Michael Laurenz was born in Halle an der Saale and began his musical career as a trumpeter. During his studies, he played in the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, later performing with various ensembles, most recently as the First Trumpet with the Berliner Symphoniker. In 2006, he transitioned to singing. From 2008 to 2010, he was a member of the international opera studio at the Opernhaus Zürich, where he remained as an ensemble member for almost 10 years. From 2018 to 2020, he was part of the ensemble at the Wiener Staatsoper, with which he still maintains a close relationship as a freelance artist.

He opened the 2024/25 season as Spalanzani in Les contes d’Hoffmann at the Salzburger Festspiele, conducted by Marc Minkowski. This was followed by concert performances as Mime in Das Rheingold and Siegfried with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi. At the Wiener Staatsoper, he appeared as Bernardo Novagerio in Pfitzner’s Palestrina, conducted by Christian Thielemann, and as Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte at the Bayerische Staatsoper. The new year began for Michael Laurenz as Graf Villalobos Rodriguez in a new production of Johann Strauss’ Das Spitzentuch der Königin at the Theater an der Wien and as Mime in Das Rheingold at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. He will return to the Wiener Staatsoper as Matteo in Arabella under Christian Thielemann, as Mime in Das Rheingold and Siegfried under Philippe Jordan, and at the Theater Basel, where he will reprise his role as Loge in the revival of Das Rheingold.

In the 2022/23/24 seasons, Michael Laurenz performed at the Theater Basel as Loge in Das Rheingold. At the Wiener Staatsoper, he appeared as Petrilio in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail conducted by Cornelius Meister, as David in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under Philippe Jordan, and as Števa in Jenufa. He also sang the role of Petrilio at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan under the baton of Thomas Guggeis. In the United States, he made his debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fabio Luisi, in a concert performance of Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold and Siegfried.

Other past engagements have taken Michael Laurenz to major opera houses such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, the Staatsoper Hamburg, the Opéra National de Paris, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Theater an der Wien, the Wiener Staatsoper, as well as opera houses in Amsterdam, Geneva, Lyon, and Antwerp. At the Glyndebourne Festival, he appeared as Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, and made his debut at the Bregenzer Festspiele in Weinberg’s opera Das Porträt, where he also performed as Erich (world premiere of HK Gruber’s Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald), Orsino (Goldschmidt’s Beatrice Cenci), and Goro (Madama Butterfly). He made his debut at the Salzburger Festspiele in 2012 in Ariadne auf Naxos and returned in subsequent years as Josef K. in Der Prozess, Aegisth in Elektra conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, Cauchon in Jeanne d’Arc under Manfred Honeck, in a Schubertiade with Cecilia Bartoli, and as Spalanzani in Les contes d’Hoffmann.

His repertoire includes significant roles such as David (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Loge (Das Rheingold), Mime (Das Rheingold, Siegfried), Tanzmeister (Ariadne auf Naxos), Aegisth (Elektra), Alfred (Die Fledermaus), der Narr (Der Schatzgräber), Števa (Jenufa), Wenzel (Die verkaufte Braut), Graf Lummer (Intermezzo), and Josef K. (Der Prozess).