The German tenor Michael Gniffke first embarked on a business management career before he trained as a classical singer in Zurich with his father, the opera singer Rudolf A. Hartmann. Studies with Alfred Muff, Stefan Haselhoff Robert Schunk and Gudrun Bär followed.

In 2018 Michael Gniffke made his house debut at the Bayreuth Festival as 1st Nobleman of Brabant in "Lohengrin". With this role he will appear in Bayreuth until 2021. In addition, he also sang the role of Kunz Vogelsang in "Die Meistersinger" as an opera for children in Bayreuth.

In 2019/20 he returned to the Staatstheater Kassel for a part-time contract. At the Lübeck Theater he could be experienced once again as the Witch in "Hansel and Gretel". Furthermore, he returned to the Opéra de Dijon for the world premiere of Brice Pauset's opera "Les Châtiments" (director: David Lescot, conductor: Emilio Pomárico), this time in the roles of the Father, Mr Samsa and the Traveller, which were composed especially for his voice. In 2021 he will appear in Dijon as Vitek in "Věc Makropulos".

An extensive concert activity rounds off his musical engagement, which includes the "Requiem" by Andrew Lloyd-Webber, "Le Laudi" by Herman Suter and the "Requiem" by Verdi as highlights of his concert career.