at the 1998 International Mikulas Schneider Tmavsky competition, and in the same year was a prize-winner at the Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg.

Concurrently with his studies, Moritz was engaged at the Wiener Kammeroper (1999-2001), at the Salzburger Landestheater and Landestheater Linz in the 2000/01 Season.

From 2000 to 2003 he joined the Hamburg State Opera´s International Studio. Since 2003 Moritz has been a member of the Hamburg State Opera´s ensemble and has performed a variety of roles including: Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart); Ping in Turandot (Puccini); Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus/The Bat (Strauss); Schaunard in La Bohème (Puccini); Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Donizetti); Achilla in Giulio Cesare (Handel); and Ottokar in Der Freischütz (Weber). In the 2009/10 Season Moritz reprised Papageno, performed Count Danilo Danilovitsch in Die lustige Witwe (Lehár) and Georges in the world premiere of Oscar Strasnoy’s one-act-opera Le Bal. In the 2010/11 Season he was Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and appeared as Prosdocimo in Il turco in Italia (Rossini). In the Hamburg Season of 2011/12, he repeats Papageno as well as Ping and Schaunard and performs Melot in Tristan und Isolde and Albany in the premiere of Aribert Reimann`s Lear. His role debut as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos is planned for the 2013/14 Season.

Guest engagements led Moritz for instance to the Salzburger Festspiele and the Eisenstadt Haydn Festival. He sang Papageno with great success at the Wiener Volksoper and in 2007 at the Semperoper Dresden (Saxonian State Opera). Also in 2010 and 2011 Moritz repeated this role at the International Herrenchiemsee Festival under Enoch zu Guttenberg. Since 2005 the baritone is a frequent guest at the Oper Bonn, where he performed leading roles, including his debuts as Peter in Hänsel und Gretel (Humperdinck) and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart). In 2008/09 he sang Papageno at the Oper Bremen, and made guest appearances at the: Staatstheater Wiesbaden; Staatstheater Schwerin; Theater Lübeck; Theater Regensburg; and at the Landestheater Linz. In the 2009/10 Season he returned to Bremen as Dr. Falke, sang the role of Danilo at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duesseldorf, Blansac in Rossini’s La Scala die Seta at the Graz Musikverein, and was Papageno at the International Herrenchiemsee Festspiele. Guest engagments in the 2010/2011 Season included his role-debut as Mandryka in Strauss’ Arabella at the Aachen Theatre and his role-debut as Tobia Mill in Rossini’s La Cambiale di Matrimonio at the Graz Musikverein under the baton of Michi Gaigg. He furthermore performed Eisenstein at the Oper Frankfurt under Sebastian Weigle and Papageno at the Cologne Opera.

Moritz has worked with such renowned conductors as Philippe Auguin, Marcus R. Bosch, Frédéric Chaslin, Alfred Eschwé, Adam Fischer, Enoch zu Guttenberg, Alexander Joel, Peter Keuschnig, Alessandro De Marchi, Cornelius Meister, Ingo Metzmacher, Andris Nelsons, Markus Poschner, Stefan Soltesz, Uwe Theimer, Sebastian Weigle, Ralf Weikert, Bruno Weil and Simone Young. Directors with whom Moritz has worked include Willy Decker, Achim Freyer, Caroline Gruber, Robert Herzl, Guy Joosten, Peter Konwitschny, Josef E. Köpplinger, Harry Kupfer, Uwe Erik Laufenberg, Nicholas Lehnhoff, Christof Loy, Christian Pöppelreiter, Andrea Schwalbach, Christian Stückl, Keith Warner, and Dominik Wilgenbus.

Moritz Gogg took part in various radio and CD productions, including the live recording of the world premiere of Jörn Arnecke’s chamber opera Das Fest im Meer under the musical direction of Cornelius Meister.

In 2007 he participated in the complete recording of Hindemith’ opera Mathis, der Maler and in the DVD production of Dialogues des Carmélites, both conducted by Simone Young.

Last Update November 2011