Cardillac

Since graduating from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, bass-baritone Gábor Bretz has performed regularly at the Hungarian State Opera, where he sings the major roles of his repertoire. His highlights also include Don Quichotte (Paris Opéra, Bregenz Festival), Heinrich der Vogler in "Lohengrin" (Staatsoper Unter den Linden, La Monnaie/De Munt, London’s Covent Garden), Grigoris in Martinů’s "Greek Passion" (Salzburg Festival), Jochanaan (Salzburg Festival, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence), Don Pizarro (Theater an der Wien, Opéra Comique in Paris), Scarpia (Theater an der Wien, Teatro Comunale di Bologna), Escamillo (Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Bavarian State Opera, among others), Sarastro (La Monnaie/De Munt), Ferrando in "Il trovatore" (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden), Philip II in "Don Carlos" (Hamburg State Opera), and the four villains in "Les Contes d’Hoffmann" (La Monnaie). He has appeared as Bluebeard with the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 2024–2025, he returned to Brussels as the Wanderer in Pierre Audi’s new production of "Siegfried" conducted by A. Altınoglu, after portraying Wotan there in Castellucci’s new productions of "Das Rheingold" and "Die Walküre". Other projects this season include the Water Spirit in Tcherniakov’s new production of "Rusalka" at Teatro San Carlo, Mundruczó’s new production of "Salome" in Geneva, as well as Gurnemanz, Philip II, Méphistophélès, and the title role in "Bluebeard’s Castle" at the Hungarian State Opera. Gábor Bretz is a professor of singing at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.

Anett Fritsch, born in Saxony, studied at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig. In 2001, she won first prize at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition Leipzig as well as the International Competition of Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg in 2006 and 2007. From 2009 to 2015, she was a member of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf/Duisburg. She celebrated her international breakthrough in 2011 with her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival as Almirena in Handel’s "Rinaldo", as well as Merione in Gluck’s "Telemaco" at the Theater an der Wien. Important engagements later included Fiordiligi ("Così fan tutte") at the Teatro Real Madrid – a production that was also seen at La Monnaie and at the Wiener Festwochen – a European tour of "Le nozze di Figaro" as Cherubino with René Jacobs and the Freiburger Barockorchester, her debut at the Salzburger Festspiele in 2014 as Donna Elvira in "Don Giovanni", to which she returned in 2015 and 2016 as the Countess. She made her debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Susanna. In 2024/25, she made her house and role debut at the Staatsoper Stuttgart as Idamante in Bastian Kraft’s new production of "Idomeneo", as well as her role debut as Gutrune in Pierre Audi’s new production of Wagner’s "Götterdämmerung" at La Monnaie in Brussels, where she had already appeared in the previous season as Freia in Romeo Castellucci’s new production of "Das Rheingold". She also returned to the Volksoper Wien as Hanna Glawari ("Die lustige Witwe") and Mrs. Fluth ("The Merry Wives of Windsor"). Furthermore, she appeared with Giovanni Antonini and Il Giardino Armonico in Handel’s "Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno" at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival and as the Countess in Mozart’s "Le nozze di Figaro" at the Casino Basel, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Elbphilharmonie, before appearing at the Rheingau Musik Festival with the hr-Sinfonieorchester under Alain Altinoglu in Gounod’s "Messe solennelle en l’honneur de Sainte Cécile".

Born in Halle, Michael Laurenz began his career as a trumpeter, most recently serving as principal trumpet of the Berliner Symphoniker. His vocal training took him to the International Opera Studio of the Opernhaus Zürich, whose ensemble he subsequently joined for nearly a decade. From 2018 to 2020, he was a permanent ensemble member of the Wiener Staatsoper and remains associated with the house as a guest artist. A central focus of his artistic work lies in the character tenor repertoire, with particular emphasis on roles in works by Wagner, Strauss, Mozart and contemporary composers. Numerous new productions and role debuts have taken him to Amsterdam, Geneva, Lyon, Antwerp, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Paris, as well as to the Bregenzer Festspiele, the Glyndebourne Festival and repeatedly to the Salzburger Festspiele. As Mime, Michael Laurenz has appeared with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi in concert performances of "Das Rheingold" and "Siegfried". Collaborations with conductors such as Philippe Jordan, Christian Thielemann, Thomas Guggeis, Cornelius Meister, Franz Welser-Möst and Marc Minkowski shape his artistic work, as does his close collaboration with directors who regularly cast him in complex scenic roles. These include roles such as Josef K. in Gottfried von Einem’s "Der Prozess", Cauchon in Walter Braunfels’ "Jeanne d’Arc", Orsino in Berthold Goldschmidt’s "Beatrice Cenci" and Erich in HK Gruber’s "Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald". In the 2025/26 season, he appears at the Wiener Staatsoper as Wenzel ("The Bartered Bride") and the Witch ("Hänsel und Gretel"), and at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden as the Dancing Master ("Ariadne auf Naxos") and Pedrillo ("Die Entführung aus dem Serail").

