David Bižić

David Bižić
Давид Бижић
David Bižić
Born (1975-11-25) 25 November 1975
Belgrade, Serbia
EducationJerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
OccupationOperatic baritone
Years active2000–present
Children2
RelativesDr. Mina Bizic (sister)
Awards
  • Second Prize from Operalia (2007)
  • AROP Prix Lyriques (2005)
Musical career
GenresOpera
InstrumentVoice
Major opera housesMetropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, San Francisco Opera, Vienna State Opera

David Bižić (Serbian Cyrillic: Давид Бижић; born 25 November 1975 in Belgrade, Serbia) is a Serbian-born French operatic baritone.[1]

Early life

Bižić was born in Belgrade, Serbia. He studied archaeology[2] before he pursued vocal arts. His father was a physical chemist and his mother is a psychologist.

His love for opera, he states, started at early age being exposed to opera records at home,[3] especially The Three Tenors concerts. Two of the four main artists from those recordings, Zubin Mehta and by Placido Domingo conducted him later in the career.[4]

I remember feeling really connected to Domingo, Pavarotti, the famous tenors. I was seven or eight years old when I listened to them sing arias, and although I didn't know what they were singing about, I could feel the emotion and passion, and that spoke so much to me. I also did conducting at home and became passionate about expressing myself through music. But I had no idea that I would become an opera singer. It was never on my list of possible professions."[2]

Education and early career

In 2000 at the age of 24 he started studying voice at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance with Bibiana Goldenthal.[2] He later continued his education with International Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI)[5] and apprenticed with the Israeli Opera YAP[6] and Paris National Opera – Atelier Lyrique program.[7]

He has participated in numerous master classes and concerts in France, Israel, New York and Japan working with José van Dam, Teresa Berganza and Gabriel Bacquier among others.

Singing career

After his musical training in Tel Aviv, Paris and New York, Bizic's principal role debut was in the title role of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro in Nantes, in 2006. During that same time, he was awarded the AROP Prix lyrique by the Paris National Opera, and has won the second prize of Operalia world opera competition.[8]

Bižić has since appeared in major opera houses and festivals across Europe and America.

Bižić's career first garnered international attention in the role of Masetto in two critically acclaimed productions of Don Giovanni[9] by Michael Haneke at the Paris Opera[10] and Dmitri Tcherniakov in Aix-en-Provence Festival.[11] He later revived both of those productions, now in the role of Leporello.[9]

In 2014 Bižić made his debut[12] at the Metropolitan Opera in New York singing Albert in Richard Eyre's production of Werther alongside Jonas Kaufmann and Sophie Koch and came back the following season to sing Marcello (La bohème). He has been back to the Metropolitan Opera every season after that having sung more than 60 shows so far.[2][13]

Opera

As an interpreter of Mozart roles, most notably Don Giovanni, Leporello and Masetto in Don Giovanni, Almaviva and Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, Guglielmo and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Bižić has performed at the Paris Opera,[9] Wiener Staatsoper,[14] Los Angeles Opera,[4] Teatro Real, Bolshoi Theatre,[15] Bordeaux, Monte Carlo,[16] Geneve,[16] Ravinia Festival, Valencia, Toulouse, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Maribor, Vlaamse Opera[17], Montpellier, Rennes, Saint Etienne, Rouen, Aix en Provence, Dijon, Nantes and Strasbourg.

Other career highlights include his Metropolitan Opera debut as Albert in Werther,[13] Albert and Schaunard in the Royal Opera House, London, his debut at the Teatro Liceo as Manon's brother in Puccini's Manon Lescaut,[18] Marcello and Sharpless in the Metropolitan Opera,[13] title role of Eugene Onegin in Limoges, Metz and Tel Aviv, Lucia di Lammermoor's Enrico in Toulon Opera, Zurga in Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles in Bordeaux and Dortmund, Escamillo (Carmen) in Tel Aviv, Belgrade, Stockholm, Dijon and Macerata Opera, High Priest of Dagon (Samson et Dalila) at the Royal Swedish Opera and the title role of Don Pasquale in Toulon.[19]

In 2023, Bižić debuted at the San Francisco Opera portraying Belcore in Daniel Slater's production of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, conducted by Ramón Tebar.[20][21]

Concerts

In opera concert performances Bizic has sung Sharples in Puccini's Madama Butterfly with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder.[22]

He has also performed Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni in Ravinia Festival[3] with Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Conlon, La Vida Breve with the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and Zurga from Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles with WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln conducted by Friedrich Haider. He has additionally sung the role of Christ in César Franck’s Les Béatitudes with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège under the direction of Gergely Madaras[23].

