Robert Oberaigner was born on 14 November 1980 in Hall, Tyrol (Austria). He began his musical training at the Tyrolean State Conservatory before commencing his studies in 1996 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in the concert performance class of Prof. Horst Hajek and Johann Hindler. From 2005 to 2008, he continued his studies with Prof. Sabine Meyer at the Lübeck University of Music, where he received significant artistic inspiration. In addition, he devoted himself to early music at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague under Eric Hoeprich.
Robert Oberaigner made a name for himself at a young age as a prize-winner in numerous competitions. He won first prize at the “Prima la musica” competition both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. He was also awarded the “Musica Juventutis” Prize by the Vienna Konzerthaus Society, which enabled him to make his debut at the Vienna Konzerthaus at the age of 19.
From 2003 to 2012, Robert Oberaigner was principal clarinettist with the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, where he performed as a soloist in works including Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto” and Richard Strauss’s “Duett-Concertino”. Since 2013, he has been principal clarinettist with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under Christian Thielemann. In this role, he has performed as a soloist with conductors such as Antonio Méndez, Petr Popelka, Dmitri Jurowski and Ton Koopman, performing works by Copland, Mozart, Hartmann and Fontanelli, amongst others.
As the initiator of the “kapelle 21” concert series, Robert Oberaigner is deeply committed to contemporary music. Within this framework, he has collaborated with leading composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Aribert Reimann, Arvo Pärt and Péter Eötvös.
Oberaigner is also active in the field of historical performance practice. He performs regularly with ensembles such as “Les Musiciens du Louvre”, “Capella Coloniensis”, the Dresden Festival Orchestra and Concerto Köln. Furthermore, he is a member of the ensemble “Past Forward” and performs regularly with the Mahler Academy Orchestra under Philipp von Steinaecker, which is dedicated to the historically informed performance of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies. His extensive collection of historical clarinets comprises over 50 instruments and reflects his deep interest in the development of his instrument.
Robert Oberaigner’s concert career has taken him to renowned venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Vienna Musikverein, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Rudolfinum in Prague. He has performed with renowned artists such as Christian Gerhaher, Nils Mönkemeyer and Sol Gabetta, and has appeared regularly as a guest with leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Camerata Salzburg and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra.
Since 2016, Robert Oberaigner has been under an exclusive contract with the MDG label. His recordings include works by Max Reger and Johannes Brahms, amongst others. In 2019, the first recording of the complete works for clarinet by Mieczysław Weinberg was released on the Naxos label in collaboration with Mikhail Jurowski.
In 2024, Robert Oberaigner was appointed professor at the Tyrolean State Conservatory and at the Mozarteum Salzburg (Innsbruck). Since April 2026, he has held a visiting professorship in clarinet at the Rostock University of Music and Drama.
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