Biography

The Viennese/Vienna born bass-baritone Georg Karl Golser discovered his love of music at the age of 5 playing the violin. During his professional training in this instrument at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna he also studied singing with Prof. Helga Meyer – Wagner and KS Adele Haas. He not only graduated as a violin teacher (2001) but also as singer, with distinction, in 2002. Private study with Gundula Janowitz and several years‘ musical partnership with the pianist Stephen Delaney led him to become specialist in German song or Lied. His interpretation of Schubert´s Winterreise at the Schloß Niederfellabrunn Chamber Music Festival in 2004 fully established Golser in this genre. In 2005 Golser made his Vienna Muziekverein debut as Elijah in Mendelssohn´s Oratorium under Xaver Meyer with the Vienna Volksoper Symphony Orchestra. A second performance of Elijah, in the Muziekverein´s Great Hall, part of the Musikfestes 2007, has been recorded on a CD sponsored and funded by the (players of the) Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra. As a world famous singer in oratorio he sang 2012 the baritone-part of the „Deutschen Requiem“ by Johannes Brahms in the Nationaltheater of China (NCPA).

The Gmuden Summer Festival 2001 saw Golser´s opera debut in the contemporary opera, „Die Rosen der Einöde“ by Gerhard Lamperberg and his first role in operetta was 2003 as
Dr. Falke in „Die Fledermaus“ by Johann Strauss in Freistadt bei Linz. Freelance engagements with o.a. Jeunesse Vienna, Musikwerkstatt Vienna, Vienna Klangbogen and at Festival de Bauge in France, where Golser is recognized as a talented Mozart singer, quickly followed.

The baritone is now a frequent soloist with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Kirill Petrenko, Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Huw Rhys James, Kirill Karabits, Anton Würl, Peter Lang, Ronen Nissan, Georg Kugi, Francis Griffin, Francois-Pierre Descamps, Philip Hesketh, Herbert Ortmayr, Vijay Upadhyaya, Gabor Rivo and Paul Angerer and he has worked with the stage directors Hans Gratzer, Kerstin Pöhler, Bernadette Grimmett, Mavis Armitt, Aurore Renard, Rainer Spechtl und Torsten Fischer.

In addition to his extensive oratorio and Lied repertoire, Golser has sung many opera roles such as Don Fernando (Fidelio), Johann (Opernprobe ), Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte), Richter (Dalibor), Dr. Falke (Fledermaus), Escamillo (Carmen) and Uberto in La Serva Padrona by Pergolesi. He further proved his performing versatility as Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady at the Aspach Festival in 2009.

In regular media appearances on the Radio (ORF) and in the internet (Klassikwelle Internet Radio), Golser is especially recognized/most appreciated as an interpreter of sacred music and Lied; his performances are accompanied by renowned orchestras such as Washington National Symphonie Orchestra, the Südböhmische Kammerphilharmonie, the International Donau Philharmonic, the Vienna Volksoper Symphony Orchestra and the China National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) to name but a few.

The Austrian baritone´s further passion is teaching. His first position was at the Brunn am Gebirge Music School from 2002 for 2 years. Since 2004 he has been in charge of students at the Musical and Operette department of Vienna Konservatorium. In addition to this he teaches Solo and Concert singing at the well known Prayner Conservatory and is vocal coach for the Mozart Boy´s Choir. His „Singing, Breath and Voice Training“ seminars are highly successful not only in Austria but throughout Europe.

• Operndebüt mit der Erstaufführung der modernen Kurzoper „Die Rosen der Einöde“ von Gerhard Lampersberg (Sommerfestspiele Gmunden 2001) / Operettendebüt als Dr. Falke in „Die Fledermaus“ (Freistadt 2003)

• Gastspielverträge als freiberuflicher Opernsänger innerhalb Österreichs (Jeunesse Wien, Musikwerkstatt Wien, Wiener Klangbogen, Theater an der Wien) und in Frankreich (Festival de Baugè)

• Öffentlich gesungene Partien (Musiktheater): Don Fernando (Fidelio), Escamillo (Carmen), Prof. Higgins (My Fair Lady), Johann (Die Opernprobe), Papageno (Zauberflöte), Guglielmo (Cosi Fan Tutte), Il Conte (Le nozze die Figaro), Spalanzani (Hoffmanns Erzählungen), Don (Terrible Mouth), Uberto (La Serva Padrona), Richter (Dalibor)

• Georg Karl Golser arbeitete als Solist mit Dirigenten wie Paul Angerer, Francois-Pierre Descamps, Francis Griffin, Heike Hastedt, Philip Hesketh, Huw Rhys James, Kirill Karabits, Georg Kugi, Peter Lang, Xaver Meyer, Yehudi Menuhin, Ronen Nissan, Herbert Ortmayr, Kirill Petrenko, Gabor Rivo, Leonard Slatkin, Anton Würl, Vijay Upadhyaya sowie den Regisseuren Torsten Fischer, Hans Gratzer, Bernadette Grimmett, Kerstin Pöhler und Rainer Spechtl

• Zu seinen wichtigsten Partien im Bereich Konzert und Oratorium zählen Jesus (Bach: Matthäus-Passion), The Messiah (Händel), Raphael & Adam (Haydn: Die Schöpfung), das Mozart-Requiem, das Deutsche Requiem von Brahms und besonders die Rolle des Elias aus dem gleichnamigen Oratorium von Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

• Zahlreiche Liederabende im In- und Ausland /wichtigste Liederzyklen (öffentlich gesungen): An die ferne Geliebte (Beethoven), Dichterliebe (Robert Schumann), Die Winterreise (Franz Schubert), Die schöne Müllerin (Franz Schubert), Schwanengesang (Franz Schubert), Kindertotenlieder (Gustav Mahler), 7 letzte Lieder (Gustav Mahler), Songs of Travel (Ralph Vaughan Williams)

• Besonders im Bereich sakraler Musik und Liedgesang in Medien wie Radio (Ö1, Radio Stephansdom) und Internetradio (Klassikwelle) regelmäßig präsent

• Namhafte Orchester wie das China National Symphony Orchestra, die Internationale Donauphilharmonie, das National Symphonie Orchestra Washington, die Südböhmische Kammerphilharmonie, das Symphonieorchester der Wiener Volksoper, das RSO Wien und die Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen zählten bisher zu seinen musikalischen Partnern

• Wichtigste Destinationen als Solist: Goldener Saal Wiener Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthaus, Semper Depot, Theater an der Wien, Schloß Esterhazy, Franziskaner Konzerthaus, Opera de Baugé, Nationaltheater China (NCPA)

• Um die 2000 Konzerte als Baritonsolist im Palais Auersperg mit dem Wiener Residenzorchester