His other concert appearances include Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Orchestre de Montpellier and the Orchestre de Bordeaux conducted by Marc Minkowski, Zeisl's Requiem Ebraico with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta, Fauré's Requiem with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and Accentus Choir for the Saint Denis Festival conducted by Laurence Equilbey[24] and Brahms' A German Requiem with the Serbian Radio TV Symphony Orchestra.[25]

David Bižić has collaborated with a wide range of conductors, including Yannick Nézet-Séguin,[26] James Conlon,[27] Antonio Pappano,[28] Marc Minkowski,[29] Zubin Mehta,[30] Friedrich Haider,[31] Sir Mark Elder,[32][33] Louis Langrée,[34] Alain Altinoglu,[35] Gianandrea Noseda,[36] Emmanuel Villaume,[37] Daniele Rustioni,[38], and Marco Armiliato.[39]

Personal life

Bižić lives in Bordeaux, France. He is married and has two children.[3] Bižić can also play piano and didjeridoo.[2] He is a brother of Dr. Mina Bizic

Awards

Bižić is a winner of the second prize from Operalia[8] in 2007 and Paris Opera AROP Prix Lyriques in 2005.[40]

Recordings

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Décret du 22 décembre 2025 portant naturalisation". Legifrance. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Necula, Maria-Cristina (24 June 2020). "Baritone David Bizic on His Bold and Passionate Journey to the Met". Woman Around Town. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Radović, Branka (18 August 2014). "Iz Zemuna do najvećih svetskih operskih kuća". Politika (in Serbian). Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b Richard S. Ginell (24 September 2012). "Review: L.A. Opera's Don Giovanni upholds tradition expertly". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ "IVAI Alumni". Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  6. ^ האופרה הישראלית. (2025, December 17). Meitar Opera Studio | The Israeli Opera. האופרה הישראלית תל-אביב - יפו. https://www.israel-opera.co.il/en/the-israeli-opera-general-information/meitar-opera-studio
  7. ^ Ciavarini Azzi, Lorenzo (29 March 2014). "Un "Don Giovanni" frais et énergique par l'Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Paris". franceinfo:culture (in French). Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Operalia Winners 2007". Retrieved 16 June 2022
  9. ^ a b c "David Bizic", MémOpéra.fr. Retrieved 16 June 2022
  10. ^ Cieutat & Rouyer 2017, p. 259.
  11. ^ Will 2022, p. 276.
  12. ^ Tommasini, Anthony (19 February 2014). "Things End Badly for a Poet, but Quite Well for the Tenor". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Metropolitan Opera Archives. "David Bizic performances at the Metropolitan Opera". Accessed 30 December 2025.
  14. ^ "David Bizic als Leporello in Don Giovanni / Don Juan", Spielplanarchiv der Wiener Staatsoper. Accessed 30 December 2025.
  15. ^ David Bizic Электронный архив Большого театра. Электронный архив. (n.d.). https://archive.bolshoi.ru/entity/PERSON/3804534
  16. ^ a b Barilier, Étienne. "Les noces de Figaro – Mozart". L'avant-Scène opéra, vol. 314, Premières Loges, 2020, http://www.asopera.fr/produit/28/9782843853555/les-noces-de-figaro.
  17. ^ Andrieu, E. (2015). Compte-rendu. Opéra. Gand, Opéra, le 18 juin 2015. Wolgang Amadeus Mozart : Le Nozze di Figaro. David Bizic, Levenet Molnar, Julia Kleiter, Julia Westendorp, Renata Pokupic, Kathleen Wilkinson, Peter Kalman, Piet Vasichen, Adam Smith, Aylin Sezer. Guy Joosten, mise en scène. Paul McCreesh, direction. | ClassiqueNews. [online] Classiquenews.com. Available at: https://www.classiquenews.com/compte-rendu-opera-gand-opera-le-18-juin-2015-wolgang-amadeus-mozart-le-nozze-di-figaro-david-bizic-levenet-molnar-julia-kleiter-julia-westendorp-renata-pokupic-kathleen-wilkinson-peter/ [Accessed 23 Jan. 2026].
  18. ^ Naxos.com. (2018). PUCCINI, G.: Manon Lescaut [Opera] (Liceu, 2018) (.. - 766308 | Discover more releases from C Major. [online] Available at: https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=766308 [Accessed 23 Jan. 2026].
