Thorsten Büttner

Thorsten Büttner was born in the region of Stuttgart, Germany. His musical education already began as a five-year-old in the Stuttgart state‘s opera house’s children‘s chorus as a boy‘s soprano. There he soon has been taken as a soloist. Later he additionally worked with the opera singer Lil. Dahlin-Novak in Stuttgart. In that time he won in the Competition “Jugend musiziert”.

In 2000 he changed to the University Mozarteum Salzburg. There he has worked for four years with Boris Bakow and from 2004 until 2009 he studied with Lilian Sukis. Additionally he has worked from 2005 till 2009 Lied and Oratorio with Breda Zakotnik. Thorsten Büttner completed his First Study Section with distinction in June 2006. From the same time on he also was a scholarship holder of the “International Jehudi-Menuhin-Foundation”.

He already has worked in masterclasses amongst others with Ramón Vargas, Grace Bumbry or Torsten Kerl.

In April 2007 he was finalist in the International Vocal Competition of the Festival City Passau. Further on he was 2nd Price winner in the International Vocal Competition at “Schloß Laubach” near Frankfurt am Main.

Thorsten Büttner was member of the Young-Singers-Project at Salzburg Festival 2008, which has been directed by Barbara Bonney and Michael Schade. There he worked amongst others with Thomas Quasthoff and the Lied pianist Malcolm Martineau. Within this framework he sang as a soloist at the Orchestra Gala under the leadership of Maestro Ivor Bolton.

Thorsten Büttner graduated as the best of his vintage his vocal studies at the University Mozarteum Salzburg in 2009, he was awarded with the “Lilli-Lehmann-Medal”.

From 2008 to 2010 he was engaged as soloist at the “Vlaamse Opera” in Antwerp, Belgium. There he sang amongst other roles Andres in Wozzeck and Lensky in Eugen Onegin under the leadership of Dmitri Jurowski. He performs regularly in orchestra concerts and song recitals.

In 2010 Thorsten Büttner was awarded by the Gottlob-Frick-Assosiation Ölbronn-Dürrn with the “Gottlob-Frick-Medal”.

2011 he sang the role of Andres in Wozzeck under the leadership of Lawrence Foster at the Opéra Municipal Marseille and he sang as a guest the title role of Idomeneo at the University Mozarteum Salzburg.

2011 Thorsten Büttner made his debut in Germany with the same role at Staatstheater Mainz, where since May 2011 he is part of the house ensemble.

By the international magazine “Opernwelt” he has been nominated for the “Best upcoming singer” 2011.