Stanislav Vorobyov is from Russia and studied at the Moscow Conservatory. He was a member of the International Opera Studio and has been an ensemble member at the Opernhaus Zürich since the 2018/19 season. There, he has performed roles including Colline ("La bohème"), Alidoro ("La Cenerentola"), High Priest ("Nabucco"), Notary ("Der Rosenkavalier"), Reinmar von Zweter ("Tannhäuser"), Faust ("Der feurige Engel"), Zaretsky ("Eugen Onegin"), Cesare Angelotti ("Tosca"), Fifth Jew and First Nazarene ("Salome"), Lord Rochefort ("Anna Bolena"), Dottor Grenvil ("La traviata"), Crébillon ("La rondine"), Zuniga ("Carmen"), Roberto ("I vespri siciliani"), Roucher ("Andrea Chénier"), Police Commissioner ("Der Rosenkavalier") and Marchese Calatrava ("La forza del destino"). He also sang Don Basilio ("Il barbiere di Siviglia") at the Bregenzer Festspiele, Nourabad ("Les Pêcheurs de perles") at the Opera Vlaanderen and in Luxembourg, as well as Ombra di Nino ("Semiramide") at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. At the Bregenzer Festspiele, he appeared as Uncle Bonzo in "Madama Butterfly" and as Il Capitano/L’ispettore in Giordano’s "Siberia". In 2024, he also performed as Colline ("La bohème") at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre and the ROHM Theatre Kyoto.

Sebastian Kohlhepp was born in Limburg an der Lahn and studied with Hedwig Fassbender in Frankfurt. He subsequently held ensemble positions at the Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Wiener Staatsoper, and the Oper Stuttgart. Since the 2017/18 season, he has been a freelance artist. Key engagements in recent years include his debut at the Teatro alla Scala Milan in the role of Narraboth in "Salome", Tamino ("Die Zauberflöte") and Belmonte ("Die Entführung aus dem Serail") at the Wiener Staatsoper, Don Ottavio ("Don Giovanni") at the Opernhaus Zürich, Ferrando ("Così fan tutte") in Munich and Amsterdam, role debuts as Flamand (Richard Strauss’ "Capriccio") at the Salzburger Festspiele, Idomeneo at the Oper Köln, and David in "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" at the Teatro Real Madrid, at the Osterfestspiele Salzburg, and the Semperoper Dresden. As a concert singer, he has collaborated with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the SWR Symphonieorchester, the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, working with conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Ivor Bolton, Sylvain Cambreling, Teodor Currentzis, Ádám Fischer, Pablo Heras-Casado, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, Kent Nagano, Andris Nelsons, François-Xavier Roth, Lorenzo Viotti and Franz Welser-Möst. In the 2025/26 season, he will make his role and house debut as Loge in "Das Rheingold" at the Staatsoper Berlin under the direction of Christian Thielemann and will return as Belmonte to the Wiener Staatsoper.

Dorottya Láng was born in Budapest and studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She was an ensemble member at the Wiener Volksoper from 2012 to 2014, joined the Nationaltheater Mannheim for the 2014/15 season, and was part of the Hamburgische Staatsoper ensemble from 2015 to 2018. Since then, she has worked with conductors such as Ádám Fischer, Marc Albrecht, Sakari Oramo, Ivan Fischer, Cornelius Meister, Kent Nagano, and Teodor Currentzis, as well as with orchestras including the RSO Berlin, the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, and the Wiener Symphoniker. Her operatic repertoire includes roles such as the Composer ("Ariadne auf Naxos"), Octavian ("Der Rosenkavalier"), Venus ("Tannhäuser"), Brangäne ("Tristan und Isolde"), Hänsel ("Hänsel und Gretel"), Marguerite ("La Damnation de Faust"), Waltraute ("Die Walküre") and Adriano ("Rienzi"). She has appeared at the Norwegian National Opera, the Savonlinna Opera Festival, the Ruhrtriennale, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Kirill Petrenko. Concerts have taken her to the BBC Proms, the Palace of Arts, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus Wien, and the International Song Festival in Oxford. Her recent engagements include the alto part in Mahler’s "Das Lied von der Erde" with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Composer with the Nederlandse Reisopera, and Venus in Budapest.

Brent Michael Smith is from the USA. He studied voice at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and at the University of Northern Iowa, as well as piano at Hope College. He was a finalist in the Queen Sonja International Music Competition (2021) and a semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions (2020), and has won prizes at international singing competitions including the Grand Rapids Opera Competition, Giargiari Bel Canto Competition, Opera Birmingham Competition, Opera Index Competition, and the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino. He also received scholarships from the Loren L. Zachary Society and the Young Patronesses of the Opera Competition in Miami. In the USA, he has performed Zuniga ("Carmen"), Friedrich Bhaer (Mark Adamo’s "Little Women") and Ashby ("La fanciulla del West") at the Michigan Opera, Antonio ("Le nozze di Figaro") at the Toledo Opera, Ariodante ("Xerxes") at the Glimmerglass Festival, Lakai ("Ariadne auf Naxos") at the Santa Fe Opera, and Celio (Prokofiev’s "The Love for Three Oranges") and Peter Quince ("A Midsummer Night’s Dream") at the Opera Philadelphia. In the 2020/21 season, he was a member of the International Opera Studio at the Opernhaus Zürich and was subsequently admitted to the ensemble in the 2021/22 season. At the Opernhaus Zürich, he has performed roles including Sparafucile ("Rigoletto"), Raimondo ("Lucia di Lammermoor"), Prince Gremin ("Eugene Onegin"), Frère Laurent ("Roméo et Juliette"), Fafner ("Das Rheingold") and Cesare Angelotti ("Tosca").