The Upper Austria native and St. Florianer boys choir alumnus Klemens Sander studied vocal performance at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Helena Lazarska and Robert Holl.
His broad career led him to the Vienna Volksoper and Theater an der Wien, the New National Theatre in Tokyo, Luxembourg’s Grand Theatre, the Opéra de Dijon, the Operas in Limoges, Caen, Chemnitz and Leipzig as well as Neue Oper Wien and the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, singing lead roles including Onegin, Papageno, Don Giovanni, Belcore, Silvio, Marcello, Graf Almaviva, Harlekin, Falke, Orest,Donner and Escamillo. Recently Klemens Sander appeared as Papageno in Romeo Castellucci’s internationally acclaimed reinterpretation of Mozart’s Magic Flute at the Opéra de Lille.
Quickly establishing himself as well in the world of modern opera, Klemens appeared at the Neue Oper Wien in the role of Sokrates in Krenek’s Pallas Athene Weint. His arresting performance in the title role premiering Manfred Trojahn’s Orest was enthusiastically received. At the Carinthische Sommer, he sang the world premiere of Johannes Kalitzke’s opera Jeanne d’Arc.
In addition, the baritone is a frequent guest and recitalist in halls and festivals including the Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, the Salzburger Festspiele, the Grafenegg Festival, the Chamber Music Festival in Lockenhaus, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Oxford Lieder Festival, the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the St. Peterburg Philharmonie, Beethovenfest in Warsaw, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Wiener Festwochen, London’s Wigmore Hall and at the Philharmonie in both Berlin and Paris.
Sander has collaborated with conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Kent Nagano, Christophe Rousset, H.K. Gruber, Jérémie Rhorer, René Jacobs, Helmuth Rilling, Bertrand de Billy, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Stefan Vladar, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Benjamin Haemhouts, Thomas Dausgaard and Georges Prêtre.
As a winner of the Richard Tauber Prize (Wigmore Hall London) as well as of the International Schumann Competition Zwickau and the International Singing Competition S’Hertogenbosch, he has received many awards for his dedicated approach to lieder singing.
In 2013, Klemens put out his first solo album, featuring Schubert‘s Schwanengesang with pianist Justus Zeyen. His next CD of the Schubert cycle Die schöne Müllerin received the Supersonic Award and was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards. His recent album, Das Lyrische Intermezzo, a co-production with celebrated actor Cornelius Obonya was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards and furthermore awarded the Bank Austria Kunstpreis. His discography also includes Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Beethoven’s IX. Symphony, the Fauré Requiem, Judas Maccabaeus by Handel and the Verdi Requiem as well as the Bach’s cantata Ich habe genug.
Recent engagements include a tour with the Camerata Salzburg to Colombia, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the Vienna Musikverein, Beethoven’s IX. Symphony at the Antwerp Spring Festival and at the Carinthische Sommer, the world premiere of Manuela Kerer’s new opera Toteis in Bolzano and Vienna as well as various recitals, e.g. at the Stefaniensaal Graz, National Theater Maribor and at the Oxford Lieder Festival.
Parallel to his performance career, Klemens Sander is a sought-after voice teacher, juror at international competitions and lecturer for master classes (e.g. New England Conservatory Boston, University of Cartagena/ Colombia). After commitments as a voice lecturer at the Vienna University of Music and as a professor at the Dresden University of Music, Klemens Sander has been appointed professor at the vocal faculty of the Detmold University of Music from 2022.