The tenor Ferdinand von Bothmer was born in Munich. He first studied music theatre direction, completing his vocal training at the Vienna Musikhochschule. He was particularly influenced by Charles Spencer, Nicolai Gedda, Michael Pabst and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.

Since 1999 he has been a member of the ensemble at the Vienna Volksoper, where he sang Tamino, Don Ottavio, the Marquis de Châteauneuf in Zar und Zimmermann, Edwin in Die Csárdásfürstin, Graf Zedlau in Wiener Blut, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Symon in Der Bettelstudent, Tito in La clemenza di Tito and Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, among other rôles. He made a guest appearance as Tamino at the Zurich Opera, as Jaquino on the invitation of Plácido Domingo at Washington Opera and at La Scala, Milan, under the direction of Riccardo Muti. In 2004 he made a guest appearance at the Opéra de Nancy as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. Invited to the Accademia Rossiniana in Pesaro he sang Cavaliere Belfiore in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims. At the Ludwigsburg Festival he sang in the Requiem of Berlioz, and made guest appearances as Chateauneuf in Zar und Zimmermann at the German Oper am Rhein and at the Hamburg State Opera, and on the invitation of Alberto Zedda as Don Ottavio at the La Coruña Mozart Festival. Other rôles include that of Idomeneo in Mozart’s opera in Wiesbaden and a number of times at the Vienna Volksoper. In 2005 he made his début at the Salzburg Festival in Schumann’s Manfred under Ivor Bolton. 2007 brought the title rôle of Rossini’s Otello at Pesaro.

He also has a wide concert repertoire and has presented recitals in Germany of Lieder by Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, Liszt, Rachmaninov and Richard Strauss.