Robert Holl was born in Rotterdam, where he also studied with Jan Veth and David Hollestelle. In 1971 he won the First Prize at the “International Vocal Competition in “Hertogenbosch”, followed by studies with Hans Hotter in Munich. In 1972 he won the First Prize at the “International Music Competition of the German Broadcasting Association” (ARD) in Munich, which resulted in TV/Radio engagements and orchestral concerts. Between 1973 and 1975 he was a member of the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich.

After numerous years of concentrated concert singing Robert Holl has acquired a renewed interest in singing opera. He has appeared at the Staatsoper Wien, at the Brussels and the Zurich Opera as Sprecher and Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Amfortas (Parsifal), Gremin (Eugene Onegin - sung in Russian), Basilio (Il Barbiere Di Siviglia), Assur (Semiramide) and Alfonso (Cosi fan tutte - sung in Italian), La Roche (Capriccio), Wassermann (Rusalka - sung in Czech), Robert (Des Teufels Lustschloss) with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Franz Welser-Möst.

From 1999 to 2002 Robert Holl has appeared as Landgraf Hermann (Tannhäuser), Komtur (Don Giovanni), Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg) and Daland (Der Fliegende Holländer) at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. At the Wiener Staatsoper he was and will be heard in different productions of Wagner Operas as Landgraf Hermann (Tannhäuser), König Marke (Tristan Und Isolde - conductor: Christian Thielemann), and for the first time in April 2004 appeared as Gurnemanz (Parsifal - conductor: Donald Runnicles). In the 2005-06 season Robert Holl will again appear at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin as Hans Sachs and at the Hamburgische Staatsoper as König Marke.

He has consecutively appeared as Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg in Bayreuth from 1996 to 2002 with great success (conductors: Daniel Barenboim and Christian Thielemann). In summer 2004 he sang Gurnemanz in a new production of Parsifal in Bayreuth (conductor: Pierre Boulez).

For many years Robert Holl has been a much sought-after concert singer, which enabled him to acquire a wide range of concert repertoire. He has appeared with the most renowned conductors and orchestras in Europe, America and Japan.

Robert Holl is one of the most important Lieder singers of our time, having a particular preference for the German (especially Schubert) and Russian repertoire. He sings regularly with constant high acclaim in all the great music centers in Europe, Israel and the United States.

Robert Holl also appears regularly at the great international festivals in Europe; Svjatoslav Richter had invited him several times to perform in Moscow (Festival "December Nights") and at his festival in Tours, France.

His numerous musical activities also include masterclasses in Holland, Austria, Great Britain and Canada, radio and TV productions, many recordings with renowned conductors and Lieder-CDs (some with András Schiff and Oleg Maisenberg at the piano). Several of his own compositions (Lieder and piano pieces) have been published by Doblinger and are available on CD.

Robert Holl is artistic director of Schubertiads in Austria and Holland as well as artistic advisor of the "Poetry and Music" series in the Brahmssaal of the Vienna Musikverein.

In October 1990 Robert Holl was awarded the prestigious Austrian title of "Kammersänger", in March 1997 he was named an "Honourable Member" of the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien" and in July 1997 of the Festival "Carinthischer Sommer". In 1998 he became a Professor for Lied and Oratory at the "Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst" in Vienna.