
Péter Balczó
opera singer
tenor
Debrecen-born tenor Péter Balczó first got the chance to display his talent at his home town's Csokonai Theatre, in the role of Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), and then went on to expand his repertoire as a soloist with increasingly difficult operatic characters. At the Armel Opera Competition and Festival in 2010, after giving a memorable portrayal of Alfredo Germont (La traviata), he was named the best male performer of the competition. In 2011, he also got to demonstrate that he belonged in international opera life with various performances abroad (including in Don Giovanni in Italy, in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette in Slovenia and La bohème in Romania, with later appearances in theatres in Kassa [Košice], Maribor and Oman). In 2012, back in Hungary, he won over the audiences in venues around the country (in Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs and Szombathely) with his portrayals of classic heroes like Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) and Rodolfo (La bohème). He debuted at the Hungarian State Opera in the role of Alfredo Germont before finding his way to complex characters such as the title role in Hunyadi László, Fenton (Falstaff), Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Nemorino (L'elisir d'amore), Kornélis (Saint-Saëns's La princesse jaune) and Tom Rakewell (The Rake's Progress). An important junction in this phase of his career was the city of Szombathely, where he tested his mettle in the dramatic tenor role of La forza del destino (2013) and as the lyric character of Lensky in Onegin (2014). In 2015, he took the stage of the Budapest Operetta Theatre in the role of Alfred in Johann Strauss's grand operetta Die Fledermaus.
Education and training:
University of Debrecen Faculty of Music (2003-2009) – teacher: Éva Mohos Nagy
Kunstuniversität Graz (2005-2006) – teacher: Claudia Rüggeberg
Zoltán Kodály High School of Music, Debrecen, solo voice (2001-2003) – teacher: Vilhelmina Papp
Simonffy Emil Music School, Debrecen, violin (1990-2002) – teacher: Mrs. Zsolt Szesztay
Master classes:
Mirella Freni, Dénes Gulyás, Júlia Hamari
Competitions:
Wilhelm Stenhammar International Singing Competition, Norrköping, Sweden – fourth place (2012)
Puccini International Singing Competition, Lucca, Italy – Teatro Comunale di Bologna's special prize (2011)
Armel Opera Competition and Festival, Szeged, Hungary – shared first place (2010)
Second International Gianluca Ricci Singing Competition, Montefiore Conca, Italy – second place (2010)
International Tenor Competition, Jyväskylä, Finland – third place Opera (2009)
Competition and Festival with Mezzo Television, Szeged, Hungary – finalist (2009)
Simándy József Singing Competition, Szeged, Hungary – Amarilli special prize (2007)
International Singing Competition, Deutschlandsberg, Austria – finalist (2005)
József Simándy Singing Competition, Szeged, Hungary – special prize (2005)
Awards and recognitions:
Vilmos Rubányi Award, for achievement during the season (2015)
Dömötör Award, for male opera singer of the season based on audience voting (2011, 2012)
Simándy Commemorative Plaque (2012)
Young Opera Singer of the Season Award, for achievement during the season, Szeged (2011)
Award of Excellence, for achievement in Smetana's opera The Bartered Bride (2007)
Education and training:
University of Debrecen Faculty of Music (2003-2009) – teacher: Éva Mohos Nagy
Kunstuniversität Graz (2005-2006) – teacher: Claudia Rüggeberg
Zoltán Kodály High School of Music, Debrecen, solo voice (2001-2003) – teacher: Vilhelmina Papp
Simonffy Emil Music School, Debrecen, violin (1990-2002) – teacher: Mrs. Zsolt Szesztay
Master classes:
Mirella Freni, Dénes Gulyás, Júlia Hamari
Competitions:
Wilhelm Stenhammar International Singing Competition, Norrköping, Sweden – fourth place (2012)
Puccini International Singing Competition, Lucca, Italy – Teatro Comunale di Bologna's special prize (2011)
Armel Opera Competition and Festival, Szeged, Hungary – shared first place (2010)
Second International Gianluca Ricci Singing Competition, Montefiore Conca, Italy – second place (2010)
International Tenor Competition, Jyväskylä, Finland – third place Opera (2009)
Competition and Festival with Mezzo Television, Szeged, Hungary – finalist (2009)
Simándy József Singing Competition, Szeged, Hungary – Amarilli special prize (2007)
International Singing Competition, Deutschlandsberg, Austria – finalist (2005)
József Simándy Singing Competition, Szeged, Hungary – special prize (2005)
Awards and recognitions:
Vilmos Rubányi Award, for achievement during the season (2015)
Dömötör Award, for male opera singer of the season based on audience voting (2011, 2012)
Simándy Commemorative Plaque (2012)
Young Opera Singer of the Season Award, for achievement during the season, Szeged (2011)
Award of Excellence, for achievement in Smetana's opera The Bartered Bride (2007)
Performances
September 16. 20:00
contemporary
opera
16
premiere
Dead Man Walking
September 17. 19:00
contemporary
opera
16
Dead Man Walking
September 20. 19:00
contemporary
opera
16
Dead Man Walking
October 9. 19:00
classic
opera
16
Manon Lescaut
October 11. 19:00
classic
opera
16
Manon Lescaut
October 15. 19:00
classic
opera
16
Manon Lescaut
November 5. 19:00
mixed
opera
16
The Master and Margarita
November 8. 11:00
mixed
opera
16
The Master and Margarita
January 23. 19:00
mixed
stream
12
premiere
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) – ONLINE premier
January 29. 20:00
mixed
opera
12
premiere
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
January 31. 19:00
mixed
opera
12
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
February 2. 20:00
mixed
opera
12
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
February 5. 20:00
mixed
opera
12
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
February 7. 19:00
mixed
opera
12
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
February 13. 11:00
mixed
opera
12
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
February 13. 19:00
mixed
stream
16
premiere
The Master and Margarita – ONLINE premier
February 14. 19:00
mixed
opera
12
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
February 25. 20:00
contemporary
opera
16
Dead Man Walking
February 27. 19:00
contemporary
stream
16
Dead Man Walking – ONLINE streaming
February 28. 19:00
contemporary
opera
16
Dead Man Walking
March 5. 20:00
contemporary
opera
16
Dead Man Walking
March 7. 19:00
contemporary
opera
16
Dead Man Walking
April 10. 19:00
opera
10
Falstaff
April 15. 20:00
concert version
opera
14
premiere
Notre Dame
April 16. 19:00
opera
10
Falstaff
April 18. 19:00
opera
10
Falstaff
April 24. 19:00
opera
10
Falstaff
May 9. 18:00
mixed
opera
16
Les Huguenots
May 14. 18:00
mixed
opera
16
Les Huguenots
May 16. 18:00
mixed
opera
16
Les Huguenots
May 30. 19:00
contemporary
opera
18
FrenchLateNight
June 2. 20:00
contemporary
opera
18
FrenchLateNight
June 6. 11:00
contemporary
opera
18