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A phenomenal voice and talent in the tradition of great Italian tenor voices, British-Italian Freddie De Tommaso shot to prominence when he won the First Prize, the Placido Domingo Tenor Prize and the Verdi Prize at the 2018 Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona. In December 2021, he made the news again when he jumped in as Cavaradossi in Royal Opera’s production of Tosca thus becoming the youngest ever tenor to perform the role on the iconic stage and the first Brit since 1963. De Tommaso, who was due to perform the role at a later date took to the stage after the first interval when the tenor originally scheduled became unwell during the first of the three acts, prompting the press to unanimously declare that a new star was born.
An exclusive artist with Decca Classics and the first tenor to be signed to the label since Jonas Kaufmann, his debut album Passione debuted at number 1 in the classical charts and recently won the BBC Music Magazine Award for Best Newcomer. In June 2022 his second album Il Tenore shot again straight to number 1 in the charts upon its release, whilst his rendition of Nessun Dorma, featured on the album, reached over one million streams.
The current season sees him continuing his meteoric rise with a series of exciting appearances: at Royal Opera House as Rodolfo La bohème and a return to the role of Cavaradossi; at Teatro alla Scala in Milan as Rodolfo La bohème; at Wiener Staatsoper as Macduff Macbeth; his US debut as Cavaradossi at Santa Fe Opera; at the Arena di Verona as Don José Carmen; at Staatsoper under den Linden in Berlin as the Italian Tenor Der Rosenkavalier and Alfredo La Traviata; and at the Dutch National Opera with a staged production of Verdi Requiem. On the concert platform his appearances include an open air concert Opera for All in Munich alongside Sonya Yoncheva; the New Year’s Eve Concert at Teatro La Fenice in Venice; Tosca and Verdi’s Requiem at the Bergen International Festival and with the Orchestre National de Lyon; an opera gala concert at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples; recitals at the Festival Castell Peralada; the opening concert of the Kissinger Sommer Festival and a return to Verbier Festival.
Last season, De Tommaso made important company and role debuts at Teatro alla Scala as Maurizio in David McVicar’s production of Adriana Lecouvreur; at the Wiener Staatsoper as Don José Carmen; at the Bolshoi Theatre as Cavaradossi Tosca; at Semperoper Dresden as Pinkerton in a new production of Madama Butterfly, a role he also reprised at the Royal Opera House together with the much coveted Cavaradossi in Tosca; and at Arena di Verona as Alfredo La Traviata. He also returned to Bayerische Staatsoper to sing Macduff Macbeth, a role he also performed at Wiener Staatsoper; and jumped in as Italian Tenor Der Rosenkavalier, thus making his debut with Staatsoper under den Linden in Berlin. His concert highlights included Verdi Requiem at Teatro di Massimo di Palermo; Riccardo Un Ballo in Maschera at the Verbier Festival; an opera gala recital together with Lise Davidsen at the Barbican and in concert in Oslo; as well as a solo recital in Sisteron, France.
Bogdan Volkov studied singing at the Glier Kiev Institute of Music. In 2013 he completed his vocal studies graduating at Tchaikovsky Kiev National Academy of Music. In 2013-15 was a member of the Young Artists Program of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. During this period Bogdan made his role debuts as Simpleton in «Boris Godunov» by M. Mussorgsky, as Mozart in «Mozart and Salieri» by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, as Kai in «The story of Kai and Gerda» by S. Banevich and as Vladimir Igorevich in «Prince Igor» by A. Borodin and others. In February 2014 he debuted in the new production of «The Tsar’s Bride» by N. Rimsky-Korsakov as Lykov, conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky. With this role he took part in the Bolshoi Theatre tours to Austria, Hong Kong Arts Festival and Lincoln Centre Festival. In 2015 he was awarded the 1st prize and audience sympathy prize at the Paris Opera Competition. In October 2015 Bogdan successfully debuted as Lensky in «Eugene Onegin» by P. Tchaikovsky, working with director Dmitry Tchernyakov in his production at the Bolshoi. In 2016 – 2018 was a member/principal soloist of the company/Bolshoi theatre. In 2016 he was awarded the 2nd prize at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia, the World Opera Competition in Guadalajara. In February 2017 he took part in the production of M. Weinberg`s «The Idiot», singing the title role of Prince Myshkin and in June 2017 he took part in the production of «The Snow Maiden» by N. Rimsky-Korsakov at the Bolshoi Theatre. For this roles Bogdan Volkov has been awarded «Onegin» the national opera award. In Jully 2017 he sang Lensky at the Festival d’Aix-En-Provence and Savonlinna Opera Festival. In 2019 has been awarded «Casta Diva» the national opera award. Recently he sang Don Giovanni in Palm Beach and Die Betrothal in a Monastery at Staatsoper in Berlin, The Tale of Tzsar Saltan in Bruxelles, The Magic Flute in Los Angeles, Eugene Onegin in Oslo. Among his future commitments: Eugene Onegin in Vienna, Falstaff in Munich, Don Giovanni in Los Angeles.
