Paul Schweinester, tenor
The young Austrian tenor Paul Schweinester was born and brought up in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, and had his first musical education and performing experience as a soprano soloist of the Wilten boys' Choir. In 2009, he received his voice diploma with distinction from the University for „Music and Performing Arts" in Vienna. Since then he continues his studies for "Lied and Oratorio" with professor David Lutz, and has continued vocal coaching with prof. Karlheinz Hanser, at the University of Music in Vienna.
During his stuides, an exchange programme took him to the "Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia" in Rome for 6 months and gave him a lot of new artistic insights together with Master Classes with Robert Holl, Franzisco Araiza, Brigitte Fassbaender and Gerhard Kahry.
The young tenor made his first professional stage appearances in 2007 in the role of the 3rd Esquire in Richard Wagner's "Parsifal" at the Tyrolean Festival in Erl under the baton of Gustav Kuhn and as Dr. Blind in "The Bat" at the Festival "Operettensommer Kufstein" directed by Helmuth Lohner. In 2008, he recorded a CD with a song cycle by Erich W. Korngold for the Jewish Museum of Vienna which was presented in a concert at Vienna Musikverein. That same year, he sang Prince Yamadori in the Indian first performance of Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" under the baton of Johannes Wildner in Mumbai. He then performed the role of Romeo in an opera by G.A. Benda, partly adapted and completed with some new compositions the composer Ulrich Krah. This production was performed in the framework of the Vienna Festival at the Theatre Schauspielhaus in Vienna.
In 2009, Paul Schweinester sang Don Ottavio in Mozart's "Don Giovanni" again in a production of the Vienna Music University, at the "Schlosstheater Schönbrunn", Alfred in Johann Strauss' "The Bat" at the Hartberg Castle (Austria) as well as Lechmere in Britten's opera "Owen Wingrave" at the Vienna Chamber Opera. In 2010, Martin Haselböck and the Orchestra "Wiener Akademie" enaged him as Damon in Haendel's "Acis and Galatea" in the festival Reinsberg (Austria).
Since 2009/10, Paul Schweinester has been a member of the Vienna Volksoper where he sings roles like Junker Spärlich (Slender) in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by O. Nicolai, the Ballad-Seller in Puccini's "Il Tabarro" or Pedrillo in "The Abduction from the Seraglio".
Besides his opera activities, the young tenor devotes great interest to the Lied and oratorio: In 2010, on the occasion of Schumann's 200th birthday, he gave a recital at the Innsbruck Conservatory, accompanied by Annette Seiler at the fortepiano; A recital with "Dichterliebe" by Robert Schumann and baroque arias with the ensemble "La Clelia" took him to the Vienna Konzerthaus; in 2011 he returned to Innsbruck with songs by Josef Netzer for tenor, baritone, horn and piano which will also be released on CD.
For 2011, Paul Schweinester was invited to be the tenor soloist for two concerts with Bach cantatas at the Mozart Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus under the baton of Luca Pianca. Due to the success of the first concert, he was immediately re-invited, this time to sing the Evangelist in Bach's Christmas oratorio at the Big Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus, again under the baton of Luca Pianca. Paul Schweinester will also sing the role of Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni in summer 2011 in the festival at the Rossauer Kaserne in Vienna, as well as a recital in New York, upon invitation of the Austrian Cultural Forum.