The Austrian baritone Liviu Holender discovered his love for opera at an early age as a member of the Opera School for Children at the Vienna State Opera, where he performed, among other roles, as the Shepherd in Tosca. He received his comprehensive musical education in his hometown of Vienna, where he studied clarinet at the University of Music and Performing Arts and piano at the Conservatory. Starting in 2013, he received vocal training at the University of Music in Vienna under Karlheinz Hanser and privately with Wicus Slabbert. In addition, he completed his master’s degree in law.

Since the 2019/20 season, Liviu Holender has been a member of the ensemble at the Frankfurt Opera, and he begins the 2023/24 season in Frankfurt with his role debut as Doctor Malatesta (Don Pasquale). Furthermore, he will be seen in Frankfurt as Hans (Der Traumgörge) and Moralés/Dancaïro (Carmen). Other highlights of the 2023/24 season include his role debut as Marcello (La Bohème) at the National Opera Cluj-Napoca in Romania and at the Croatian National Opera Zagreb under the direction of Piergiorgio Morandi. He will also return to the Spring Festival Tokyo, where he will perform as Schaunard in a concert version of La Bohème. Additionally, he will appear at the Bregenz Festival in the new production of Der Freischütz in the role of Ottokar.

In the past season, the young baritone showcased his versatility at the Frankfurt Opera with roles such as Olivier in Strauss’ Capriccio conducted by Sebastian Weigle, Peter Besenbinder (Hansel and Gretel), the Count in Schreker’s Der Ferne Klang, and Consul Sharpless (Madama Butterfly). In previous years, Holender has been seen at his home base in roles such as Leone (Tamerlano), as well as the roles of Moralès/Dancaïro and Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro). He made his debut as Henrik (Maskerade) and also portrayed Marullo (Rigoletto) and Marco (Gianni Schicchi).

Guest engagements took him to Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where he debuted as Silvano (Un ballo in maschera), and to Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, where, under the musical direction of Zubin Mehta, he performed as Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus) and in a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos conducted by Daniele Gatti, where he took on the role of Harlequin. Two additional engagements as Dr. Falke led him to Teatro Carlo Felice Genoa under Fabio Luisi and to the Musikverein Graz (in concert). He made his debut in the role of the Heerrufer (Lohengrin) at the Tokyo Spring Festival under the baton of Marek Janowski. He also portrayed Conte Almaviva at the Latvian National Opera in Riga and sang the role in Bucharest’s National Opera, in addition to the role of Silvio (Pagliacci). In 2019, he appeared as Marullo at the Bregenz Festival.

From 2017 to 2019, he was an ensemble member at the Munich State Theater am Gärtnerplatz, where he sang roles including Graf Eberbach (Der Wildschütz), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Schaunard (La Bohème), and Hans Scholl in Udo Zimmermann’s (Die Weisse Rose)

In addition to his active stage career, Liviu Holender is also a sought-after concert singer. Highlights of his concert activity in 2023 included his debut as Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the Vienna Konzerthaus with the Vienna Philharmonic under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst, his interpretation of Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn songs with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra conducted by Frederic Chaslin, and his baritone solo in Brahms’ Requiem with the Basel Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Marek Janowski, as well as at the Tokyo Spring Festival with the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra under Finnegan Downie Dear. He also has a strong interest in lieder. In 2021, he was a scholarship holder at the Lied Academy of the Heidelberger Frühling and gave lieder recitals as part of the Royaumont Lied Academy in Paris at the Philharmonie de Paris, on Radio France Musique, at the Royaumont Festival, in the Auditorium of the Musée d’Orsay, at the Opera de Lille, and at the Ateneul Roman Bucharest.