Paul Schweinester

Austrian tenor Paul Schweinester starts his 2019/20 season with the new production of Das Gespenst von Canterville at Volksoper Vienna. After that he sings the First Jew in the new production of Salome (Habjahn/Hussein) at Theater an der Wien. With Bavarian State Opera Munich he guests as Brighella in Strauss‘ Ariadne auf Naxos in Hongkong. In the new production of Beethoven‘s Fidelio he sings Jacquino with Kirill Petrenko conducting at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden as well as in concert performances of the opera at Philharmonie Berlin. In this very role he also appears in concert performances of Fidelio under the baton of Simone Young in Paris. Münchner Symphoniker have engaged Paul Schweinester for Orff‘s Carmina Burana.

In 2018/19 Paul Schweinester took over the role Gilles de Rais in the world premiere of Jeanne & Gilleswith the Sirene Operntheater Wien. Oper Köln engaged him for a new production of Das Weiße Rössl as Dr. Siedler. Rolando Villazon invited him for the  tenor roles in Bastien und Bastienne and in Der Schauspieldirektor at the Mozartwoche Salzburg, where he also sang in Mozart’s Waisenhaus-Messe. At Grafenegg Spring Festival he appeared in Bach’s Matthäus-Passion and returned Bregenzer Festspiele in Rigoletto and in Massenet’s Don Quichotte.

Paul Schweinester had a big success in the Role of Adam (Vogelhändler) at the Seefestspiele Mörbisch in summer 2017. Before that he returned to Theater an der Wien to sing for the first time a major role at this theatre in a new production – Toni Reischmann in Henze’s Elegie für junge Liebende. He was also heard at the Bachakademie Stuttgart and at Palace of Arts in Budapest to sing Haydn’s Schöpfungunder the baton of Adam Fischer. In summer 2018 he sang opposite to Rolando Villazon in concert performances of Mozart’s Zauberflöte at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

After his successful debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Paul Schweinester returned to London for the revival of Ariadne auf Naxos and was again guest at Salzburg Festival as Basilio in Nozze di Figaro. He made his debut at the Opéra National de Montpellier and returned to Bregenz Festival for the new production of Faccio's Amleto and Bastien und Bastienne. In Händel’s Susannah he could be heard at Wiener Musikverein and in Madrid.

In September 2014 he had his debut at Haydn Festival Eisenstadt singing Haydn’s Die Jahreszeiten. Afterwards he made his debut at Opéra National de Paris as Pedrillo in a new production of Entführung aus dem Serail with Philippe Jordan conducting as well as his debut in Zimmermann’s Soldaten at Teatro alla Scala Milano. Concerts and recitals brought him to NDR Hamburg, to Viennese Jeunesse Musicale, to Innsbruck and to the Festival Bogotá. In summer he appeared for the first time in a new production of Salzburg Festival 2015 singing Basilio in Nozze di Figaro under the baton of Dan Ettinger.

After his great personal success in the world premiere of the Cerha-opera Onkel Präsident at Munich's Prinzregententheater, Paul Schweinester sang as well the world premiere of Der Flaschengeist by Hiller in Munich. Previously, he made his debut with the Orchestre des Pays de la Loire in Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and returned to Vienna with selected Bach-Cantatas at the Wiener Konzerthaus. In June, the tenor made his debut as Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos under the direction of Antonio Pappano at Covent Garden London. Right after that, he was engaged to sing Pedrillo in concert performances of Die Entführung aus dem Serail next to Rolando Villazon and Diana Damrau, under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin and recorded by DG. Later in August he made his debut at Bregenzer Festspiele singing a concert performance of Der Schauspieldirektor.

Paul Schweinester was born in Innsbruck and became soprano soloist of the Wiltener Sängerknaben. In 2009 he graduated from the University of Music and performing Arts in Vienna with distinction and continued his studies at the Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia in Rome. As a member of the Young Singers Project at Salzburg Festival 2012 he had opportunity to work with conductors such as Daniele Gatti and Ingo Metzmacher. From 2009/10 to 2012/13 he was member of the ensemble at Wiener Volksoper.