Markus Gotthardt studied in Dortmund and Zurich with Richard Braun, Eckart Heiligers and Irwin Gage. He majored in piano education, lied interpretation and solo piano. Markus won scholarships of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Richard-Wagner-Stipendienstiftung and of the Westfälische Förderakademie für bildende Kunst und Musik Ruhr-Lippe.
Markus was one of the finalists of the renowned lied competition "Schubert and the music of modernity" (Graz) and started a career as lied pianist, chamber musician and soloist. Since then he has been seen in performance at the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Komische Oper in Berlin, the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and the Schumann-Haus in Leipzig. He also gave lied recitals at the Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, the Biennale Bern, the Bonner Schumannfest "Endenicher Herbst", the Leipziger Schumann-Festwochen, the festival "voices" and the festivals "Dalheimer Sommer" and "MM:99", during which his performances were recorded by NDR television, Swiss Radio DRS and Deutschlandradio Kultur. Among his Duo partners are Sabine Ritterbusch, Cornelia Salje, Leonore von Falkenhausen, Markus Köhler, Sebastian Pilgrim and Rainer Weiss.
Since 2005 Markus Gotthardt has been teaching repetition at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, additionally he was official accompanist at the ARD-Music Competition and at the Detmolder Sommerakademie. He also accompanied Masterclasses by Julia Hamari (Stuttgart), Berthold Schmid (Leipzig), Kathrin Graf (Zurich) and at the Bundeskongress of the BDG. In addition he gives Masterclasses and workshops in lied interpretation.
Recently Markus made a recording of Mahlers "Kindertotenlieder" together with baritone Rainer Weiss and a CD with folk song arrangements by Mozart, Schubert and Brahms.