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Canadian baritone Alexander Hajek, a recent graduate of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, debuted with the COC as Morales in CARMEN and the Third Japanese Envoy in Stravinsky’s THE NIGHTINGALE. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School of Music where, on full scholarship, studying with Daniel Ferro, he completed his Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees. With Juilliard Opera, Mr. Hajek appeared as Hans in Sir Maxwell Davies’ North American premiere of Kommilitonen! This past November and will appear as Hidraot in Armide this February. He toured extensively with St. Michael’s Choir School of Toronto and while at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Mr. Hajek sang with several Toronto based ensembles including The Mendelssohn Choir, Glenn Gould Ensemble, Opera in Concert, the Palestrina Choir and for several summers with The Ontario Youth Choir.
With a voice of ‘velvet beauty, warm tone and eloquent phrasing’, Mr. Hajek has appeared at international venues and command performances for Presidents, Prime Ministers, Pontiffs John Paul II and Benedict (World Youth Day celebrations, Germany and the Vatican).
His selected operatic credits include title roles in GIANNI SCHICCHI and VENUS AND ADONIS, as well as Silvio in PAGLIACCI, Count Almaviva in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Musiklehrer in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Sylvano in LA CALISTO, Dimitri Petrovski in THE MUSIC SHOP, Pierre Lafitte in CABILDO, The Emperor in LE ROSSIGNOL, Apollo in SEMELE, Elder McLean in SUSANNAH, Vicar in ALBERT HERRING and Schaunard and Marcello in LA BOHEME.
With the Canadian Opera Company Mr. Hajek has appeared as the Flemish Deputy in DON CARLOS, the Small Convict in FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD, Pasquariello in Gazzaniga’s DON GIOVANNI and understudied the roles of Count Almaviva in THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, the title role in EUGENE ONEGIN and Figaro in THE BARBER OF SEVILLE.
In the 2008/09 season, Mr. Hajek sang the roles of Prince Andrej’s Orderly and a French Officer in WAR AND PEACE, the Second Prisoner in FIDELIO, Starveling in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Guglielmo in COSÌ FAN TUTTE and Jacob in the company’s touring educational outreach production of THE BROTHERS GRIMM. Understudy roles included the title role in DON GIOVANNI, Albiani in SIMON BOCCANEGRA, Marcello in LA BOHÈME and Demetrius in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and Denisov/Rajevsky/Balaga/Yermelov and a German General in WAR AND PEACE.
Concert highlights include OPERA’S GREATEST ( Brott Music Festival with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada) and THE MESSIAH (Brott Music Festival, Hamilton) and with the Bronx Opera (New York), Mozart’s MASS IN C MINOR, REQUIEMS of Fauré, Brahms, Mozart and Ziesl’s EBRAICO, the Duruflé REQUIEM and Stravinsky MASS (both at Carnegie Hall). Mr. Hajek continues to give recitals in New York, Toronto and Europe.
His Awards include first prize in the Louis Quilico Competition (Ontario Arts Council Foundation), the Todd Duncan Legacy Award (National Opera Association), the Lyndon-Woodside Memorial (The Oratorio Society of New York), the Woodmere competition, the Liederkranz Competition(Art Song Division) and a finalist in The Licia-Albanese Puccini Foundation and Palm Beach Competitions.
January 2012
Opera
Beethoven
Bizet |
2nd Prisoner
Morales |
FIDELIO
CARMEN |
| Britten |
Vicar
Quince/Demetrius/Starveling |
ALBERT HERRING
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM |
| Burry |
Jacob Grimm |
THE BROTHERS GRIMM |
Floyd
Gazzaniga |
Elder McLean
Pasquariello |
SUSANNAH
DON GIOVANNI |
| Janáček |
Small Convict |
FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD |
| Leoncavallo |
Silvio |
PAGLIACCI |
| Mozart |
Don Giovanni
Guglielmo
Count Almaviva |
DON GIOVANNI
COSÌ FAN TUTTE
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO |
| Puccini |
Marcello/Schaunard
Gianni Schicchi
Sciarrone |
LA BOHÈME
GIANNI SCHICCHI
TOSCA |
| Prokofiev |
Denisov/Balaga |
WAR AND PEACE |
| Ravel |
Don Inigo Gomez |
L'HEURE ESPANOLE |
| Strauss, R |
Harlekin/Musiklehrer |
ARIADNE OF NAXOS |
| Stravinsky |
The Emperor |
LE ROSSIGNOL |
| Tchaikovsky |
Eugene Onegin |
EUGENE ONEGIN |
| Verdi |
Flemish Deputy
Paolo Albiani |
DON CARLOS
SIMON BOCCANEGRA |
Concert
| Bach |
Coffee Cantata |
| Brahms |
Ein Deutsches Requiem |
| Duruflé |
Requiem |
|
Fauré
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Requiem |
| Handel |
Messiah |
| Haydn |
Theresienmesse |
| Mozart |
Mass in C minor |
| Palestrina |
Magnificat |
Vaughan Williams
Ziesl |
Dona Nobis Pacem
Ebraico Requiem |
"Baritone Alexander Hajek had an excellent opening scene, vocally assured and convincing." (Carmen)
Globe and Mail - Ken Winters
“Baritone Alexander Hajek as Guglielmo is one to watch with his creamy, romantic, Italianate sound.”
Classical 96.3 FM – Paula Citron
“Baritone Alexander Hajek, in his second season (COC), was the best of the men with a ringingly sung Champagne Aria. He was also most at ease in front of an audience…his is the voice suited for princely roles.”
La Scena Musical – Joseph So
“Baritone Alexander Hajek’s Marcello was engaging and stylishly sung…”
La Scene Musical – Joseph So
“…the only one with clear, steady and unstressed control…he has a solid spinning, velvety sound, which he used with unaffected humour and pathos…”
Globe and Mail – Ken Winters
“…the freshness and intimacy of the space makes it easy to appreciate all the gamin charm Hajek brings to his performance…”
Sun Media – John Coulbourn
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