Zoltán Kelemen

Although initially inclined to become a prose actor, his interest turned toward opera as a high-school student. In 1993 he was accepted into the chorus of the Csokonai Theatre of Debrecen, and was being given minor roles as early as his first season (the Notary in Don Pasquale and Biberach in Bánk bán). Meanwhile, he spent three years studying voice with Éva Mohos Nagy. In the spring of 1995 he jumped in to sing the role of Alfio in the premiere of an Italian-language production of Cavalleria rusticana, whereupon he was appointed a soloist. In June 1995, he sang the role of Belcore in the Second International Budapest Singing Competition, which was based around the roles of L'elisir d'amore. At the jury's request, he continued in the semi-finals as Dulcamara, and then went on to win the entire competition in this role. The victory in the international competition brought four appearances at the Opera House and six in Verona, in addition to which, he also received the opportunity to make his debut at the Erkel Theatre in 1996 in the role of Alfio. Since the autumn of 1996, he has been a soloist with the National Theatre of Szeged. He has made guest appearances at several opera galas in Austria and Germany, alongside leading luminaries of the opera world. He has also appeared at Oratorio recitals, including at the Matthias Church in Buda's Castle District, at Müpa Budapest, at Szeged Cathedral, and the basilicas of Győr and Eger. His repertoire consists of around 70 roles; with characters ranging from buffo basses to lyrical baritones to Verdi's heroic baritones, he has sung more than 40 principal roles in his career so far. It is the dramatic baritone roles for which he has the greatest affinity. In 2012 he sang Jago in Verdi's Otello at the Opera House, and since then has regularly appeared both there and at the Erkel Theatre in numerous principal roles. In 2013 he toured Japan with the Opera's production of La traviata. He made his debut at the Margaret Island Open-air Stage as King Solomon in Goldmark's opera Die Königin von Saba, and has been invited to portray Giorgio Germont in Verdi's La traviata there in 2016.

Awards and recognitions:
Dömötör Prize (2008, 2013 and 2015)
Viktor Vaszy Prize (2008 and 2013)
Named “Singer of the Season” by the Friends of the Opera Society of Szeged (multiple occasions)

Principal roles:
Verdi: Rigoletto – Rigoletto
Verdi: Macbeth – Macbeth
Verdi: La forza del destino – Don Carlos
Verdi: Otello – Jago
Verdi: Simon Boccanegra – Simon Boccanegra
Verdi: La traviata – Giorgio Germont
Verdi: Il trovatore – Count di Luna
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera – Renato
Verdi: Falstaff – Ford
Verdi: Don Carlos – Marquis of Posa
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor – Lord Ashton
Donizetti: Don Pasquale – Doctor Malatesta
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore – Dulcamara
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro – Count Almaviva, Bartolo
Mozart: Don Giovanni – Masetto, Commendatore
Puccini: Tosca – Scarpia
Puccini: La bohème – Marcello
Puccini: Manon Lescaut – Sergeant Lescaut
Puccini: Madama Butterfly – Sharpless
Puccini: Turandot – Ping
Giordano: Andrea Chénier – Gérard
Offenbach: Les contes de Hoffmann – Lindorf, Coppélius, Dapertutto, Dr. Miracle
Ciléa: Adriana Lecouvreur – Michonnet
Boito: Mefistofele – Mefistofele
Berlioz: La damnation de Faust – Méphistophélès
Gounod: Faust – Valentin
Goldmark: Die Königin von Saba – King Salamon
Strauss: Die Rosenkavalier – Faninal
Erkel: Bánk bán – Petur bán
Erkel: Hunyadi László – Miklós Gara
Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini – Gianciotto
Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana – Alfio
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci – Tonio
Rossini: La Cenerentola – Dandini
Oratorios:
Bach: St. John Passion
Mozart: Mass in C minor
Puccini: Messa di Gloria
Brahms: German Requiem
Orff: Carmina Burana
Janáček: Glagolitic Mass
Fauré: Requiem
Liszt: The Legend of Saint Elizabeth