A multi-instrumentalist and composer from Berlin. At the age of thirteen he sang as a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Seiji Ozawa. He studied violin and composition in Vienna.

His work as a composer includes soundtracks and theatrical music. In 2005 he won the Green Room Award Australia for best musical direction for his production of Boulevard Delirium at the Sydney Opera House, and in the same year he won the Frederic Mompou International Award for Young Composers.

Since 2006 he has also taught composition at the Liceu Conservatory. In 2008 he was musical director of Aloma, by Dagoll Dagom, at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya in Barcelona.

The film Blancanieves debuted at the Gran Teatre del Liceu with a live orchestra conducted by Gottwald, and he has also conducted symphony orchestras, including the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, the Basque National Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra.

As a musical soloist he has recorded a number of film soundtracks including Blancanieves, Zipi y Zape y la Isla del Capitán and Las niñas de cristal.