German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff overcame hurdles on his path to artistic prowess, including the effects of his mother's use of thalidomide during pregnancy. As a child, he lost himself in music: classical, but also blues and gospel. In 1988, his full-bodied timbre and technical control propelled him to success at a competition in Munich. This exposure launched an international career encompassing choral music and his staged operatic debut in 2003. His diverse body of work has grown to include the cantatas of Bach, the lieder of Schubert and Brahms and jazz standards he recorded alongside German trumpeter Till Brönner.