Valdis Jansons

• 2005 – Finalist at the Competition “Rocca delle Macie”, Castellina in Chianti, Italy
• 2006 – Winner of the International Competition “Il Primo Palcoscenico,” Cesena, Italy
• 2006 – Winner of the “Giuseppe Di Stefano International Competition,” Trapani, Italy
• 2006 – Finalist at the “Toti Dal Monte” International Competition, Padova, Italy
• 2009 – Winner of As.Li.Co International Competition, Como, Italy
• 2010 – Participant at Operalia Competition, Milan, Italy
• 2010, 2011 – Winner of the Competition of “Istituto Nazionale per L’Opera e Poesia”, Verona,
• Italy
• 2012 - Second Prize at International "Riccardo Zandonai” Competition, Riva Del Garda, Italy
• 2013 – Finalist at “Voci Verdiane”, Busseto, Italy
• 2014 – Winner at “Stanislao Giacomantonio” International Competition, Cosenza, Italy

Latvian baritone Valdis Jansons made his opera debut in 2004 under the direction of Antonello Allemandi. He has won many international competitions, including Giuseppe Di Stefano (Trapani, Italy, 2006) and the As.Li.Co (Como, Italy, 2009), Riccardo Zandonai (Riva del Garda, Italy, 2013), Maria Quintieri (Cosenza, Italy, 2014).

Mr. Jansons has sung 65 roles in more than 70 theaters worldwide, including the Teatro Alla Scala in Berg's Lulu, directed by Peter Stein and conducted by Daniele Gatti in 2011, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova as Capulet in Romeo et Juliette, directed by Jean Louis Grinda and conducted by Fabio Luisi in 2012, Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, Teatro Regio di Parma, São Carlos Theater of Lisbon, Moscow's Bolshoi Theater, Theater an der Wien, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Lincoln Center, NCPA in Beijing.

Over the years, Mr. Jansons showed the ability to span from 18th-century to contemporary music, focusing particularly on bel canto and Italian repertoire. He was praised for his phrasing, long breaths, brilliant top register, approach to the text, and stage presence.

The highlights of his professional engagements include Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti at Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore at Teatro São Carlos (Lisbon, Portugal), at San Carlo Theatre in Naples as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana by Orff in 2013.

In 2014 he performed at Monte-Carlo Opéra in Rusalka, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro at Carlo Felice Opera House, then at Theatro Municipal in Rio De Janeiro (Brazil), Escamillo in Carmen, the protagonist in Don Giovanni at the opening of the 16th International Music and Dance Festival of Bangkok (Thailand), followed by a concert conducted by Zubin Mehta.

In December 2015, he made his debut as Billy Budd at Teatro Carlo Felice, and later the same year as Onegin in Eugene Onegin at the Opera Wrocławska in Poland.

In 2016 he added several other important baritone roles to his repertoire: Rodrigo in Verdi's Don Carlo at the Lithuanian National Opera, Zurga in Bizet's The Pearl Fishers at Opera Wrocławska, Rigoletto, Valentin in Faust, Verdi's Macbeth, Wolfram in Tannhäuser at Latvian National Opera.

In 2017 he sang Enrico alongside Ramon Vargas in Lucia di Lammermoor at the National Opera of Bucarest (Romania), Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus at Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, Nello in Pia de' Tolomei by Donizetti at the theatres of Pisa, Lucca, Livorno as well as at the US premiere in May and June 2018 at Spoleto Festival in Charleston (SC).

In February 2019, he made his debut as Folco in Montemezzi's L'Incantesimo at the Latvian National Opera. From February to March, he appeared at Oper Graz in Austria as one of the few singers worldwide to perform the role of King Roger in Szymanowski's eponymous Opera. In August of the same year, he debuted as Nabucco in Riga.

From September 2019 to January 2020, he performed Ramiro in Ravel's L'Heure Espagnole at Teatro Grande in Brescia, Teatro Fraschini in Pavia, Teatro Sociale in Como, and Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona, Italy. In October 2020, Mr. Jansons performed the roles of Tonio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Slovenian National Opera.

In February 2021, Mr. Jansons returned onstage as Zurga in Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, making his debut at Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, Spain.

Subsequently, Mr. Jansons appears as baritone soloist in Orff's Carmina Burana at Opéra de Saint-Ètienne, France, in June 2022; Renato in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera at Opera på Skäret in Sweden in July-August 2022; baritone soloist in Orff's Carmina Burana with Santa Barbara Symphony, as well as a soloist in "Echoes of the Ancient Tang Poems" with the Philadelphia Symphony at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall in Philadelphia and at the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York City in January 2023.

His last engagements include Macbeth in Verdi's eponymous Opera at Opéra de Saint-Ètienne, France, in May and June 2023, and the protagonist in Verdi's Rigoletto at Opera på Skäret in Sweden. In November, he will interpret Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore at Opéra de Saint-Ètienne in France.

Mr. Jansons has worked with the following esteemed conductors: Daniele Gatti, Fabio Luisi, Daniel Oren, Daniele Callegari, Stefano Ranzani, Lawrence Foster, Antonello Allemandi, Isaac Karabtchevsky, Asher Fisch, Philippe Augin, Stefan Anton Reck and Pierre Vallet.

