Filip Bandžak - Mahler - Lieder (2022) [Hi-Res]

Filip Bandžak, one of the most remarkable baritones of his generation, was born in Pardubice, Czech Republic. His musical career began very early when he moved to Prague. At the age of four he started playing the violin and attended drama classes at the Folk School of Art. In 1992 he became a member of the Prague Philharmonic Children’s Choir. Already by the age of 11, Filip made his first professional appearance on the opera stage by performing in the role of the Page in G. Verdi’s Rigoletto in the Prague’s National Theatre. His debut he made on the stage of the Prague State Opera as Marcello in Puccini´s La Bohème.

After his first appearance on to the international vocal scene which was held by performing the title role in Hans Krása’s children’s opera Brundibár in 1993, Filip decided to study at the Music Faculty of the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow (GITIS), what allowed him to get a high quality education of classical opera, based on the traditions of the famous Russian opera school. He passed the entrance exams successfully and even received a presidential scholarship for the whole period of his studies. In GITIS he studied both drama (acting) under the tuition of Prof. Rozetta Nemchinskaya and opera singing under the tuition of Prof. Svetlana Varguzova and the soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, baritone Yuri Vedeneyev.

After finishing studies in Moscow he started to cooperate closely with a world famous Russian operatic bass People´s Artist of the USSR, Austrian Kammersänger Prof. Evgeni Nesterenko. At the same time Filip Bandžak studied at the Western Bohemian University where he earned a Master´s degree in psychology and culture of music. Filip Bandžak made appearances at renowned international vocal competitions and music festivals. In November 2006 Filip won the first prize at the Czech International Vocal Competition of Antonín Dvořák in Karlovy Vary.

In October 2008 he took part in the high profile China International Vocal Competition (CIVC) in Ningbo. He was the only European laureate and was honoured with the award for an outstanding interpretation of a Chinese song in Chinese language. In May 2009 he became a laureate of the highly prestigious 35th Maria Callas Competition Gran Prix in Athens, Greece. In June 2010 Filip Bandžak also became a laureate of the First International F. I. Shalyapin Competition in Plyos, Russia. In the same year he became the only European participant of the Harbin International music festival in China.He has also performed at Tallin Opera festival, Bártok+ International Music festival in Hungarian Miskolc. He has appeared in such venues as Megaron the Athens Concert Hall, Moscow International House of Music, Budapest Bartók Béla National Concert Hall, Prague’s Rudolfinum. In November 2013 during the Gala concert to support treatment of cancer in children in Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum Filip recieved the most prestigious award for opera of the European Union of Arts “The Golden Europea“.