ABOUT
Maayan Licht, male soprano
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“One of the absolute shooting stars of the international opera scene.”
– Ruhr Nachrichten
Winner of the “Best Newcomer” award at the Oper! Awards 2025, Licht is recognised as one of the most exciting emerging voices in opera today. Known as “the modern day Farinelli” Licht is celebrated for performing roles almost no-one else can sing, combining vocal virtuosity with emotional depth. Alongside his stage career, he has become a social media phenomenon, with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, and millions of views worldwide, bringing classical music and opera to new audiences across the globe.
Licht’s engagements in the 2025/26 season include his debut at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, where he will perform the role of Ra in the world premiere of Meriç Artaç’s Requiem for Mariza; the title role in Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie at Theater an der Wien, a reprise of the acclaimed Bayreuth Baroque 2022 production; and Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea at Teatro Ponchielli (Carsen/Agnew featuring Les Arts Florissants) as part of the 2026 Monteverdi Festival.
He has received outstanding critical acclaim for his operatic portrayals: Laertes in Gasparini’s Ambleto (Theater an der Wien); the title role in Handel’s Xerxes (Staatstheater Oldenburg); Alcidoro in J.C. Bach’s Amor Vincitore alongside Julia Lezhneva (SWR Schwetzingen Festival and on tour); Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Oper Dortmund; Janáček Theatre Brno); Amore in Martín y Soler’s L’arbore di Diana (Wiener Kammeroper); the title role in Giacomelli’s Scipione in Cartagine nuova (Teatro Farnese, Parma); Achilles in Porpora’s Ifigenia in Aulide (Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival); Erodiade La Figlia in Stradella’s San Giovanni Battista (Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival); the title role in the world premiere of Ľubica Čekovská’s Here I Am, Orlando (Janáček Theatre, Brno); and a solo recital with Ottavio Dantone and Accademia Bizantina at the Monteverdi Festival in Cremona. He was also invited to perform at the prestigious amfAR AIDS Gala 2025 in Salzburg.
His concert repertoire includes the soprano solos in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, the St. John Passion, as well as the role of Didymus in Handel’s Theodora.
Amongst his more experimental projects, he headlined a queer production of Bizet’s CarMEN, performing the title role in collaboration with renowned drag artists at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw and the celebrated Parade Festival. Licht also merges techno and opera with his group Technopera, performing at distinguished venues like the Concertgebouw and the renowned Down the Rabbit Hole Festival in the Netherlands.
Discovered by his Israeli teacher Vita Gurevich, Licht completed his vocal studies in Early Music at the Conservatory of Amsterdam under the guidance of Xenia Meijer, graduating with Distinction in 2021. Since then, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Bajazzo Sponsor Award 2025 from the Theater and Concert Friends (TuK) Dortmund for his portrayal of Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at Oper Dortmund, the Grand Prize at the Vienna International Music Competition 2023, and both the jury and audience prizes at the Grachtenfestival Competition 2020 with his ensemble Duo Zeffiretti.
About
Maayan Licht, male soprano
“One of the absolute shooting stars of the international opera scene.”
– Ruhr Nachrichten
Winner of the “Best Newcomer” award at the Oper! Awards 2025, Licht is recognised as one of the most exciting emerging voices in opera today. Known as “the modern day Farinelli” Licht is celebrated for performing roles almost no-one else can sing, combining vocal virtuosity with emotional depth. Alongside his stage career, he has become a social media phenomenon, with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, and millions of views worldwide, bringing classical music and opera to new audiences across the globe.
Licht’s engagements in the 2025/26 season include his debut at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, where he will perform the role of Ra in the world premiere of Meriç Artaç’s Requiem for Mariza; the title role in Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie at Theater an der Wien, a reprise of the acclaimed Bayreuth Baroque 2022 production; and Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea at Teatro Ponchielli (Carsen/Agnew featuring Les Arts Florissants) as part of the 2026 Monteverdi Festival.
He has received outstanding critical acclaim for his operatic portrayals: Laertes in Gasparini’s Ambleto (Theater an der Wien); the title role in Handel’s Xerxes (Staatstheater Oldenburg); Alcidoro in J.C. Bach’s Amor Vincitore alongside Julia Lezhneva (SWR Schwetzingen Festival and on tour); Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Oper Dortmund; Janáček Theatre Brno); Amore in Martín y Soler’s L’arbore di Diana (Wiener Kammeroper); the title role in Giacomelli’s Scipione in Cartagine nuova (Teatro Farnese, Parma); Achilles in Porpora’s Ifigenia in Aulide (Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival); Erodiade La Figlia in Stradella’s San Giovanni Battista (Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival); the title role in the world premiere of Ľubica Čekovská’s Here I Am, Orlando (Janáček Theatre, Brno); and a solo recital with Ottavio Dantone and Accademia Bizantina at the Monteverdi Festival in Cremona. He was also invited to perform at the prestigious amfAR AIDS Gala 2025 in Salzburg.
His concert repertoire includes the soprano solos in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, the St. John Passion, as well as the role of Didymus in Handel’s Theodora.
Amongst his more experimental projects, he headlined a queer production of Bizet’s CarMEN, performing the title role in collaboration with renowned drag artists at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw and the celebrated Parade Festival. Licht also merges techno and opera with his group Technopera, performing at distinguished venues like the Concertgebouw and the renowned Down the Rabbit Hole Festival in the Netherlands.
Discovered by his Israeli teacher Vita Gurevich, Licht completed his vocal studies in Early Music at the Conservatory of Amsterdam under the guidance of Xenia Meijer, graduating with Distinction in 2021. Since then, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Bajazzo Sponsor Award 2025 from the Theater and Concert Friends (TuK) Dortmund for his portrayal of Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at Oper Dortmund, the Grand Prize at the Vienna International Music Competition 2023, and both the jury and audience prizes at the Grachtenfestival Competition 2020 with his ensemble Duo Zeffiretti.