American tenor, AJ Glueckert is making this season his house debut at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony under the baton of Zubin Mehta and as tenor/Bacchus in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos under the baton of Daniele Gatti.
At Oper Frankfurt, where he has been an ensemble member since 2016/17, he will appear as Don José (Carmen), as the title character in Wagner’s Lohengrin, and as Herod in Strauss’ Salome. In recent years he has won over the audiences in Frankfurt in versatile roles such as Edrisi (Król Roger), Count Vaudémont (Iolanta), Flamand (Capriccio), Lyonel (Martha, CD released by OehmsClassics), Froh (Das Rheingold), Skuratov (From the House of the Dead) Erik (Der fliegende Holländer) and as the Prince in Rusalka, a role which he had previously sung at Minnesota Opera and New Orleans Opera.
His role debut as Kaiser (Die Frau ohne Schatten) at De Nationale Opera in Amsterdam, planned for the 2019/20 season, fell victim to the Covid-19-related cancellations. His important role debut as Lohengrin at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl, as well as concerts with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Iván Fischer (Ariadne auf Naxos/Bacchus) in Vicenza, and with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven’s 9th Symphony) in Tokyo could fortunately take place despite the pandemic.
In the summer of 2018, AJ Glueckert was heard as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Santa Fe Opera. In 2016/17 he made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Erik in Der fliegende Holländer under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He debuted as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Glyndebourne Festival and previously at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.
AJ Glueckert has a special connection to the San Francisco Opera as a former Adler Fellow and participant in the Merola Opera Program. He has most recently appeared there as Beadle Bamford (Sweeney Todd), Normanno (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Kunz Vogelsang (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg).
He made his role debut as Don José in Carmen with Pittsburgh Opera in 2015. At Philadelphia Opera and Minnesota Opera he sang in the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ opera Silent Night. He is a graduate of the Santa Fe Opera and Utah Opera Young Artists programmes. At Utah Opera he was heard in the role of the Imbecile in Boris Godunov.
In addition to opera performances, AJ Glueckert works with many orchestra, amongst others with the Utah Symphony and the Santa Clara and Sacramento Symphony Orchestras.
A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he has twice won regional competitions at the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions.
Founded in 1954 by Karl Richter, The Munich Bach Choir has since 2005 been directed by conductor, organist and harpsichordist Hansjörg Albrecht, under whose direction it has become celebrated for its clear and transparent sound, and for its agile, animated, historically-informed performances of Bach’s works. Recent years have also seen constant expansion of its repertoire. It works particularly closely with the Munich Bach Orchestra – with whom it recorded Enjott Schneider’s oratorio Augustinus in 2015 – and Bach Collegium München. Projects with other major orchestras and conductors include, in October 2018, its very first tour to Israel, invited by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Zubin Mehta, singing Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Uri Brener’s symphonic poem The Prophet.
Passereau tropical connu pour la richesse de son chant, Shama est en Valais une formation vocale. Le choeur interprète des pièces traditionnelles, spirituelles et grégoriennes, et met l’accent sur l’écoute, la justesse et l’interprétation. L’ensemble est emmené par la main experte de Pierre-Elie Jacquemettaz, son chef et fondateur, et s’attèle à exprimer et partager un message de joie auprès son public.
New Zealander baritone Julien Van Mellaerts graduated with the Tagore Gold Medal from the Royal College of Music Opera Studio. He won numerous prizes at competitions including the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal and the 2017 Wigmore Hall / Kohn Foundation International Song Competition, among others. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, he organized and curated Whānau: Voices of Aotearoa, far from home. Devised to highlight the plight of and raise funds for those New Zealand singers unable either to return home or work, the concert was recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall and broadcast on both YouTube and Radio New Zealand Concert. Earlier this year, he was invited to return to the Royal College of Music to teach English Song. Van Mellaerts is an alumnus of the Verbier Festival Academy.
