Michael Renier was born in South Africa.

After school he spent a few years at Medical School in Pretoria, before deciding to take his singing seriously. He left for London where he attained various scholarships to complete his Diploma Opera at the London Opera Centre.

After his debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Sadlers Wells Theatre in London, he sang for the English National Opera (Rodolfo in La Bohème, Turridu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Eisslinger in Die Meistersinger, and 4th Jew in Salome.) He was about to sing the Italian Tenor in Rosenkavalier when work permit problems (Being a South African in the 1970's) forced him to seek contracts on the Continent . He took up his first German contract in Ulm (Donau). He returned to South Africa in 1975 to sing in a major Musical, The Great Waltz and Die Fledermaus (Alfred) which was broadcast live on radio. Returning to Europe, he has since sung in more than 30 Opera Companies World Wide (Germany, England, Holland, Switzerland, South Africa, Japan, The Czech Republic) and has a repertoire of more than 70 Tenor lead roles, which include a handful of Operetta roles. The last 7 years he has been adding the more Dramatic Italian Roles to his repertoire:

 

Andrea Chenier in Andrea Chenier
Calaf in Turandot
Don Jose in Carmen 
Radames in Aida
Manrico in Il Trovatore
Florestan in Fidelio

Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos

Otello in Otello (his all time favourite and a role he has sung more than 65 times now and which was broadcast live on National TV in the Czech Republic and Southern Germany. Otello then went on to win the prestigious Prague Opera Festival as Best Opera 2001.)

Michael Renier’s repertoire includes most of the Italian Tenor Opera Roles. He won the Nederburg Prize for Opera for Rodolfo in La Bohème in South Africa in 1983.

Michael's Concert Repertoire has grown to a vast repertoire of Tenor Evergreens, Neapolitan Songs, and the well-known songs of all the great tenors of the past (Mario Lanza, Richard Tauber, Beniamino Gigli, Richard Crooks, John McCormack, Rudolf Schock, Fritz Wunderlich etc.)

A new CD is to be released soon which he recently recorded in South Africa.

He spends his time commuting from his home in England and flats he keeps in Germany, South Africa and the Czech Republic to the various contracts all over the world of opera and concerts.