Bass-Baritone Martin Winkler was born in Bregenz, Austria. Martin studied voice at the University of Vienna with Walter Berry.

With his hugely successful debut as Klingsor in Wagner’s Parsifal 2011 in Tallinn Martin entered the Wagner opera world. Martin personified Klingsor in Calixto Beitos Production of Parsifal in Stuttgart in ²⁰¹²⁄₁₃ with Sylvain Cambreling, and had his debut as Alberich in Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Bayreuth Festival 2013, a new production staged by Frank Castorf and conducted by Kyrill Petrenko.

After this from presse and audience acclaimed debut he sang the Alberich at the George Enescu Festival in Bukaret where he will return in 2015 for the Wozzeck production.

As Klingsor for the new Parsifal in the production from Christof Loy at the Royal Operahouse Stockholm, Orest in Strauss’ Elektra in Warsaw, Graf Waldner at the Metropolitan Opera, the title role of Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma staged by Rolando Villazon and his Pizzaro Debut in Vienna he could show his versatile stage talent.

Martin’s debut for the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich in Alban Berg’s Lulu will be in May 2015 and his return as the fearsome Tierbändiger/Athlet in the forthcoming new production of Berg’s Lulu at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and again, one of his favorite roles – Alberich – at the Opera House in Nürnberg and the Wagner Festival in Budapest with Maestro Adam Fischer will also follow this year.

Futureplans include his debut with the Teatro Real in Madrid in Wagner’s Liebesverbot and as Lautsprecher in Kaiser von Atlantis as well as a new production at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden staged by Barrie Kosky, where Martin will sing the title role of Schostakowitsch’s The Nose.

In winter 2011 he had a performed successfully the title role in Lea Auerbachs Gogol (world premiere) at the Theater an der Wien. Martin’s title role debut in Le Grand Macabre by György Ligety at the Komische Oper Berlin turned out to be a milestone in staging of modern opera. Since then he sang Berg’s Wozzek in Graz, Eight songs for a mad King by Peter Maxwell Davis and Simone in Zemlinsky‘ s Florentine Tragedy in Lyon, Narr in Krenek’s Das Geheime Königreich (available on DVD), and sang the title roles in world premieres of operas by Lea Auerbach and Detlev Glanert. He sang in Rome and at La Monnaie, in Brussels and performed the Father in Hänsel und Gretel for the Prague State Opera. Martin gave his debut for Royal Opera of Covent Garden in David Pountney´s production of Carl Nielsen’s Maskarade.

Focusing on wild characters in contemporary music as well as classical buffo-roles, he joined the opera houses of Schleswig Holstein, the Staatstheater Schwerin and quickly progressed to the Komische Oper in Berlin, performing roles such as Don Magnifico in Rossini’s Cenerentola, Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia as well as the title role in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. Martin joined the Volksoper in Vienna in 2009, where he has since sung roles such as Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi , Dr. Bartolo in Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia and Frank in Strauß’ Die Fledermaus. The roles of Kaspar in Weber’s Der Freischütz and Kecal in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride also at the Volksoper have both helped Martin to international recognition.