Bernard Richter’s current engagements include PELLÉAS Pelléas et Mélisande Teatro alla Scala Milan, GRIMALDO Rodelinda De Nationale Opera Amsterdam and BÉNÉDICT Béatrice et Bénédict Oper Köln. His most recent projects were IDOMENEO (title role) Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, DON OTTAVIO Don Giovanni Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, DES GRIEUX Manon Grand Théâtre de Genève, La Clemenza di Tito (title) Teatro Real Madrid, FIERRABRAS (title role), BELFIORE La Finta Giardiniera Teatro alla Scala. Recent concerts include Die Schöpfung Verbier Festival, L’enfance du Christ Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Beethoven IX Wiener Symphoniker in China (Philippe Jordan).
Past engagements include BELMONTE Die Entführung aus dem Serail, HYLAS Les Troyens, DON OTTAVIO, TAMINO Die Zauberflöte, and FROH Das Rheingold Opéra Bastille, HYLAS Staatsoper Hamburg, PELLÉAS Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra de Lyon, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Teatr Wielki Warsaw, TAMINO Salzburger Festspiele, DON OTTAVIO and LE CHEVALIER DE LA FORCE Les Dialogues des Carmélites Bayerische Staatsoper München, CASTOR Castor and Pollux Ensemble Pygmalion, ROSSILLON Die Lustige Witwe Grand Théâtre de Genève, TITO (title) Opéra de Nancy, ORPHÉE Orphée aux Enfers Opéra de Lausanne and Lully’s Atys (title) and ALPHONSE Zampa Les Arts Florissants at Opéra Comique. Further highlights have included ERIK Der fliegende Holländer, BÉNÉDICT Béatrice et Bénédict, DON OTTAVIO, ECCLITICO Il Mondo della Luna Theater an der Wien, PARIS La Belle Hélène, FRITZ La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein Théâtre du Châtelet, DON OTTAVIO, Lucio Silla (title) by J.Ch. Bach Opernhaus Zürich, and FERRANDO Così fan tutte Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
In concert, he has appeared with Berliner Symphoniker, MDR Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Les Musiciens du Louvre at the Salzburger Pfingsfestspiele and Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai, Salle Gaveau de Paris, Tonhalle Zürich, Mozart Tage Luzern, Styriarte Graz, Gewandhaus Leipzig, L’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Konzerthaus Wien, Budapest Festival Orchestra on tour to London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Bruges and Baden-Baden. He has worked with Philippe Jordan, William Christie, Adam Fischer, Kent Nagano, Marc Minkowski, Jeffrey Tate, Ivor Bolton, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Fabio Luisi, Sir Neville Marriner, Sylvain Cambreling, Asher Fisch, Peter Schneider, Raphaël Pichon, Laurent Pelly, Christof Loy, Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Keith Warner, and Kasper Holten. Bernard studied in Neuchâtel and was a member of the Opera Studio Bienne.
For nearly 40 years, the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble (Ensemble Vocal du Haut-Valais) has traveled throughout Switzerland and Europe under the direction of its founder, Hansruedi Kämpfen. Numerous awards in international competitions and performances at prestigious concerts quickly brought the ensemble national recognition.
Since an unexpected first victory in 1989 at the International Competition in Gorizia, OVE has regularly received awards in both national and international competitions. In 2013, it won First Prize in the Elite Category at the Swiss Choir Competition. In 2017, it claimed two prestigious awards: first, in Riga, the First Prize in the Vocal Ensemble Category at the European Choir Games, and then Third Prize (Best Western European Choir) at the International Choir Contest in Maassmechelen, Belgium.
OVE is frequently invited to perform at renowned festivals in Switzerland and abroad. Highlights include performances at the Luzern Festival alongside the Hilliard Ensemble, the Zermatt Festival under the direction of Marcus Creed and Ton Koopman, and the Verbier Festival conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, Zubin Mehta, Jesus Lopez Cobos, and Fabio Luisi.
Since its inception, OVE has explored a vast repertoire, receiving excellent reviews for its performances of Bach in smaller formations as well as Romantic repertoire. Over the past two decades, the ensemble has often premiered contemporary works, notably by Valais composers such as Eugen Meier and Andreas Zurbriggen. In 2016, OVE accepted an invitation from renowned Swiss composer Carl Rütti and premiered Mysterium Montis, a Vespers project for six alphorns, double choir, and soloists. The concerts, held in Köniz, Arlesheim, Einsiedeln, and Brig, were met with great success, each receiving a standing ovation from the audience. These performances were followed by the release of a CD and DVD. In 2018, the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble played a major role in the BrigerMusikNächte.
During his studies, Kämpfen’s performances of Bach’s Passions with the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble, in chamber formation, accompanied by the Camerata de Berne, already brought him initial success.
His international career began in 1989, when he won the Gorizia International Choral Competition. He was also awarded the Special Prize for Best Director in the Renaissance and Romantic categories. He went on to win several national and international competitions with the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble, which he has conducted since its foundation in 1981.
