Baritone Lucas Cortoos is a soloist (MM Laureate) at La Monnaie / De Munt in Brussels. He will soon make his debut as Marco in Gianni Schicchi with the Sequenda Opera Studio Luxembourg. In May and June, he performed the role of Schaunard in La Bohème up to 24 times with Zomeropera Alden Biesen, having previously sung the role of Marchese d’Obigny in La Traviata there. Last season, he made his solo debut with Brussels Philharmonic and the Flemish Radio Choir in The Gift of the Magi, a chamber opera by Eric Whitacre, conducted by the world-renowned composer himself. Shortly before that, he sang Le Fauteuil and L’Arbre in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges at Bozar, with the orchestra of La Monnaie conducted by Alain Altinoglu. The concert was later broadcast on Radio Klara and Musiq3.

 

At La Monnaie, he previously performed the roles of Ivan Ivanovich, Cab Driver and Speculant in Shostakovich’s The Nose, Journalist in Berg’s Lulu, and Guccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. He has appeared as a soloist with, among others, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, the Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg, the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt and the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra,...

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Alongside his international solo career, he is committed to giving children their first experience of opera. He has sung the role of Mr. Hoppy in Un amour de tortue with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, the Grasshopper in A Song for the Moon with La Monnaie, and tours Belgium with Opera Caramba in the productions Carmen, The Magic Flute, La Traviata and La Bohème.

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After completing his master’s degree in cello and bachelor’s degree in voice at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven, he obtained his master’s degree in Classical Singing with highest distinction from the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp in 2019, where he studied with Gary Jankowski and Lucienne Van Deyck. He is currently furthering his studies with mezzo-soprano Angélique Noldus.

 

He was a prizewinner at the 31st Internationaler Gesangswettbewerb Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg 2022 and won both the Audience Prize and the special “Inga Kalna” Prize for Young Talent at the International Vocal Competition Alida Vane 2018 in Latvia.

Together with Tom Van Bogaert he is the founder of Opera Present, a new opera company that organizes masterclasses and gives performance opportunities to young Belgian singers. More information at www.operapresent.be