José Van Dam

Born in 1940, José Van Dam is a true baron of opera singing. Since his debut in 1968, the Belgian bass-baritone has taken on over one hundred and fifty roles, the most notable of which is Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni , transposed to film in 1978. Ten years later, he starred in the film Le Maître de chant. An opera star, he has performed on all the world's major stages and festivals, and rubbed shoulders with the greatest conductors of his generation. An eclectic singer, José Van Dam specializes in the Italian, Russian and French repertoires, which he masters to perfection. His repertoire spans the classical, romantic and modern periods, from Enesco'sOedipe (1990) to Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise (1983). In 1994, he won a Victoire de la Musique for Massenet's Don Quichotte. Named Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, he retired from the stage in 2010 at the age of 70 in Massenet's Don Quichotte . In 2015, the José Van Dam Meets Carlos Gardel recital saw him pay tribute to the tango legend in the company of Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven and Jean-Louis Rassinfosse.

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