„(...) Michael Borth as Count Almaviva on the other hand is a gentleman in a pink suit. Even in his revenge aria (Vedrò, mentr’io sosprio) his strong and agile baritone voice maintains balanced.” Südkurier

BIO

Michael Borth is a critically acclaimed German baritone with a wealth of experience and a large repertoire. His appearances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Opéra national du Rhin, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Basel Theatre, the Rossini Festival in Pesaro and in major international concert halls with his unique repertoire have made him one of the most fascinating singers in his field.

Highlights of recent seasons include appearances in Benedikt von Peter's new production of Wagner's Das Rheingold at Theater Basel, as Nick Shadow in Eva-Maria Höckmayr's production of The Rake's Progress and as Macheath in Weill's Dreigroschenoper at Theater Freiburg, as well as his role and house debut as Joseph de Rocher in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking at Landestheater Detmold. In December 2022, Michael Borth made his successful debut as Papageno in Mozart's Magic Flute at the Opéra national du Rhin Strasbourg and successfully toured Japan with Handel's Silla under the baton of Fabio Biondi with Europa Galante. His Mark Rutland in Nico Muhly's opera Marnie was highly praised by critics and earned him a nomination in the ‘Singer of the Year’ category in the 2023 Critics' Choice Awards of the trade magazine Opernwelt. In November 2021, Michael made his debut as Platon Kuzmich Kovalev at Theater Basel in Herbert Fritsch's new production of Shostakovich's political satire The Nose. He also sang the title role in Peter Maxwell Davies' Mr Emmet Takes A Walk, also directed by Herbert Fritsch. At the Freiburg Theatre, he sang the leading role of Erasmus of Rotterdam in the world premiere of Fabrice Bollon's opera The Folly and made his debut as Lescaut in Massenet's Manon and as the Forester in Janaček's The Cunning Little Vixen. A studio recording of the latter with SWR was nominated for the Golden Gramophone. In 2019, he made his successful house debut at the Komische Oper Berlin as Schaunard in La Bohème under the direction of Barrie Kosky.

Michael Borth studied in Weimar with Siegfried Gohritz and in Berlin at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music with KS Roman Trekel. This was followed by two years in Valencia as a member of the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo. Michael's roles in Valencia included his debut as Albert in Massenet's Werther and as Benoît in La Bohème, as well as Il Dio in Handel's Silla, conducted by the famous baroque specialist Fabio Biondi. He received important technical and artistic impulses from Thomas Quasthoff, Gregory Kunde, Plácido Domingo, Ann Murray, Juan Diego Florez, Chris Merritt, Aris Argiris and Manuela Custer.

In recent years, he has performed with a number of important conductors such as Roberto Abbado, Emmanuel Villaume, Daniel Cohen, Josep Pons, Jordan de Souza, Jonathan Nott and André de Ridder.  From 2018 to 2023, Michael Borth was part of the ensemble of the Freiburg Theatre, where he made his debut in many of the most prestigious baritone roles: Onegin and Don Giovanni, followed by Conte Almaviva in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. His beautiful warm voice with radiant colours and his strong stage presence impressed and won over audiences and critics alike. He has also appeared as Dr Falke in Die Fledermaus and in a rarely performed opera by Erich Korngold, Der Ring des Polykrates. Opernglas wrote about the latter in February 2020: ‘Michael Borth as Peter Vogel is a lot of fun with his comedic appearance and his powerful, clear baritone voice (...)’. The critics also attested that Michael ‘covers all conceivable and inconceivable moods that one can imagine in a Mr Emmet with a supple baritone with great tessitura.

In September 2024, Michael Borth sang the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Palermo Classica Festival. In summer 2020, he also returned to the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro to sing the role of Il Barone di Trombonok in Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims, following his successful participation in the Accademia Rossiniana Alberto Zedda in Pesaro in 2017. Previous international engagements have taken him to the Teatro Massimo Palermo (Starveling in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream) and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona (Sergeant in Manon Lescaut), where he returned in the 2019/20 season as the Mandarin in Puccini's Turandot (broadcast live on ARTE TV).

In late spring 2025, the Theater Basel will present Richard Wagner's Ring cycle twice, in which Michael will be seen as Donner in Das Rheingold.

“A dreamcast is Onegin sung by Michael Borth, that not only has a powerful baritone voice, but also knows how to use it in many differentiated ways.”

Siegfrid Schibli/ Basler Zeitung