Marius Vlad

Biography

Born in Cluj, Romania, the tenor Marius Vlad studied voice and stage direction at the music academy of his native town. While still a student, he was a soloist of the Romanian Philharmonic Orchestra. He won the International Traian Grozavescu Competition for Tenors in Lugoj, Romania (1995), came third at the Robert Schumann Competition for Pianists and Singers in Zwickau, Germany (1996), and received first prize at the Hariclea Darclée International Voice Competition in Brăila, Romania (1997). He made his stage debut in 1991, singing in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. In 1992 he appeared in an opera for the first time, performing Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. From 1994 to 1997 he was engaged at the Romanian State Opera in Cluj. His repertoire includes the roles of Alfredo (La traviata), Rodolfo (La bohéme), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Alfred (Die Fledermaus), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Don José (Carmen), Turiddu (La cavalleria rusticana), Canio (Pagliacci), Don Carlo (Don Carlo), Radames (Aida), Manrico (Il Trovatore). Of late, he has focused on dramatic roles, including Calaf (Turandot), Otello and Samson (Samson et Dalila), Don Alvaro (La forza del destino) and Erik (Der fliegende Holländer). In 2011 he portrayed Wagner’s Lohengrin at the State Opera in Bucharest and in 2012 in Freiburg, where he also appeared as Otello, a role which he also sang to great acclaim in Budapest, Marseille, Toulon and Bratislava.  In 2013 he performed the role of Froh in Wagner’s Das Rheingold under the baton of Daniel Barenboim at La Scala in Milan, the Staatsoper in Berlin and in the opera’s concert version at the BBC Proms in London. In 2013 he debuted as Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the National Opera in Bucharest. Marius Vlad has performed on stages and at festivals throughout Europe, from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Hamburg Philharmonic Hall, Teatro Verdi in Florence to the Schweriner Festspiele. He is a professor at the MusicAcademy in Cluj and since 2012 has held the post of general director of the local State Opera. 
Update: June 2014