In 1994, Hansruedi Kämpfen founded the Swiss Youth Choir, which, under his artistic direction and in collaboration with André Ducret, became one of Europe’s leading youth choirs over 24 years. In 2007, he won the Grand Prix for choirs awarded by the Steiger Foundation.
Hansruedi Kämpfen’s intense teaching activity, particularly at the AMO music school, has led him to train a generation of choirmasters (CH I Certificate) and, as a singing teacher and choirmaster, to launch several young singers on professional solo careers.
For six years, Hansruedi Kämpfen chaired the Music Commission of Europa Cantat (EC), and for three years he was Vice-Chairman of the Steering Committee of this European choral association.
For many years, Hansruedi Kämpfen was Chairman of the Music Commission of the Swiss Choral Association (USC) and President of the Swiss Federation Europa Cantat. He is actively involved in choral singing, both nationally and internationally.
Since 2013, he has been Artistic Director of the Montreux Choral Festival, Switzerland’s only international choral competition.
As director of various vocal ensembles, Hansruedi Kämpfen has worked with internationally renowned conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Zubin Mehta and Ton Koopman, notably at the Verbier Festival and the Zermatt Festival.
Since its founding in 1987, the Namur Chamber Choir has been committed to promoting the musical heritage of its region of origin (Lassus, Arcadelt, Rogier, Du Mont, Gossec, Grétry…) while also embracing major works from the choral repertoire.
A regular guest at Europe’s most prestigious festivals, the choir has worked under the baton of conductors such as Christophe Rousset, René Jacobs, Alexis Kossenko, Julien Chauvin, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Gergely Madaras, among others.
Its discography includes numerous recordings highly praised by critics (nominations for the Victoires de la Musique Classique, Choc by Classica, Diapason d’Or, Joker from Crescendo, 4F from Télérama, Editor’s Choice from Gramophone, ICMA, Prix Caecilia from the Belgian press…). The Namur Chamber Choir was also awarded the Grand Prix from the Académie Charles Cros in 2003, the Prize of the Académie Française in 2006, and the Octave de la Musique in 2007 and 2012 in the categories “Classical Music” and “Show of the Year.”
In 2010, the choir’s artistic direction was entrusted to Argentine conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón. In 2016, it took part in its first staged production at the Paris Opera (Eliogabalo by Cavalli). In 2017, it appeared in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, under the direction of Guy Van Waas.
The 2017–2018 season marked the choir’s 30th anniversary. L’Orfeo by Monteverdi, in 2017, was the first highlight of these celebrations, performed across Europe and South America. In 2018, productions of Grands Motets by Lully, Passio del Venerdi Santo by Veneziano, masses and motets by Jacques Arcadelt, and the oratorio Samson by Handel were key events, with several TV broadcasts and CD recordings, all conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón.
In 2019, the Namur Chamber Choir added to its repertoire Saul by Handel (Namur and Beaune), Isis by Lully (Beaune, Paris, and Versailles), and Les Indes Galantes by Rameau (Paris Opera). It also premiered a new work by Belgian composer Michel Fourgon, Goethes-Fragmente.
From 2020 to 2025, the Namur Chamber Choir continues its journey through Handel’s major choral works (The Messiahand Jephtha with Christophe Rousset, Semele, Solomon, Theodora with Leonardo García Alarcón), explores a wide-ranging repertoire with its artistic director (St Matthew Passion, St John Passion in collaboration with choreographer Sasha Waltz, secular cantatas by Bach, Vespro and Orfeo by Monteverdi, La Jérusalem délivrée by Philippe d’Orléans, etc.) and expands its scope to include operetta (La Vie Parisienne by Jacques Offenbach at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées). It also continues special collaborations with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques (Thésée, Atys, and Proserpine by Lully, St Matthew Passion by Bach), Julien Chauvin and Le Concert de la Loge (Requiem by Mozart, The Creation by Haydn), Reinoud Van Mechelen and A Nocte Temporis (Acis and Galatea by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, St John Passion by Bach, Pygmalion by Rameau), and launches new ones with Alexis Kossenko and Les Ambassadeurs (Zoroastre by Rameau, Carnaval du Parnasse by Mondonville, Mass in C minor by Mozart, Die Erste Walpurgisnacht by Mendelssohn, Dardanus by Rameau), as well as with René Jacobs and B’Rock Orchestra (Carmen by Bizet).
The choir’s repertoire spans a vast range, from the Middle Ages to contemporary music.
The Namur Chamber Choir is supported by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (Music and Dance Department) and the City of Namur.