Austrian baritone. Born in Villach in the south of Austria, he graduated from the Klagenfurt Conservatory and the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts. After winning several vocal competitions, in 1997 he was invited to perform as Guglielmo ("Così fan tutte") at the opening of the Nuovo Piccolo Teatro in Milan, which marked the beginning of his international career.

He performs at the world's leading opera houses, including La Scala, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Bavarian State Opera, the Liceu in Barcelona, Los Angeles Opera, Lyon Opera, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, as well as the prestigious festivals in Salzburg and Baden-Baden, Tanglewood and Aspen (USA). Among the finest roles in the singer's extensive repertoire are Papageno ("The Magic Flute"), Beckmesser ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"), Rodrigo ("Don Carlos"), Henry Ashton ("Lucia di Lammermoor"), Dr. Malatesta ("Don Pasquale"), Pelléas ("Pelléas et Mélisande"), and the title role in "Don Giovanni".

The singer also performs extensively in concert, with a repertoire including works by G. Mahler, R. Schumann, F. Schubert, J. Brahms, and F. Liszt.