Roman Arndt
Roman Arndt was born in Omsk in Siberia and now lives in St Petersburg. He graduated from the Omsk Shebalin Music College in 2009 and from the St Petersburg State Conservatoire in 2014.
He was a participant in the 2019 Cardiff Singer of the World, and was a finalist in the Song Prize. Other prizes include the José Carreras Grand Prix (2018) and the VII International Competition for Opera Singers “St Petersburg” I. Bogacheva (2015). He was nominated for the Golden Soffit St Petersburg Highest Theatre Award (Best Male Role in Opera) at Zazerkalie.
He is a company soloist at the St Petersburg ‘Zazerkalie’ Theatre where his roles have included Rodolfo La Bohème, Ferrando Così fan tutte, Lensky Eugene Onegin, Count Vaudémont Iolanta and Lykov The Tsar’s Bride. For the Mariinsky Theatre he has sung Tamino Die Zauberflöte, Albert Gregor The Makropolus Case and Walther von der Vogelweide Tannhäuser, a role he also performed in concert at the Zaryadye Concert Hall in Moscow under Valery Gergiev. Elsewhere he has sung Tamino (Mikhailovsky Theatre) Nemorino L’elisir d’amore and Gvidon The Golden Cockerel (Krasnodar Opera House, Festival of All Together Opera St Petersburg), Rinuccio Gianni Schicchi (Bolshoi Theatre) and Sinodal The Demon (State Hermitage Museum St Petersburg). In 2021 he sang the title role in The Tales of Hoffmann on tour with the Syktyvkar Opera and Ballet Theatre, Komi Republic. Recent roles include The Prince in Dargomyszhsky’s Rusalka (Astrakhan) and Florestan Fidelio conducted by Yuri Bashmet (Sochi).
In January 2022 he made his UK operatic debut as the Duke of Mantua Rigoletto for Opera North, and in summer 2024 he sang the title role in Verdi’s Ernani for the Buxton International Festival.
In concert Roman Arndt has toured France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the USA. He made his Wigmore Hall debut in February 2024.
Plans include Cavaradossi Tosca (St Petersburg ‘Zazerkalie’).
Gallery
Ernani (Buxton Festival)
Rigoletto (Opera North)
Artist Videos
Ernani/Buxton International Festival
“…a striking cast…Alastair Miles, Andre Heyboer, and Roman Arndt – were all superb, with a conspicuously arresting dynamism from Arndt in the title role.” Opera Now, August 2024
“Roman Arndt’s Ernani has dash and vocal glamour in spades, his tone gaining in vibrancy throughout.” Guardian, July 2024
“Equally forceful and well-sculpted in tone is Roman Arndt as Ernani…” The Telegraph, July 2024
“Kudos to Roman Arndt for conveying the endless, doomed heroism of Ernani…It’s a thrilling evening.” The Stage, July 2024
“Roman Arndt brings warmth and accuracy to his singing of Ernani from the first cavatina.” The Arts Desk, July 2024
“Simply in terms of fine operatic singing, Buxton’s production of Verdi’s Ernani was terrific….Roman Arndt as Ernani was excellent.” The Article, July 2024
“Displaying reserves of energy Siberian born tenor Roman Arndt sang the role of the brigand Ernani and gave a pleasingly consistent performance. Standing out was Arndt in heroic voice with the first act cabaletta O tu che l’alma adora when Ernani sang of his love for Elvira.” Seen and Heard International, July 2024
Rigoletto/Opera North
“Roman Arndt’s Duke was a careless, charismatic character with great physical charm and an utter contempt for conventional morality, taking whatever he wanted. Arndt brought a nervous energy and great physicality to the role, and if his singing perhaps lacked an ideal Italianate sheen, it was vivid and musical. His fatal charm was demonstrable and believable.” Opera Today, February 2022
“…..the Duke of Mantua, played with suitably pernicious alacrity by the excellent Roman Arndt.” Telegraph, January 2022
“Roman Arndt is a stylish Duke of Mantua, delivering his big numbers reliably.” Guardian, January 2022
“Offering some of the most vivid singing is Russian tenor Roman Arndt as the morally depraved but physically fatally attractive Duke, whose famous arias (especially La donna e mobile) come over eloquently.” The Stage, January 2022
“….the whole cast is excellent, and each of the principals has a voice that adds layers to their characterisation. Roman Arndt, as the Duke, sounds underwhelming at first, but can turn it up until he really gleams: quite the charmer.” Spectator, January 2022
“Russian tenor Roman Arndt emphasised the Duke’s crowd-pleasing qualities particularly well, as well as his arrogance. His subtle interpretations were most evident in “La donna è mobile”, which was well worth waiting for in Act 3.” Bachtrack, January 2022
“That bounder was another notable company debutant in the dapper form of the Russian tenor Roman Arndt, who leched convincingly whilst singing with ardour, tackling the well-known arias with ease and crowning ‘La donna è mobile’ with a creditable high B.” Music OMH, January 2022
Other reviews
“Roman Arndt sings the title role brightly; his sonorous voice conveys a thousand shades of mood in this complex chameleon role.” Tales of Hoffman/Syktyvkar Opera and Ballet Theatre, Komi Republic, Culture Magazine, May 2021
Opera Repertoire
| COMPOSER | OPERA | ROLE |
|---|---|---|
| Beethoven | Fidelio | Florestan |
| Bizet | Carmen | Don José |
| Mozart | Così fan tutte | Ferrando |
| Mozart | Die Zauberflöte | Tamino |
| Mozart | Don Giovanni | Ottavio |
| Dargomyszhsky | Rusalka | The Prince |
| Donizetti | L'elisir d'amore | Nemerino |
| Gounod | Roméo et Juliette | Roméo |
| Janáček | The Makropolus Case | Albert Gregor |
| Offenbach | Les Contes d'Hoffmann | Hoffmann |
| Puccini | Rodolfo | La Bohème |
| Puccini | Gianni Schicchi | Rinuccio |
| Puccini | Madama Butterfly | Pinkerton |
| Puccini | Tosca | Cavaradossi |
| Rimsky-Korsakov | The Golden Cockerel | Gvidon |
| Rimsky-Korsakov | The Tsar's Bride | Lykov |
| Sinodal | Rubenstein | The Demon |
| Verdi | Ernani | Ernani |
| Verdi | Rigoletto | Duke of Mantua |
| Verdi | La Traviata | Alfredo |
| Tchaikovsky | Eugene Onegin | Lensky |
| Tchaikovsky | Iolanta | Count Vaudémont |
| Wagner | Die Meistersinger | Walther von Stolzing |
| Wagner | Tannhäuser | Walther von der Vogelweide |
