Erik van Heyningen
baritone
© Barbara Aumüller
Erik van Heyningen joined Oper Frankfurt's ensemble in 2022/23. Last season he enjoyed success singing Escamillo in Carmen, Geronte de Ravoir in Manon Lescaut, a Mandarin in a new Turandot and Achilla in Giulio Cesare in Egitto. During the 2026/27 season you can hear him as Mordred (role debut) in a new production of Chausson's Le roi Arthus, a Mandarin in Turandot, Biterolf in Tannhäuser and Melisso in Alcina in Frankfurt, Ahab in Eugeniusz Kapik's Moby Dick with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice and in concert in San Diego. He recently added new roles to his repertoire: the Dottore, Banker & Professor, a Grandfather, Old man & Aglovan and Melisso in new productions of Berg's Lulu, Reimann's L'invisible & Handel's Alcina and sang Monterone in Rigoletto and Capellio in Rossini's Bianca e Falliero. Other roles since this American artist joined the company included Angelotti (Tosca), the Speaker, Guido (which he sang when it first opened at the 2022 Tirol Festival in Erl) and Jupiter's Priest in new productions of Die Zauberflöte, Mercadante’s Francesca da Rimini and Handel's Hercules, the Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen, 1st Shepherd in our unforgettable production of Daphne, Plumkett in Flotow's Martha, Zuniga in Carmen, Biterolf in a new Tannhäuser and Elmiro Barberigo in Rossini's Otello. He was a member of the Vienna State Opera's Opera Studio from 2020 - 2022, during which time roles included Jochanaan (Salome), Donner (Das Rheingold) and 1st Gang Member (Henze's Verratene Meer). Roles at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis included the Gaoler (Dialogue of the Carmélites) and he sang Angelotti at Michigan Opera, where he was a member of the Opera Studio for the 2017/18 season. Whilst studying at the Juillard School in New York (2018-2020) roles included Leporello (Don Giovanni), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte) and Aragante (Rinaldo) and he sang Jochanaan (Salome) at the Spoleto Festival. He won many awards including the Barbara and Stanley Richman Memorial Award from the Theater of St. Louis, where he was a Richard Gaddes Festival Artist, Santa Fe Opera's Donald Gramm Memorial Award and 1st prize at the 2016 Gerda Lissner Lieder and Song Competition.