“Born in 1997 in Vienna, Dominik Wagner takes Bottesini’s tonal beauty, vocal and melodic attractiveness so passionately serious, and masters the required artistry with such breathtaking lightness, that one would like to think the double bass is the softest-sounding and most virtuosic string instrument.”
– Süddeutsche Zeitung
Dominik Wagner aims to liberate his instrument from its existence in the shadow of the cello, and present new facets of the double bass. He succeeds not only with an engaging stage presence, impressive virtuosity and vocal melodic delivery, but also with a tireless commitment to expanding the repertoire, whether through commissions or his own arrangements.
In just his mid-20s, Wagner is a scholarship recipient of the Anne- Sophie Mutter Foundation and an ECHO Klassik winner, 2022 he was furthermore awarded the Opus Klassik as Young Artist of the year. He is also a prize-winner in almost all double bass competitions, such as the Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Solo Competition, the ARD International Music Competition and the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition.
Dominik Wagner has already performed with renowned orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra or the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and in concert halls in Vienna (Musikverein and Konzerthaus), Berlin (Konzerthaus), Munich (Herkulessaal) and Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie), among others. He is associated with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra as a WKO Young Artist.
The 2021 season included the release of his first solo CD „Giovanni Bottesini – Revolution of Bass“ with Berlin Classics, performances of Georg Breinschmid’s Double Bass Concerto written for him with the Camerata Salzburg and the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, and several world premieres, including one by Wolfram Wagner at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
In the 2022/23 season, Dominik Wagner will be touring the USA twice: first with the Bradetich Foundation, where he will also play his debut recital in Carnegie Hall, and then with the ensemble Mutter’s Virtuosi via the Anne Sophie Mutter Foundation.
In addition to his solo activities, Dominik is a passionate chamber musician and is constantly searching for new timbres through new orchestrations. This has resulted in a duo with jazz double bassist Georg Breinschmid, as well as a clarinet trio with Vera Karner and Aurelia Visovan. With the latter he won, among others, the Fanny Mendelssohn-Förderpreis.
Dominik Wagner was initially trained as a cellist before switching to the double bass in 2007. His 4 years in the concert choir of the Vienna Boys Choir were a formative musical influence.
He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Prof. Josef Niederhammer and Mag. Werner Fleischmann from 2009 to 2015, and from 2015 to 2022 with Prof. Dorin Marc at the HfM Nuremberg. In addition, he regularly gives master classes in Europe and the USA, in institutions like the Juilliard School, The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and the UNT Texas.
Photo: Maria Frodl