Robert Oberaigner is one of the most distinguished young clarinettists of his generation. Born in Hall in Tirol, Austria, Oberaigner studied at the Tiroler Landeskonservatorium under Max Bauer, then at the Wiener Musikhochschule under Vienna Philharmonic clarinettists Horst Hajek and Johann Hindler; He completed his studies at the Musikhochschule Lübeck under Sabine Meyer.
Among other prizes he is a prizewinner of the ‘Musica Juventutis’ foundation at the Wiener Konzerthaus, performing there as a soloist for the first time at just 19. At 17, he was already deputising in concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera orchestra. In 2003 he took up the post of principal clarinet at the historic Gürzenich Orchester Köln, with whom he also performed frequently as a soloist. He is in demand as a guest at the Berlin Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian State Orchestra and the Super World Orchestra in Japan; he has regularly been invited to play concerts with the Salzburg Camerata for many years. In 2014 he was appointed principal clarinet at the Staatskapelle Dresden under their chief conductor, Christian Thielemann.
As a chamber musician, Robert Oberaigner has appeared at the Wiener Musikverein, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Salzburg Mozarteum and of course the Köln Philharmonie, where he has performed with musicians such as Leonidas Kavakos, Nils Mönkemeyer and Christian Gerhaher. He is also a regular guest at festivals such as the BBC Proms, the Lucerne Festival, the Salzburg Festival and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. In summer 2015 Oberaigner made his chamber music debut with other principals of the Staatskapelle Dresden, at Brigitte Fassbender’s Richard Strauss Festival in Garmisch. In Febrauary 2016 he made his debut as a soloist with the Staatskapelle Dresden, performing Aaron Copland’s clarinet concerto.
In addition to his commitments on the modern clarinet, Robert Oberaigner is deeply involved in historically-informed performance practice, having studied this in The Hague under Eric Hoprich. He plays in early music ensembles such as Les Musiciens du Louvre and Cappella Coloniensis, and gives masterclasses in early clarinet in Milan, Peking and Bruneck (South Tirol).
In summer 2016 Robert Oberaigner released his debut CD, Max Reger’s complete works for clarinet and piano, on the German label Dabringhaus & Grimm. His partner on the piano is pianist and organist Michael Schöch who won first prize at the ARD International Music Competition in 2011.