Biography

Lukas Kargl was born in Styria, Austria, into a large, musical family and spent his early years in the mountainous region of Gaal, Styria,

 As a child he took lessons in piano, and gained a strong foundation in musicianship from his father, Otto Kargl, singing with his chorus ‘cappella nova Graz’ and at the Cathedral of St. Pölten where he continues to hold the post of Domkapellmeister. Lukas attended the St. Pölten Conservatoire of Church Music before studying at the Vienna University for Music and Performing Arts with Leopold Spitzer and Charles Spencer. Lukas took part in masterclasses with Helena Lazarska and Kurt Widmer and appeared at Schönbrunn’s Palace Theatre as Badger/Priest in Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen; and as Lorenzo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Bellini). In 2005 he made his debut at the Wiener Musikverein as Sam in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti (conducted by Denis O’Sullivan), and Polyphonus in Richard Strauss’ The Donkey’s Shadow (conducted by Ernst Kovacic) at the Brucknerhaus Linz.

 In the summer of 2005, he sang in the chorus at the world-renowned Bayreuth Festival.

 Lukas moved to London in September 2005 to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Rudolf Piernay. While at the GSMD he took masterclasses with Helmut Deutsch, Graham Johnson, Martin Katz, Emma Kirkby and John Tomlinson. In 2006 Lukas gained his MMus with Distinction, and with the invaluable support of scholarships from the Leverhulme Foundation and the John Lyon’s Charity, he continued his studies on the GSMD Opera Course. Between 2006 and 2008, Lukas sang the role of The Count in Richard Strauss’ Capriccio, Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Bobinet in Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne and Don Parmenione in Rossini’s L’occasione fa il ladro.

 Lukas is the recipient of the coveted Youngsters of Arts Prize, St. Pölten (2005) and was awarded the Patrick Libby Prize while at the GSMD. In 2007, Lukas was selected for Graham Johnson’s Young Songmakers’ Almanac, leading to performances at St John’s Smith Square and the Bolivar Hall in London. An invitation followed to record a selection of Schumann’s vocal chamber pieces, accompanied by Graham Johnson, on the Hyperion label. It was reviewed by Classic FM Magazine as a ‘wonderful disc [that] feels like an intimate salon performance by a group of close friends … [with] ensemble fun from all the singers …’ 

 Since graduating, Lukas has appeared across the UK and Europe on concert platforms and in opera houses alike. His debut performance at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, singing the role of Phoebus (Purcell, The Fairy Queen) under William Christie with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, was recorded live for radio, TV and cinema screenings. The DVD has been awarded a Gramophone Award. 

 Other highlights include singing Mozart’s Don Giovanni at L’Opera Fabrique Grenoble, Escamillo (Carmen) for Le concert de poche and Polyphemus (Handel, Acis and Galatea) for New European Opera in France. He has also recently performed Guglielmo (Così fan Tutte) at Clonter Opera, UK, and both Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus) and Herr Fluth (Nicolai, Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor) at Schlossfestspiele Zwingenberg in Germany. He returns in Summer 2014 to sing the title role in Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmerman.

 As a Samling Artist and a Britten-Pears Artist, Lukas has had masterclasses with Sir Thomas Allen, Gerold Huber and Christian Gerhaher to name but a few. In 2008, he sang Mozart’s Requiem in The Aldeburgh Easter Festival. Other recent concerts include those at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Cadogan Hall, the Barbican Hall and St John’s Smith Square; the Oxford Lieder Festival and the Chelsea Schubert Festival.

 Lukas has appeared widely on the continent, in such prestigious venues as the Berliner Philharmonie and the Orlandosaal in Munich, Abbaye de Fontevraud in France, and the Skupina Festival in Slovenia. More recently, Lukas made his Aix-en-Provence debut with Café Zimmerman, singing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Grand Theatre.

 Lukas maintains strong musical ties with Austria, returning several times a year for concerts, including in St. Pölten’s Festival Musica Sacra, the Seckauer Kulturwoche and at the Brucknerhaus Linz, many of which are broadcast live on national radio and television, and recorded for Austrian Radio Ö1. Regular engagements also include operas for Schlossfestspiele Zwingenberg, Germany, and for New European Opera productions in France. He has also appeared at the Orlandosaal in Munich, the Mozartwochen in Bratislava (Slovakia), and the Skupina Festival in Brezice (Slovenia).

Lukas Kargl is now based in Twickenham, London.

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