Aleksey Bogdanov

— Baritone

"Alexey Bogdanov brought a huge baritone to the proceedings in the role of Starbuck. In addition to imposing vocal muscle and crystal-clear diction, the Ukrainian singer etched a compelling portrait of the ship’s first mate—a Christian family man caught between his sense of duty to the ship’s mission and obedience to his increasingly unhinged captain."
—Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review, April 26, 2019 - Starbuck in 'Moby Dick' at Chicago Opera Theater

"Alexey Bogdanov, as the German commander Lt. Horstmayer (who, we learn, happens to be Jewish, with a French wife), sang in a resounding baritone that seemed bigger and clearer than anyone else on stage."
—Anne Midgette, Washington Post, November 11, 2018 - Lt. Horstmayer in 'Silent Night' at Washington National Opera

"...Aleksey Bogdanov, who plays the opera’s four different villains. His resounding baritone and classic evil laugh make him a magnetic force on stage, drawing all eyes and ears as he punctuates his evil schemes with humor."
—Samantha Lazar, Valley News, August 6, 2018 - Four Villians in "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" at Opera North

"Aleksey Bogdanov characterized the secretary Shchelkalov with nuance and gravitas..."
—Revecca Wishnia, San Francisco Classical Voice, June 18, 2018 - Shchelkalov in 'Boris Godunov' at San Francisco Symphony

"It is hardly surprising that Aleksey Bogdanov, the Ukrainian-born baritone who played this role with gripping authority and vocal splendor..."
—Arthur Kaptainis, Classical Voice North America, March 15, 2018 - Sebastiano in 'Tiefland' at Sarasota Opera

"As Scarpia, Aleksey Bogdanov sang with resounding tones that carried through the Te Deum’s heavy orchestration."
—Maria Nockin, Opera Today, November 14, 2017 - Baron Scarpia in 'Tosca' at Arizona Opera

“The rest of this ensemble cast was strong from top to bottom, with Aleksey Bogdanov a standout for his resonant, flexible baritone as the Burgundian Knight Lionel.”
—Jeremy Eichler, Boston Globe, September 18, 2017 - Lionel in 'The Maid of Orleans' at Odyssey Opera

About

Russian-American baritone Aleksey Bogdanov continues to establish himself as one of the most compelling performers of his generation. Mr. Bogdanov started the 2018-2019 season with his debut with Maryland Lyric Opera as Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West. He will also return to Washington National Opera as Lieutenant Horstmayer in Silent Night, as well as cover Scarpia in Tosca and the title role in Eugene Onegin. Additionally, he will make his debut at the Chicago Opera Theater as Starbuck in Moby Dick.

Last season, Mr. Bogdanov made . . . his debut with the San Francisco Symphony as Shchelkalov in Boris Godunov conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. Other appearances include Arizona Opera as Scarpia in Tosca, Sarasota Opera as Sebastiano in d'Albert's rarely-heard Tiefland, Lionel in Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orle´ans with Odyssey Opera in Boston, Four Villains in Les Contes d'Hoffmann with Opera North in New Hampshire, and covered the title role in Rubinstein's The Demon with Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

In recent seasons, he made his role debut as Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West with Opera Carolina, Scarpia in Tosca with Opera North, The Demon with Commonwealth Lyric Theater, Escamillo in La tragédie de Carmen with Colorado Music Festival, Nourabad in Les pêcheurs de perles with Tulsa Opera, and Vitellius in Hérodiade with Washington Concert Opera. He also appeared with Washington National Opera as Escamillo in Carmen, Peter in Hansel and Gretel, created Governor George Wallace in the revised version of Appomattox, and covered Donner and Gunther in Francesca Zambello's Ring Cycle. Praised as "pitch-perfect" by The Washington Post, his many roles in over 100 performances with WNO include Mozart’s Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Guglielmo, Belcore in L'elisir d'amore, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Silvano in Un ballo in maschera, and the Jailer in Dialogues of the Carmelites.

Mr. Bogdanov made a last-minute debut at The Glimmerglass Festival as Escamillo in Carmen to great acclaim, and he has appeared in this signature role with The Atlanta Opera, Washington National Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra. He returned to The Glimmerglass Festival as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and Samuel Griffiths in Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy. He also appeared in the US premiere of Tarik O'Regan's Heart of Darkness with Opera Parallèle. Other career highlights include his Canadian debut as the title role in Eugene Onegin with Edmonton Opera, and his Carnegie Hall debut as Bass Soloist in Handel's Messiah. He has been featured as a soloist in Mozart's Requiem at Place des Arts in Montréal, Beethoven's Fidelio with National Symphony Orchestra, Barber's A Hand of Bridge with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Romancero Gitano at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Teatro Baretti di Torino, Dvorák's Te Deum and Janácek’s Glagolitic Mass at Basilica of the National Shrine, and the Requiems of Mozart, Fauré, and Duruflé at the Washington National Cathedral. He has performed at the United States Supreme Court and CIA Headquarters, and has sung the national anthem for the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals.

Born in 1983 in Odessa, Ukraine, Mr. Bogdanov immigrated to San Francisco in 1992. He made his professional debut in 2008 with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in William Walton's Troilus and Cressida. He is an alumnus of Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, Indiana University, and University of California Santa Cruz. He is a grand prize winner of the Florida Grand Opera Competition, a two-time winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council District Awards, and a Career Grant recipient from The Sullivan Foundation, The Shoshana Foundation, Pasadena Opera Guild, and San Francisco Opera Merola Program.


(Updated October 2018)

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