Biography

Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón made his Royal Opera debut in 2004 as Hoffmann (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) and has since sung Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Rodolfo (La bohème), Lensky (Eugene Onegin), Don Carlos, Werther and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni, including on tour to Japan) for the Company.
Villazón was born in Mexico City and studied at the conservatory there. In 1999 he won second prize, the Zarzuela Prize and the Audience Prize in Operalia. He sings regularly for Berlin State Opera, where his roles have included Des Grieux (Manon), Don José (Carmen), Alfredo Germont (La traviata), Nemorino, Lensky and Michel (Julietta), and for Bavarian State Opera, where his roles have included Faust, Alfredo, Rodolfo, Roméo (Roméo et Juliette) and Hoffmann. He also sings for opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Liceu, Barcelona, Vienna State Opera and La Scala, Milan. He appears regularly in concert worldwide, and has given recitals at the Salzburg Festival and Vienna Musikverein, among others. He is an exclusive recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon.
Villazón has directed Werther (Opéra de Lyon), Viva la mamma (Vienna Volksoper), La rondine (Deutsche Oper Berlin) and La traviata and L’elisir d’amore (Baden-Baden). He was a mentor and juror for ‘Pop Star to Opera Star’ (UK television), and presents the programme ‘Stars von morgen’. He is an ambassador for the Red Noses Clown Doctors. His debut novel Malabares was published in 2013. He is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Videos
News and features
Watch: Rolando Villazón and Saimir Pirgu on La traviata
The tenors discuss the role of Alfredo, and the power and beauty of Verdi's iconic opera.
BBC Radio 3 broadcasts of Royal Opera performances announced for winter, spring and summer 2014/15
Andrea Chénier, La bohème, Die Zauberflöte and others on Opera on 3.
The Royal Opera to tour to Japan in September 2015
Company to perform Macbeth and Don Giovanni in Tokyo, conducted by Antonio Pappano.
Photos
A recording of BBC Radio Four's Start the Week.

Marina Poplavskaya as Elisabetta di Valois and Rolando Villazon as Don Carlo in Don Carlo

Rolando Villazón as Don Ottavio, Albina Shagimuratova as Donna Anna

Rolando Villazón as Lensky and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Eugene Onegin in Eugene Onegin

Maija Kovalevska as Mimì, Rolando Villazón as Rodolfo, Auden Iversen as Marcello, Nahuel di Pierro as Colline and David Bizic as Schaunard in La bohème

Werther

Rolando Villazón as the title role in Werther, The Royal Opera

Rolando Villazón as Rodolfo and Maija Kovalevska as Mimì in La bohème

Rolando Villazón as Rodolfo and Maija Kovalevska as Mimì in La bohème

Rolando Villazón as Rodolfo in La bohème.

Christopher Maltman as Don Giovanni, Julia Lezhneva as Zerlina, Rolando Villazón as Don Ottavio, Albina Shagimuratova as Donna Anna in Kasper Holten’s Don Giovanni

Rolando Villazón as Don Ottavio in Kasper Holten’s Don Giovanni

Rolando Villazón as Don Ottavio in Kasper Holten’s Don Giovanni

Rolando Villazón

Rolando Villazón in Werther, The Royal Opera

Rolando Villazón as Lensky and Nino Surguladze as Olga in Eugene Onegin