  19. ^ Metina-Bouchour, Leïla (2026). "Opéra de Toulon : Donizetti fait pétiller le Zénith. L'Empire Pasquale à l'épreuve de la modernité. 31/12/25 & 2/1/26". arts-spectacles.com (in French). Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  20. ^ Milenski, Michael. "The Elixir of Love in San Francisco". Opera Today, 20 November 2023
  21. ^ "David Bizic Bio." http://www.sfopera.com/about/bios/artists/david-bizic/. Accessed 2 March 2024.
  22. ^ Hewett, Ivan (29 May 2022). "Hallé Orchestra: Madama Butterfly, review: emotional intensity that stings like a bee". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Franck: Les Béatitudes" by Christopher Dingle, 30 January 2024, BBC Classical Music
  24. ^ de, J.-B. (2010). Laurence Equilbey et Accentus, sous le signe du recueillement - ResMusica. [online] ResMusica. Available at: https://www.resmusica.com/2010/06/14/sous-le-signe-du-recueillement/ [Accessed 23 Jan. 2026].
  25. ^ David Bizic | Zelaya Artists. (n.d.). Zelaya Artists. https://www.zelaya-artists.com/davidbizic
  26. ^ "La bohème – The Metropolitan Opera (2024–2025)". Opera Online. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Conlon restores a welcome intimacy to Don Giovanni at Ravinia". Chicago Classical Review. August 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  28. ^ "Wonderful singing makes The Royal Opera's revival of Werther worthwhile". Seen and Heard International. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  29. ^ "Beethoven – Symphonie n°9". Opéra National de Bordeaux. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  30. ^ "Zubin Mehta – IPO Live Recordings 1963–2006". Helicon Classics. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  31. ^ "Les pêcheurs de perles – Festspiele 2019". Online Musik Magazin. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  32. ^ "Madama Butterfly – Hallé, Bridgewater Hall". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  33. ^ "Opera review: La Bohème, Royal Opera House". Daily Express. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  34. ^ "Mozart: Don Giovanni". Gramophone. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  35. ^ "A Play-It-Safe Werther With Touches of Modernity". The New York Times. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  36. ^ "Afternoon on 3 – Gianandrea Noseda". BBC Radio 3. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  37. ^ "Puccini: Manon Lescaut". Gramophone. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  38. ^ "La bohème – Metropolitan Opera" (PDF). Metropolitan Opera. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  39. ^ "Opera on 3 — From the Met in New York Puccini's La bohème". BBC Radio 3. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  40. ^ "Lauréats des Prix de l'Arop de la Saison 22/23". AROP. (n.d.)
  41. ^ Altman. "La bohème", American Record Guide, September 2022, pp. 66–67. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=158685916&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site. (subscription required)
  42. ^ "Recordings of Eric Zeisl's Music", accessed 5 February 2024.
  43. ^ "Don Giovanni 2009". Telmondis. Accessed 30 December 2025.
  44. ^ "Don Giovanni Rennes 2009 Gadd Bizic Pagesy Ruzzafante Moreno". "Don Giovanni Opera on Video", 14 December 2020.
  45. ^ Clark, Andrew. "La bohème, Royal Opera House, London". 18 December 2012, http://www.ft.com/content/903b5b82-4906-11e2-b94d-00144feab49a.

Sources

  • Cieutat, Michel; Rouyer, Philippe (6 September 2017). Haneke par Haneke (in French). Stock. ISBN 9782234084063.
  • Will, Richard (13 June 2022). "Don Giovanni" Captured. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226815428.

Further reading

  • L'Opéra vu par Alain Duault & Colette Masson, Hugo & Cie, 2010 ISBN 978-2755606386
  • La bohème, Puccini : livret bilingue, guide d'écoute, genèse et création, sources littéraires, profil des rôles, discographie, vidéographie, Premières loges, 2014 ISBN 978-2-84385-306-7
  • Così fan tutte, Mozart, Da Ponte : livret bilingue, guide d'écoute, genèse et création, sources littéraires, profil des rôles, discographie, vidéographie, Les Éditions Premières Loges, 2016 ISBN 978-2-84385-327-2
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