Icelandic bass Andri Björn Róbertsson is much in demand on both the concert platform and the operatic stage. 24/25 highlights include his return to Opera North as Speaker and cover Sarastro in The Magic Flute and Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He returns to Glyndebourne Festival Opera to cover the title role in Saul.
In 23/24 Andri made his debut with Opera North in Sir David Pountney’s new production of Masque of Might as Nebulous/Activist/Wolf as well as his debut with the Orchestre de Paris in a return to the role of Witness 3 and Madman in George’s Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence. Last season, Andri made his debut with Kilden Opera as Leporello in Don Giovanni directed by Johnny Ramster and covered the role of Quince in Midsummer Night’s Dream at Glyndebourne Festival Opera.
The 2021/22 season saw the launch of Andri’s much anticipated debut recital CD on the Fuga Libera label. The album featured songs by Icelandic composer Árni Thorsteinson and Schumann Lieder. Also that season, Andri made his debut with Nevill Holt Opera singing Basilio in The Barber of Seville.
In 2020/21, Andri was meant to return to Zurich Opera with the La Scintilla Orchestra for St John’s Passion and revisit the roles of Witness 3 and Madman in George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence at the Châtelet, however, these productions were unfortunately affected by the COVID19 pandemic.
In the 2019/20 season, Andri made his House operatic debut at his native Icelandic Opera as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and was meant to return to the Dutch National Opera as Der Einäugige in Die Frau Ohne Schatten, however, this was also unfortunately interrupted by the COVID19 pandemic.
In previous seasons, Andri appeared at both the Staatsoper Hamburg and Opera National de Lyon with Lessons in Love and Violence singing both Witness 3/Madman. These followed Andri’s House debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with the World Premiere of the same production.
In 2014/15 Andri joined the International Opera Studio at Zurich Opera and he was an English National Opera Harewood Artist in 2016/2017. He made his ENO debut as Angelotti in Catherine Malfitano's production of Tosca, subsequently performing the role of Ceprano in Rigoletto and Basilio (cover) in The Barber of Seville. Most recently, he performed the roles of Lord Krishna in Philip Glass’s Satyagraha and Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the company. While also at ENO, Andri covered the role of Fifth Jew in Salome and gave recitals at the Wigmore Hall, London with ENO Harewood Artists and pianist Iain Burnside.
Other highlights include Angelotti in a semi-staged concert performance of Tosca opposite Kristine Opolais and Sir Bryn Terfel at the 2017 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod with the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera and Superintendent Budd in Albert Herring at The Grange Festival.
Andri’s oratorio repertoire includes Bach’s Cantatas, St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse and The Creation, Mozart's Requiem and Coronation Mass, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortileges. Other concert engagements include the roles of Cappadocian and Fifth Jew in Richard Strauss’s Salome with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, a series of concerts with Baroque Ensemble Café Zimmermann in Marseille, La Roque d’Antheron and Aix en Provence.
Andri is also a sought-after recitalist and has performed at the Oxford Lieder Festival, Icelandic Opera in Reykjavik, Festival d’Aix en Provence and L’Opéra de Lille as well as at Salurinn, Kópavogur, Iceland.
Andri was nominated Singer of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards in 2022 and 2023 and in 2015 was a semi-finalist in the Queen Sonja International Music Competition and was nominated as the ́Brightest Hope in Classical Music ́ at the 2013 Icelandic Music Awards. He studied at the Reykjavik Academy of Singing and Vocal Arts in his native Iceland, the Royal Academy of Music and the National Opera Studio, London. He gratefully acknowledges Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and her Foundation who provided him with significant mentoring and financial support. Andri is also grateful to the Behrens Foundation who sponsored his engagement as a Harewood Artist at ENO.
Andri is a Samling Artist and a Georg Solti Accademia Scholar.
September 2024
September 2024
