Maximilian Schmitt discovered his passion for music as a member of the Regensburger Domspatzen. He studied voice with Prof. Anke Eggers at the Berlin University of the Arts and received further training with Roland Hermann; he currently works with Tobias Truniger. He gained his first stage experience at the Opera Studio of the Bavarian State Opera and was a member of the ensemble at the Nationaltheater Mannheim for four years, where he built a broad repertoire.
He attracted international attention in 2012 with his debut as Tamino at the Dutch National Opera under Marc Albrecht. This was followed by roles such as Idomeneo (Opéra du Rhin), Don Ottavio (Vienna State Opera), and Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at La Scala in Milan under Zubin Mehta. As Max in Weber’s Freischütz, he appeared at the Aalto Theater Essen, and as Erik in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer in Graz, Cologne, and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. In the 2023/24 season, he made his debut as Siegmund in Die Walküre with Concerto Köln under Kent Nagano. In 2025/26, he will reprise this role in concert performances in Wuppertal and on tour with Act I of Die Walküre alongside the SWR Symphony Orchestra under François-Xavier Roth.
Maximilian Schmitt is a regular guest on international concert stages. He has performed with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, The Cleveland Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic. He enjoys close collaborations with conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst, Kirill Petrenko, Teodor Currentzis, Daniel Harding, Manfred Honeck, Fabio Luisi, Philippe Herreweghe, Thomas Hengelbrock, and René Jacobs.
The 2025/26 season sees his role debut as Lohengrin in a major new production at the Staatsoper Hannover. He also performs Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Bucharest and Madrid, and Haydn’s The Creation in Trondheim and Gateshead. In Vienna, he will be heard in Franz Schmidt’s The Book with Seven Seals at the Konzerthaus under Fabio Luisi.
This season also highlights major oratorios and sacred works: Schmitt sings the Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in Amsterdam and Baden-Baden with the Concertgebouworkest, Mendelssohn’s Elijah in Lisbon, Mozart’s Requiem in Monte Carlo, and Beethoven’s Fidelio in concert at the Beethoven Festival in Warsaw. He also returns to The Book with Seven Seals with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under Manfred Honeck.
Lieder recitals remain a core part of his artistry. In Hanover, he performs Schubert’s Winterreise accompanied by Gerold Huber. As a duo, they have appeared at the Heidelberger Frühling, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Wigmore Hall, and the Cologne Philharmonie.
Maximilian Schmitt’s extensive discography includes the solo albums Träumend wandle ich bei Tag, Die schöne Müllerin, and Wie freundlich strahlt der Tag. He recorded Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under René Jacobs (harmonia mundi). An upcoming release features him as Siegmund in Die Walküre with Concerto Köln under Kent Nagano.
