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The Dutch baritone, Wiard Witholt, studied since 2000 at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Maarten Koningsberger, and graduated in the summer of 2003. In June 2005 he graduated from the New Opera Academy Amsterdam. June 2007 he represented the Netherlands at the BBC Cardiff singer of the World. He was subsequently a member of the Netherlands Opera Studio (2005-2006), the Atelier Lyrique (Paris, opera) (2006-2008).
From the 2009-2010 season onwards, Wiard Witholt has been a full member of the Opera House in Dessau (Anhalt, Germany) where he has sung amongst others parts such as : Heerrufer in Lohengrin, Maximilian in Leonard Bernstein's Candide, Papageno in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Pietro in La Muette de Portici, Silvano in Un ballo in Maschera, Mister X in Der Zirkusprinzessin Zurga in Georges Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles and Belcore in L'Elisir d'Amore.
In 2008 Wiard Witholt made his debut at La Monnaie Brussels as Le Berger in Pelléas et Mélisande, at Teatro Real in Madrid as Frére Léon in St. François d'Assise, at Opéra Royal de Wallonie Liège as Il Conte in W.A. Mozart's Nozze di Figaro and at Opéra National du Rhin Strasbourg as Falke in Fledermaus. He created Schemariah the principal character in Hiob (by Erich Zeisl) at "Festspiele Plus" (2014) (Bavarian State Opera). Furthermore he appeared in Reimsreisje at the Amsterdam Opera House, Der Kaiser von Atlantis, took part in the world première of Pascal Dusapin's Penthesilea (as Messager) at La Monnaie and jumped in in Manon (by Auber !) as Marquis d'Hérigny at Opéra Royal de Wallonie (2016). Future engagements include amongst others his particiaption in Madama Butterfly and Tristan und Isolde at La Monnaie. The meeting with Pascal Dusapin led to Wiard Witholt's engagement by the Sydney Festival 2016 to perform the main male part in his opera Passion (main male part) ... for which he was nominated "best male performer" by the Helpmann Awards.
In concert Wiard Witholt repeatedly appears in J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244), St. John Passion (BWV 245), Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248), B-minor Mass (BWV 232), as well as several J.S. Bach cantatas, including: Ich habe Genug BWV 82 and Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen BWV 56 with the Concertgebouw Kamerorkest. He performed Gustav Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen at the Opéra National de Paris Garnier (2007) and at KLARA-festival with Brussels Philharmonic led by Michel Tabachnik. Other concert and oratorio repertoire includes: the Requiems by W.A. Mozart, Johannes Brahms, Maurice Duruflé and Gabriel Fauré, La Petite Messe Solennelle (Rossini), Paulus and Elijah (Felix Mendelssohn), The Messiah and Joshua (George Frideric Handel), Solemn Vespers (W.A. Mozart), Kindertotenlieder (G. Mahler), A child of our time (Tippett) and La naissance de David de Sassoun by the Armenian composer Garbis Aprikia, which he sang at the Paris Opéra Comique led by Alain Altinoglu (2014).
His opera repertoire also includes: Guglielmo in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte, Dancaire and Morales in G. Bizet's Carmen, 2. Gefangener and Don Fernando in L.v. Beethoven's Fidelio, Bobinet in La vie Parisienne, Melisso in G.F. Handel's Alcina, Maesto Biscroma Strapaviscere in Le convenienze e le inconvenienze, Demetrius in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night’s dream, Junius in B. Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, L’Horloge Comptoise and Le chat in L’Enfant et les sortilèges, Lescaut in Manon, Aeneas and Sorceress in H. Purcell Dido and Aeneas and Gobrias in Harry Kupfer’s staging of G.F. Handel's Belshazzar in Amsterdam. |
