MICHAEL ARIVONY

The young Malagasy Baritone Michael Arivony is now based in Vienna, and is member of the opera studio of the Wiener Staatsoper after having recently completed his studies at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Listz in Weimar, and the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was the winner of the Concours d’Opera en Arles (2019), 3. Prize winner of the Das Lied International Competition in Heidelberg (2019), and winner of the International Student Lied Duo Competition (Groningen, 2019) with his duo partner Teodora Oprisor.

In his home country, Michael discovered classical music through church choirs and singing in some private choirs. Discovering his curiosity for the complexity of the human voice, he took voice lessons at the few private music schools that were present in the capital, Antananarivo. And in 2012, shortly after he had taken lessons, he was asked to step in for the role of the Barone Duphol, at the Opera Mauritius Festival: singing along side baritones Markus Bruck and Michael Kraus. From then on, his longing to pursue a musical career grew within him. And with the support of his family, the support of generous donors, close mentors and teachers, he was able to make his way to Europe to study.

During his years of study at the Royal Academy of Music, Michael has used his time to satisfy his curiusity and passion about the Art Song repertoire: especially the Lied genre. And being new to classical music, having grown up in Madagascar, he also took up conducting to develop his repertoire and musical horizon. In these years (2016-2018), he was principal conductor of the Saint Bartholomew’s Chamber Orchestra: an amateur orchestra based in south London.

During his time in Germany Michael started engagements, thanks to the competitions he took part in and performed on stages such as the Berlin Konzert Haus, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Beethoven Fest in Bonn, the Orsay Museum and many other places. He was also among the few young artists, along with his duo partner Teodora Oprisor, to have been part of the Orsay-Royaumont Academie in Paris in which they released together with the laureates an album of Lieder and Melodies called “Carte postale”.

Apart from the Art Song repertoire, and the many oratorios that he has sung, he has also taken up and covered roles such as Leporello and Masetto (Don Giovanni, W. A. Mozart), Dancaire (Carmen, G. Bizet), Marullo (Rigoletto, G. Verdi), Poliphemus (Acis and Galatea, Handel), Nummer Vier (Das vertne Meer, Hans Henze) and Schaunard (La Boheme, G. Puccini).

His passion for music grows on, but in his free time he is also a hobby photographer. His interest in visual representation, colors and esthetics almost inspire him to find things to apply to his singing.