ROBERT KÜNZLI (Merlin)

Robert Künzli studied in Toronto. He then became a member of the opera studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. Engagements in Mannheim, Essen and Stuttgart followed. Guest appearances took him to Carnegie Hall in New York for the title role in Schubert's Fierrabras, the Vienna State Opera as Alwa, the Staatsoper Berlin as Erik (The Flying Dutchman) and Fritz in Schreker's Der ferne Klang, as well as Karlsruhe, Bonn and Kassel as Lohengrin.

Robert Künzli has also appeared as a guest in major roles at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, the Berlin Konzerthaus, in the Stuttgart Ring, Dresden, Savonlinna, Karlsruhe, Munich, Kassel, Schwerin, Essen, Bonn, Ulm, with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, and at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier.

Bacchus for Radio France in Paris and Max in Der Freischütz at the Comic Opera in Berlin then followed, as well as roles in Der ferne Klang at the Staatsoper Berlin, Der Schatzgräber at the Frankfurt Opera, and Weill's Der Sibersee at the Budapest Festival under Ivan Fischer, his debut as the Emperor in Richard Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Theater Innsbruck, and concerts at the Staatsoper Hamburg.

In 2005 Robert Künzli debuted as Tannhäuser at the Leipzig Opera, sang Mime and Siegfried at the Canadian Opera in Toronto and in Max Bruch's Das Lied von der Glocke at the Berlin Konzerthaus, as well as Alwa at the Staatsoper Berlin, Max at the Comic Opera in Berlin, and in Mendelssohn's Lobgesang Symphony in Parma.

In 2006, Robert Künzli sang in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Milan, followed by the role of the Captain in Wozzeck at the Canadian Opera in Toronto, Florestan at the Leipzig Opera, Max at the Comic Opera in Berlin, Mime in the Toronto Ring, in Szymanowski's Third Symphony with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Alwa in Lulu and Fritz in Der ferne Klang in Seville.

In 2007 there followed the new production of Tannhäuser at the Staatsoper Hannover, Die Florentinische Tragödie in Montpellier, Fidelio in Erfurt, Der ferne Klang in New York, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Chicago, Luigi Dallapiccola's Il prigionero and Peter Grimes at the Staatsoper Hannover.

In 2008-09, he has been engaged to sing in Janácek's From the House of the Dead in Toronto, Max in Der Freischütz and Herrmann in Pique Dame at the Comic Opera in Berlin, Die Florentinische Tragödie in Seville, Heinz Werner Henze's Die Bassariden in Hanover, the role of Gregor in Janácek's The Makropoulos Case in Tokyo, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Madrid.

In the new Ring at the Staatsoper Hannover, Robert Künzli will sing the roles of Loge, Siegmund and both Siegfrieds - until 2011 - along with Tannhäuser and Tristan.