| Biography | Maximilian Schmitt discovered his love for music when he was a young member of the Regensburger Domspatzen Boys' Choir. He studied singing with Roland Hermann and Prof. Anke Eggers at the Berlin University of the Arts. In 2005 and 2006 he was a member of the Young Ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
During his time in Munich Maximilian Schmitt already made his debut at the Salzburger Landestheater as Tamino in The Magic Flute before becoming a member of the Ensemble of the Mannheim National Theatre for four years.
In Mannheim he sang parts like David/Meistersinger, Lenski/Eugen Onegin and lyrical Mozart roles such as Tamino, Don Ottavio, Belmonte or Ferrando. In summer of 2012 Maximilian Schmitt finished his successful time in Mannheim with the leading role in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito. In operatic concert performances Maximilian Schmitt could be heard with The Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Robin Ticciati as Don Ottavio/Don Giovanni, Ferrando/Così fan tutte and with the WDR Symphony Orchestra with German romantic arias. At the end of 2012 he made a debut at the Amsterdam Opera as Tamino in the celebrated new production of Simon McBurney under Marc Albrecht. In René Jacobs production of Mozart´s Abduction from the Seraglio with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin he took over the part of Belmonte. Operatic concert performances led him to Perugia, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and to the BOZAR in Brussels. A CD of this project meanwhile has been released by harmonia mundi France.
Besides his passion for opera also operatic performances are of great importance to him. His wide variety of repertoire covers Monteverdi to Mozart and Mendelssohn. He was invited by conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst, Andrew Manze, Daniel Harding, Thomas Hengelbrock, Fabio Luisi and also by orchestras like Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Tonhalle-Orchestra Zurich, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra of the Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig. Maximilian Schmitt is also a especially regular guest of various Parisian Orchestras (Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble orchestral de Paris, Orchestre National de France). He had the honour of performing with Claudio Abbado at the Lucerne Festival and at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. A close cooperation connects him with Philippe Herreweghe frequently allowing him to show his wide variety of repertoire. At the beginning of the season 15/16 he will guest perform Mahler's Lied von der Erde at the Zermatt Festival. Further performances, amongst others, will include: His debut as Idomeneo in Strasbourg, Mulhouse and Colmar under Hervé Niquet, his debut at Vienna State Opera as Don Ottavio, concerts with Orchestre de Paris (with Bertrand de Billy), with Bach's b-minor-Mass in Nuremberg and Ingolstadt with the Choir of the Bavarian Radio and with Peter Dijkstra at Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival (Haydn The Seasons).
Just as important are the operatic performances in the calendar of Maximilian Schmitt accompanied by the pianist Gerold Huber. The duo guest performed at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, repeatedly at the Heidelberg Spring Festival and Cologne Philharmonic. Maximilian Schmitt made his debut in London´s Wigmore Hall together with Justus Zeyen. Here he will guest perform again in January 2016, this time with Gerold Huber. The duo can also be heard at the Badenweiler Musiktage with Schubert´s Winterreise. The Lied-CDs of Gerold Huber and Maximilian Schmitt are being released by Oehms classics: After the debut album Träumend wandle ich bei Tag (Robert and Clara Schumann), Schubert´s Die schöne Müllerin was released in 2013 and presented by the duo in an acclaimed debut at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg.
Besides of his lied recordings Maximilian Schmitt can be heard on CD with Haydn's Creation (Baroque Orchestra Freiburg/René Jacobs/harmonia mundi France), in two recordings of Bach's St. Matthews Passion (Gewandhausorchester/Riccardo Chailly DECCA), Choir of the Bavarian Radio/Concerto Köln/Peter Dijsktra BR Klassik), in Dvorak's Stabat mater (Royal Flemish Orchestra/Philippe Herreweghe). Also released on DVD is Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin/Choir of the Bavarian Radio/Peter Dijkstra BR Klassik label). On Christian Gerhaher´s first Orchestra CD Romantische Arien (Sony) Maximilian Schmitt sings as tenor partner (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Harding). |