Josef Wagner, bass-baritone

Bass-baritone Josef Wagner was born in Lower Austria. He studied singing at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under the instruction of Kurt Equiluz and Robert Holl as well as in master classes led by Paul Esswood, Walter Berry and Christa Ludwig. Currently he is further refining his skills under the auspices of Prof. KS Wicus Slabbert.

After his stage debut with Don Alfonso and Dulcamara, he proceeded to become a member of the ensemble of the Vienna Volksoper, where he has significantly broadened his repertoire.

Guest appearances led him among others to Munich, Bern, Geneva, Marseille, Dijon, Nantes, Antwerp, Vienna, Tel Aviv and Japan, where he has performed many different roles spanning from Konrad Nachtigall (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) to Mozart's Papageno and Figaro. In 2006 he debuted at the Salzburg Festival in the role of Don Cassandro in Mozart's La Finta semplice. In the summer of 2011 he was widely celebrated for his performance as Don Giovanni at St. Margarethen Festival.

Josef Wagner has also performed as a concert vocalist with a repertoire spanning from baroque to contemporary works (under conductors such as Ton Koopman, Dennis Russel Davies and Nikolaus Harnoncourt).