The stage directors he has worked with include Gianfranco De Bosio, Lamberto Puggelli, Peter Stein, Giancarlo del Monaco, Emilio Sagi, Jean Louis Grinda, Günter Krämer, Andrei Serban, Shen Wei, Davide Livermore, Yoshi Oida, Guy Montavon and Dieter Kaegi.

Mr. Jansons covered Leo Nucci as Rigoletto in the 2012 production at Teatro Regio di Parma, Rolando Panerai, and Juan Pons as Gianni Schicchi in 2011 at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.

Throughout his international career, he has received the following critical acclaim from these publications:

"…Beautiful voice, great vocal line, stylistically focused already since the beginning of a "role-monster" for basses and baritones, considerable interpretation intentions in his varied and nuanced phrasing, and the word articulation of a perfect and well-marked Italian. All this added to his tallness and elegant gait, envisaging him as an element that, after successfully metabolizing and running in the role, will give a hard time to many 'prominent rivals..."

Andrea Merli (Don Giovanni at National Opera of Macedonia, taken from the monthly magazine "L'Opera," June 2011)

"The brightest ornament of the group was baritone Valdis Jansons, whose Henry was both elegant and memorable. Precisely this artist was the highlight of the performance and turned out to be the best amongst all others who came to Moscow this time around."

Piotr Pospelov (Lucia di Lammermoor at Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow - Newspaper "Vedomosti" February 12, 2013)

"With the baritone, we return to surprises. Impeccable recreation of Zurga, the chief of the pearl fishermen. Forceful sound projection, correct tuning, good filling of the duos, looking sideways at their companions, adequate stage presence, fundamental in the most dramatic role of the work, and expressiveness in singing. The third act, the most demanding for the role of Zurga, was the impeccable cover letter of a baritone with a future (translated)."

Ramon Avelo (The Pearl Fishers at Opera de Oviedo - Newspaper "El Comercio, February 7, 2021)

"on Zurga Opera Friday, it was Valdis Jansons, a voice still almost undiscovered in Spanish theaters. The Latvian baritone delivered an excellent performance in the evolution of his character, from jealousy to acceptance and forgiveness towards the couple, with a moving ending. It is enough to remember the beginning of the third act, with a generous and expressive phrasing, while the friend's repentance appeared (translated)."

Diana Dìaz (The Pearl Fishers at Opera de Oviedo - Magazine "Opera Actual," February 9, 2021)

"Excellence of the same caliber was shown by Latvian baritone Valdis Jansons as Anckarström. He has been seen and heard at Opera på Skäret before. In 2015 he was Germont in La Traviata, and two years later, he sang Rodrigo in Don Carlo… […] Now, in his third Verdi role, I was deeply impressed with his dramatic acting and magnificent singing. His big set piece, 'Eri tu,' was formidable but skilfully nuanced and made Anckarström stand out as a three-dimensional character, not just a cardboard villain."

Goran Forsling, www.seenandheard-international.com

"The scorned Anckarström is played by baritone Valdis Jansons poignantly and believably. His powerful and expressive voice conveys the pain and anger his character is experiencing."

Kristina I. Kleinert, Newspaper Epoch Times Sweden, Nr. 31, 2022

"There are two singers who stand out in an ensemble at a good international level… And experienced Valdis Jansons, who made memorable Germont and Rodrigo's role performances at Skäret also shine in The Masked Ball."

Jens Runnberg, Newspaper FaluKuriren, July 31st, 2022

"There remains the title role and the discovery of an interpreter, Valdis Jansons. Ignored from the French stages apart from a well-sung Scarpia in Tours six years ago, this Latvian baritone who has just reached maturity nevertheless has many assets: first of all, the voice of the role, whose range clearly poses no problem for him, impeccable projection and articulation, sense of nuance, satisfying acting skills and a physical presence that suits the character."

Maurice Salles, www.forumopera.com

"In the title role, the Latvian baritone Valdis Jansons makes a strong impression. Unfortunately not very present in France (he was Scarpia in Tosca at the Opéra de Tours in 2017), Valdis Jansons deploys a voice that is quite clear overall in terms of texture, vigorous, and with easy high notes, with excellent breath control, while conveying a robust character to the figure of Macbeth. [...] He gives the character a real and powerful consistency, in total agreement with Lady Macbeth..."

José Pons, www.olyrix.com

"Valdis Jansons, a Latvian baritone who rarely performs in France, gives a convincing interpretation of the title role. The vocality surprises a little because of the very clear tone. Still, the singing line is well-executed, the high notes are easy, and his incarnation of a spineless character manipulated by his wife is very successful."

Gérard Ferrand, www.odb-opera.com

"We hear very little in France Valdis Jansons , and that's a shame. The voice is particularly fruity and improves even more in the second part. He offers an original Macbeth, to which he infuses an impressive theatricality. We see him particularly consistent and constant, falling into madness and letting himself go with naturalness and love at the advice of his wife."

Elodie Martinez, www.opera-online.com

"Valdis Jansons is the ideal Verdi baritone, with a timbre neither too light nor too dark, homogeneous over the entire range. The articulation is perfect, and the adherence to the text is omnipresent. The balance is remarkable between beautiful singing and dramatic acting. Each of his interventions is a model. The symbiosis with the orchestra is sometimes total. The confrontation with his partner is very convincing."

Gérard Loubinoux, www.resonances-lyriques.org, June 2023