Dominik Wagner aims to liberate his instrument from the shadowy existence of the cello and present new facets of the double bass. He succeeds not only with engaging stage presence, impressive virtuosity and vocal melodic delivery, but also with a tireless commitment to expanding the repertoire, whether through composition commissions or his own arrangements.
At just in his mid-20s, Wagner is a scholarship recipient of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation and an ECHO Klassik winner, and in 2022 he was also awarded the Opus Klassik as a young artist. He is also a prize-winner in almost all double bass competitions, such as the Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Solo Competition, as well as the ARD International Music Competition and the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition, among others.
Dominik Wagner has already performed with renowned orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra as well as the German Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Bremen and in concert halls in, among others, Vienna (Musikverein and Konzerthaus), Berlin (Konzerthaus), Munich (Herkulessaal) and Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie). He is associated with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra as a Young Artist.
In 2021, Wagner’s first solo CD Giovanni Bottesini – Revolution of Bass was released by Berlin Classics. Also on the schedule were performances of Georg Breinschmid’s Double Bass Concerto, written for him, with the Camerata Salzburg and the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, as well as several world premieres, including one by Wolfram Wagner at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
In the 22/23 season Dominik Wagner will tour the USA twice: once through the Bradetich Foundation – in this context he will also play his debut recital at Carnegie Hall – and once together with the ensemble Mutters Virtuosi through the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.
In addition to his solo activities, Dominik is a passionate chamber musician, constantly seeking new timbres through new instrumentation constellations. This has resulted in a duo with jazz double bassist Georg Breinschmid and 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. A formative musical influence was left by his 4 years in the concert choir of the Vienna Boys’ Choir. From 2009 to 2015 he had lessons at the Vienna Music University with Prof. Josef Niederhammer and Mag. Werner Fleischmann, since 2015 with Prof. Dorin Marc at the HfM Nuremberg. In addition, he already gives regular master classes in Europe and the USA.
