Nicolai Janitzky

Baritone and California native Nicolai Janitzky recently made his debut at San Francisco Opera as Schelkalov in Boris Godunov. Other recent engagements include Marcello in La Boheme with Sacramento Opera, Guglielmo in Cosi fan Tutte with Opera Idaho in Boise, and Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore at Opera Santa Barbara. As an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera, he took on the title role in Eugene Onegin on short notice to high critical acclaim. Other roles he has sung include the title role in Pélleas et Mélisande, Valentin in Faust, and Papageno in The Magic Flute. He has also worked at San Diego Opera, Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera. He is an active recitalist, and has performed in such venues as Carnegie (Weill) Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Cleveland Institute of Music Art Song Festival. He is the winner of several competitions including the George London Foundation, Sullivan Foundation, and Opera Index Foundation. He has also been a finalist in the Operalia (Placido Domingo) Vocal Competition. He has studied at the Yale University Opera Program and the Music Academy of the West. Next season he will return to San Diego Opera, where he has appeared in their productions of Boris Godunov, La Traviata, and Katya Kabanova.