Born in Montivideo, Uruguay in 1972  Erwin Schrott has already been acclaimed internationally as an important basso cantante and has appeared at many of the world's most prestigious operatic theaters such as the  Teatro alla Scala, Milan,Metropolitan Opera, Opera National de Paris, Washington Opera, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Hamburg State Opera, Theatre Royale de la Monnaie, Teatro Comunale,Firenze, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Los Angeles opera and many others. He has been hailed as one of the most exciting interpreters on the stage today and has been received special acclaim as Don Giovanni and Leporello in Don Giovanni and in the title role of Le nozze di Figaro. Erwin Schrott began the 2007/2008 season singing the title character in Le nozze di Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera.  He also performed  the title role of Don Giovanni at the Washington National Opera and with the Los Angeles Opera this season. Mr. Schrott will sing the same role in Seville, and perform the role of Pagano in I lombardi  in Naples.  He also makes his Salzburg Festival debut this summer as Leporello in Don Giovanni.   During the 2006/2007 season Erwin Schrott's engagements include Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Carmen at the Vienna State Opera.  He returned to Covent Garden in the title role of Don Giovanni, and appeared in the same role in Valencia's new opera house. He also returned to Teatro alla Scala as Don Giovanni. Engagements for future seasons include the title role in Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan and the role of Escamillo in Carmen at La Scala under Daniel Barenboim's direction. Schrott began his 2005/2006 season as Pagano in a new production of Verdi's I lombardi in Florence. Schrott returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Escamillo in Carmen and will also tour with the company to Japan where he appears as Don Giovanni  a role he also sang at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa and the Tetaro Regio in Turin. He also appeared as Figaro that season in David McVicar's louia new production of Le nozze di Figaro under Antonio Pappano at Covent Garden. Erwin  Schrott made his professional debut in Montivideo at age 22 as Roucher in Andrea Chenier,  after which he was invited to the Teatro Municipal in Santiago where he made his first appearances in several leading roles including Timur in Turandot, Colline in La bohème, Sparafucile in Rigoletto and  Ramfis in Aida.  In 1996, he received a scholarship for studies in Italy. He made his Italian stage debut in 1996 at the Teatro Regio de Torino in Boris Godunov. Schrott was catapulted to international attention in 1998 when he won the first prize of both the public and jury in the OPERALIA international competition sponsored and organzied by Placido Domingo. Significant international debuts followed in rapid succession. He debuted at the Teatro Lirico in Calgiari in La bohème followed by his debut at the Arena di Verona in Rigoletto and at the Washington Opera in L'elisir d'amore Schrott also performed Rossini's Stabat Mater with the Israel Philharmonic under Daniel Oren. In 1999 he bowed at the Vienna State and Nice Opera as Banquo in Macbeth, at the Opera National de Paris as Masetto in a new production of Don Giovanni and at the Teatro Comunale in Florence in Turandot. Schrott debuted at the Hamburg State Opera in 2000 in a new staging of La bohème, the year also of his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in the same work. Schrott made his first appearances at the Theatre Royale de La Monnaie in Brussels in 2001 in a new production of Macbeth under Antonio Pappano. He returned to the Bastille and to the  Metropolitan in La bohème and also was heard in two Bellini roles, appearing as Rodolfo in La sonnambula in Rio de Janeiro and as Giorgio in I puritani for his debut at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.. The same year Schrott also sang his first concerts of Verdi's Requiem at the Teatro Real in Madrid.  Schtott debuted at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 2002 as Colline and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Banquo. He also bowed at the 2002 Maggio Musicale Fiorentino as Narbal in the new production of Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens under Zubin Mehta. In the autumn of 2002 Erwin Schrott returned to Brussels for a new production of La Boheme under Pappano.  Other roles in his developing repertoire also include Mephistopheles in Faust, the title role in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and the Four Villains in Les contes d'Hoffmann. In September of 2003 Schrott appeared at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden debut as Leporello in Don Giovanni under Antonio Pappano. He was greeted with unanimous acclaim by both press and public. Following his London debut Schrott made his debut with the Teatro alla Scala in Milan appearing as the Pharaon in the new production of Rossini's Moïse et Pharaon under Riccardo Muti which inaugurated the 2003/2004 season. Schrott sang his first Figaro for the Los Angeles Opera in the spring of 2004.  In the spring of 2003 he sang his first performances of the title role of Don Giovanni with the Washington Opera and then appeared in the role in Los Angeles.  Escamillo in Carmen entered his repertoire at the Cincinnati Opera.   Last season Shchrott returned to Los Angeles in the same role. He starred in Don Giovanni under Zubin Mehta at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.