Csaba Kotlár

Biography

The Slovak baritone Csaba Kotlár has been soloist of the National Theatre Opera in Prague since the 2022/23 season. He debuted here on 16 May 2019 as Farfarello (L'amour des trois oranges), and he has since appeared as a guest in the roles of Yamadori (Madama Butterfly), Marullo (Rigoletto) and the Second Brother (Die sieben Todsünden). Csaba Kotlár launched his professional career in 2014, performing as Hanezo (L‘amico Fritz) and Marullo (Rigoletto) at the State Opera in Banská Bystrica. Since 2016 he has collaborated with the F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec, where he debuted in the part of Athanaël (Thaïs), for the portrayal of which he received a nomination for the coveted Thalia Prize. He has also appeared there as Lionel (The Maid of Orleans), Marcello (La bohème), Dandini (La Cenerentola), Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen) and Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), and excelled in two Rachmaninov roles, the Ghost of Virgil (Francesca da Rimini) and the Duke (The Miserly Knight), which earned him another nomination for the Thalia Prize. Moreover, he has performed as Masetto (Don Giovanni) and Escamillo (Carmen) at the State Theatre in Košice, Acmet (Paisiello: Il re Teodoro) at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, Kyoto (Iris) and Escamillo at the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Plzeň, and Onegin at the South Bohemia Theatre in České Budějovice. Born in Bratislava, Csaba Kotlár first appeared in an opera at the age of nine, as the Shepherd Boy (Tosca) at the Slovak National Theatre. He studied at the Conservatoire and the Academy of Music in Bratislava.