Stefan Gottfried was born in Vienna and started his musical career at the age of six with piano lessons with Leonore Aumaier. He continued his studies on the piano and French horn at the Vienna Conservatory; later he studied piano with Michael Hruby, harpsichord with Gordon Murray, composition and musical education at the University of Music in Vienna. For his studies in counterpoint and period keyboard instruments he went to the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland (Jesper Christensen).
He works as soloist and continuo player with several baroque ensembles and modern orchestras. Since 2004 Stefan Gottfried has worked regularly with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, among others in the opera productions “Le nozze di Figaro” at the Salzburg Festival, and “The Rake’s Progress” at the Theater an der Wien.
Since 2000 Gottfried has been teaching at the University of Music in Vienna.