Georg Festl

Ensemble: (Current) Staatstheater Darmstadt

Freelancer: Zurich Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Finnish National Opera Helsinki, Munich Opera Festival

The German bass-baritone Georg Festl has been a member of the solo ensemble at the Staatstheater Darmstadt since 2017. Noted for his affinity with contemporary and 20th-century repertoire, he has appeared in leading roles such as Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande), Tierbändiger/Athlet (Lulu), Orest (Elektra), Sam (Trouble in Tahiti), and the title role in Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise, for which he was nominated as “Young Artist of the Year” by the journal Opernwelt. Mr. Festl’s broader operatic repertoire includes Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore), Heerrufer (Lohengrin), Schaunard (La Bohème), and Frank (Die Fledermaus).

Mr. Festl has appeared as a guest artist at the Zurich Opera, the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki, the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, the Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Staatstheater Augsburg, the Staatstheater Würzburg, Theater Freiburg, Theater Lübeck, the Munich Opera Festival, and the Munich Gasteig.

In 2020, Mr. Festl’ collaborated with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on the recording of “When She Loved Me” for the Decca Records album Disney Goes Classical, which debuted at number one on the UK classical charts. He also maintains an active concert schedule, with a repertoire including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bach’s St. John Passion, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Petite Messe solennelle.

Mr. Festl received his musical training at the University of Music Würzburg. During his studies, he was awarded scholarships from the Richard Wagner Association and the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques programme in Montreal, performing in concerts supported by the Bavarian State and the Quebec government. Mr. Festl currently holds a teaching appointment at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.