Matti Salminen (bass) is one of the leading basses of our time.

Born in Finland, he began his studies in his home town Turku and continued at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and later in Italy and Germany.

He was engaged at the Cologne Opera House from 1972 to 1980. And since 1984 he has been a permanent member of the cast in Zurich and is committed to guest performances in Munich, Vienna, Helsinki, Berlin and Barcelona. Furthermore he regularly sings at all the world’s largest opera houses like the MET, La Scala and opera houses in Paris and Los Angeles. Matti Salminen took part in 151 performances in Savonlinna and in Bayreuth between 1976 and 1988.

His repertoire comprises not only major Wagner, Mozart and Verdi roles, but also such great and significant roles as Boris Godunov, Ivan Khovansky, Ivan Susanin to mention but a few. Last season saw him as Philip in Don Carlos in Zurich, Dresden and Salzburg, Daland in Der fliegende Hollander in Savonlinna and Zurich, King Marke in Tristan und Isolde in Nice, Gurnemanz in Parsifal in Cologne, Hagen in Gotterdammerung in Berlin and Paris.

Numerous CD, TV and DVD recordings document his artistic work.

In 2003 Matti Salminen received the titles of Österreichischer and Bayerischer Kammersänger. In 1995 he was given the title of Berliner Kammersänger. The singer has two Grammy prizes of 1992 and 1996, as well as Spanish Opera Prize in 2007 and Golden Medal awarded by the Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2010. He was honoured with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Commander of the White Rose of Finland in 2001.