Biography
Domen Križaj earned his master's degree in 2017 from the Ljubljana Academy of Music, where he studied under Prof. Matjaž Robavs, after also completing his medical studies at the same university. In Salzburg, he was a prizewinner at the 2012 International Music Academy and the following year participated in the Young Singers Project as Deputati Fiamminghi in Don Carlo and the English Captain in Braunfels' Jeanne d'Arc at the Salzburg Festival. In 2016, he was invited to participate in the SWR television program Junge Opernstars (Young Opera Stars).He won second prize at the Neue Stimmen competition in 2019, first prize and the Lied prize at the Ada Sari competition in 2017, first prize at the Ferruccio Tagliavini competition, first prize at the Petar Konjović competition, three first prizes at the Competition of Young Slovenian Musicians (TEMSIG), second prize and the Audience Award at the Otto Edelmann competition, and third prize at the Zinka Milanov competition.
Before joining the Frankfurt Opera, he was a member of the ensemble at the Theater Basel, where he performed as Marcello in La Bohème, Ned Keene in Peter Grimes, and Pavel in Nono's Al gran sole carico d'amore. Other roles included Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Emperor Overall in Ullmann's The Emperor of Atlantis, Cold Genie and Grimbald in Purcell's King Arthur and Doctor in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, Barone Douphol in La Traviata, Orestes's orderly in Elektra, Sam in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti and Albert in Dai Fujikura's new opera Goldkäfer.
As a member of the ensemble at the Frankfurt Opera, he has appeared as Albert in Werther, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, Consul Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, the King's herald in Lohengrin, the Count in Capriccio, in the title role as Onegin, Il Conte in Le Nozze di Figaro, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Wolfram von Eschenbach in Tannhäuser and as Zar in Ein Zar lässt sich fotografieren.
He also sang the title role in Eugene Onegin at the Alden Biesen Festival in Belgium and Albert in Werther at the Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka.
Engagements in recent seasons include in intensive collaboration with the Tiroler Festspiele Erl, David in L'Amico Fritz, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, where he also performed Orestes in Iphigénie en Tauride at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg: He also performed Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at the Bregenz Festival and Rodrigo in Verdi's Don Carlo, a role he performed in his home country with the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor.
In concert, he has performed throughout Europe with the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble with Brahm´s Ein deutsches Requiem and has sung with orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the Camerata Salzburg, the ORF Orchestra, the SWR Symphony Orchestra, and the Noord Nederlands Orkest. He has also performed Schubert's Winterreise as a lieder singer, among others.
In the 2025/26 season, Domen Krizaj can be heard in Stravinsky's The Wedding with the Prague Philharmonic Choir and will take on the role of Giorgio Germont in La Traviata at the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana. At Oper Leipzig, he can be heard as Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Macbeth, and the Tsar in Weill's Ein Zar lässt sich fotografieren.
Artist Website
www.domenkrizaj.comManagement
Worldwide non-exclusiveArtist Manager
Boris Orlob
Managing Director
boris@orlob.net
Mobil: +49-172-8 51 55 14
Natascha van Randenborgh
Associate Director
natascha@orlob.net
Mobil: +49-173-7 76 88 20
News
Drama and passion under Thomas Hengelbrock at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
Domen Križaj will perform the leading role of Oreste in Christoph Willibald Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden on the 22nd of November 2024 under the baton of Thomas Hengelbrock. Oreste, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, is plagued by feelings of guilt and thoughts of revenge; the arias in Iphigénie en Tauride demand a singer with great emotional range. Domen Križaj, Thomas Hengelbrock and the Balthasar Neumann Choir and Orchestra have already worked together several times, including in Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and on a concert tour through Europe with the Brahms Requiem.
In May 2025, Domen Križaj will once again sing Oreste at the Elbphilharmonie as part of the Hamburg International Music Festival.
Further information can be found at:
www.festspielhaus.de
In May 2025, Domen Križaj will once again sing Oreste at the Elbphilharmonie as part of the Hamburg International Music Festival.
Further information can be found at:
www.festspielhaus.de
Press
Guercoeur/ Oper Frankfurt/ 03.02.2025 / die-feuilletonfrankfurt.de
"Seine große, einprägsame Stimme und sein vielschichtiges Spiel machen aus der Rolle ein Erlebnis."
Guercoeur/ Oper Frankfurt/ 03.02.2025 / die-deutsche-buehne.de
"Durchschlagskraft, runde Tongebung, Emphase und wohldosiertes Pathos bietet Domen Krijaz in der Titelpartie auf."
Guercoeur/ Oper Frankfurt/ 03.02.2025 / concerti.de
"Bariton Domen Krizaj verleiht dem Ritter mit kristallklarer, lyrischer Stimmführung Präsenz."
Guercoeur/ Oper Frankfurt/ 03.02.2025/ musik-heute.de
"Die vollständig in ihren Rollen debütierenden Sänger [...] ernten großen Jubel: Allen voran der ausdrucksstarke Domen Krizaj"
Der Prinz von Homburg / Oper Frankfurt / 23.09.2023 / kulturfreak.de
"Dem gebürtig slowenischen Bariton Domen Krizaj gelingt der Spagat zwischen dem kraftstrotzenden, selbstbewussten Prinzen und zum Tod Verurteilten vortrefflich."
Der Prinz von Homburg / Oper Frankfurt / 23.09.2023 / fr.de
"Domen Krizaj ist die formidable Titelpartie"
Der Prinz von Homburg / Oper Frankfurt / 23.09.2023 / swr.de
"Die übrigen ergeben eine perfekt abgestimmte Familie: Da sitzt jede Stimme, vorbildlich für eine Ensembleoper, die größtmögliche Homogenität verlangt."
Der Prinz von Homburg / Oper Frankfurt / 23.09.2023 / swr.de
"Und wie Domen Krizaj diese Todesangst singt mit festem Fundament in der Tiefe, geschmeidig samtiger Mitte und lichter Höhe in der Kopfstimme ist famos farbenreich."
;)