“He is simply sensational, with a thrilling, commanding, passionate voice layered with wonderful phrasing and ease of delivery. Bilgili is also a marvellous interpreter, whether in the comic aria 'La calunnia' from Rossini's The Barber of Seville or the dramatic 'Come dal ciel precipita' from Macbeth.”
– Toronto Classical 96.3FM
From the time of his professional operatic debut at the Teatro alla Scala in the 2002-03 Season as Don Alfonso in Lucrezia Borgia, bass Burak Bilgili has enjoyed a busy international schedule of engagements. He opened the 2007-2008 season as the Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Virginia Opera, followed by his debut at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino as Guardiano in La forza del destino, Don Basilio in Detroit and Toronto, and Nourabad in Les Pêcheurs de Perles at the Flordai Grand Opera in Miami. Future seasons will bring Mr. Bilgili to Geneva as Leporello in Don Giovanni, to the San Francisco Opera as Ferrando in Il trovatore, to Palermo as Giorgio in I puritani, Florida Grand Opera as Nilkanatha in Lakme, Detroit as Dulcamara, Seattle Opera as Don Basilio, and a return to Vancouver Opera as the Villains in Les Contes d'Hoffmann.
Mr. Bilgili’s 2006-2007 season began at Den Norske Oper as Escamillo in Carmen , followed by Banquo in Verdi’s Macbeth with the Vancouver Opera and by his role debut as Walter in Luisa Miller with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. With the Florida Concert Association he was heard as Ferrando in an all-star cast of Verdi’s Il trovatore , followed by Colline in La Boheme at the Las Palmas Opera Festival. He closed the season as Ramfis in Aida at Cincinnati Opera. Mr. Bilgili opened the 2005-2006 season with his return to the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto for Banco in Macbeth, followed by Timur in Turandot for the New York City Opera, Leporello in Vancouver, and Banquo for his Seattle Opera debut. Mr. Bilgili’s role debuts during that season included Escamillo in Carmen at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, and the bass solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which he performed with the Louisville Orchestra.
Highlights of Mr. Bilgili’s 2004-2005 season included two debuts: his Canadian Opera Company debut in Toronto Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, followed by his debut at the Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona as Timur in Turandot. Also in the season he was Colline in La bohème and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Seviglia at the Cincinnati Opera Festival. Mr. Bilgili made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Leporello in a new production of Don Giovanni in the 2003-2004 Season, under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis. His schedule in 2003-2004 also included house debuts with Pittsburgh Opera and Vancouver Opera as Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia.
In 2002 he debuted as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Rome Opera and Palm Beach Opera and debuted as Sparafucile in Baltimore Opera’s Rigoletto. Other highlights of previous seasons include Faure’s Requiem in France with the Lyon Symphony Orchestra and Istanbul European Choir and solo recitals at the 25th and 28th International Istanbul Music Festival as part of the Young Soloist Series. Mr. Bilgili appeared in recital singing Schubert's Die Winterreise at the Austrian Consulate Cultural Office in Istanbul, and took part in San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program where he performed Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte and Betto in Gianni Schicchi. Mr. Bilgili also appeared as soloist in Mozart's Requiem and Coronation Mass with the Istanbul European Choir, and joined the Istanbul State Opera as Don Geronio in Il Turco in Italia and Abimelech in Samson et Dalila. He was the Bass soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra and Istanbul State Opera Chorus. With the Mimar Sinan University Orchestra, Mr. Bilgili sang Faure's Requiem and performed the roles of Colline and Schaunard in La bohème.
A recipient of numerous awards, the young Turkish bass has been busy collecting top prizes including First Prizes in the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition 2002 in Vienna, the International Alfredo Kraus Competition 2002 in Las Palmas, the Neue Stimmen International Opera Competition in 2001, the Mario Lanza Opera Competition, and the J. Parkinson Italian Opera Competition. He was also a winner of the Loren Zachary Opera Competition, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Voice Competition, and was First Place winner in both the Giargiari Bel Canto Voice Competition and 1998 Siemens Opera Competition in Turkey.
A graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Mr. Bilgili’s repertoire there included the title role in Don Giovanni, Count Rodolfo in La Sonnambula and Colline in La Bohème . Mr. Bilgili also graduated from Conservatory of Mimar Sinan University in 2000. He studied with Maestro Bonaldo Giaiotti and Katia Ricciarelli at the Academia Lirica Internationale in Parma, Italy, and performed in concert with Miss Ricciarelli in Italy.
For more photographs and biographical information, visit www.BurakBilgili.com.