The Dutch bass-baritone, Robert Holl, received first prize at the 1971 International Vocal Competition at ‘s-Hertogenbosch. He then moved to Munich, where he continued his studies with Hans Hotter. The following year; he won first prize at the Munich International Competition.
From 1973 to 1975, Robert Holl was a member of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Robert Holl received the honorary title of Kammersänger from the city of Vienna in 1990.
Robert Holl made his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the special concert in Grant Park on September 21, 1991, in the last movement of L.v. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 conducted by Daniel Barenboim. He has appeared as soloist with the major orchestras, and has worked with many outstanding conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Carlo Maria Giulini, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Sir Neville Marriner, and Riccardo Chailly, among others. In January 1999, he sang Schubert’s Winterreise in Chicago with Daniel Barenboim at the piano. Last season, he sang L.v. Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
As a frequent guest artist at music festivals, Robert Holl has appeared at the Vienna Festival, Mozart Week Salzburg, Salzburg Festspiele, Berliner Festwochen, Flanders Festival, Prague Spring, Schubertiade Hohenems, and Settimane Musicale di Stresa. In addition, he has participated in the Festival of Tours in France and the Russian Winter Festival. He also has sung Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg conducted by Daniel Barenboim at the Bayreuth Festival and Amfortas in Parsifal Franz Welser-Möst in Zürich.
Robert Holl frequently collaborates with other musicians, including Peter Schreier for performances of J.S. Bach oratorios, and his wife, soprano Ellen van Lier, in Hugo Wolf’s Italian Songbook.
Since 1998, Robert Holl has been a professor for Lied and Oratorio at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. He is regularly invited by renowned Singing Competitions as jury member, such as the International Tchaikovsky Competition, the ARD Competition in Munich, the Hugo Wolf Lied Competition in Stuttgart, the Mirjiam Helin International Singing Competition in Helsinki and the International Singing Competition Harbin. He is an acclaimed voice teacher. Among his pupils and/or singers who have attended his master-classes: Nicoline Bovens (Mezzo-soprano), Hans van Dijk (Tenor), Jan Douwes (Bass), Lisette Emmink (Soprano), Norbert Ernst (Tenor), Rosina Fabius (Mezzo-soprano), Sarah Forestieri (Soprano), Johannes Gaubitz (Tenor), Claudia Goebl (Soprano), Alexander Grassauer (Bass-Baritone), Günther Groissböck (Bass), François-Nicolas Guertin (Baritone), Christian Havel (Tenor), Matthias Helm (Baritone), Maria den Hertog (Mezzo-soprano), Yasushi Hirano (Bass-Baritone), Michael Hoffman (Tenor), Christiane Karg (Soprano), Mariët Kaasschieter (Soprano), Bart De Kegel (Tenor), Léonie Korff (Contralto, Mezzo-soprano), Benedikt Kristjánsson (Tenor), Martin Maier (Tenor), Pierre Mak (Baritone), Andreas Mattersberger (Bass), Reinhard Mayr (Bass), Werner Van Mechelen (Bass-Baritone), Nico van der Meel (Tenor), Markus Miesenberger (Tenor), Jonas Müller (Baritone), Henk Neven (Baritone), Thomas Oliemans (Baritone), Nienke Oostenrijk (Soprano), Anna-Maria Palii (Soprano), Natalie Pérez (Mezzo-soprano, Soprano) Bas Ramselaar (Bass), Lenneke Ruiten (Soprano), Klemens Sander (Baritone), Anja Schlosser (Mezzo-soprano), Alexander Schmidt (Baritone), Michaela Selinger (Mezzo-soprano), Marten Smeding (Tenor) Geert Smits (Baritone), Florian Spiess (Bass), Maximilian Vogler (Tenor), Josef Wagner (Bass-Baritone), Titus Witt (Bass-Baritone), Samuel Zünd (Baritone), Marijn Zwitserlood (Baritone)***.
His extensive discography for the Preiser label includes works by Pfitzner, Max Reger, Franz Schmidt, Schubert, and Wolf. |