Full Biography
Winner of the Oper! Award for Best Newcomer 2025, Maayan Licht has established himself as one of the most exciting young artists on the international opera scene. Often described as “the modern-day Farinelli”, the Israeli sopranista is renowned for his extraordinary vocal range, breathtaking coloratura, and unique ability to perform repertoire that very few singers can master. Alongside his operatic career, Licht has built a global online audience of more than one million followers across his social media platforms, introducing opera and classical music to millions of new listeners worldwide.
Recent highlights include his debut at Dutch National Opera in the world premiere of Meriç Artaç’s Requiem for Mariza; the title role in Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie at the Theater an der Wien; Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Monteverdi Festival in Cremona with Les Arts Florissants under Paul Agnew; Enea in Jommelli’s Didone abbandonata with the Freiburger Barockorchester at the Ludwigsburg Palace; and a Technopera performance at Paris Fashion Week during Ronald van der Kemp’s couture show.
He has received critical acclaim for his portrayals of Laertes in Gasparini’s Ambleto (Theater an der Wien); the title role in Handel’s Xerxes (Staatstheater Oldenburg); Alcidoro in J.C. Bach’s Amor Vincitore alongside Julia Lezhneva (SWR Schwetzingen Festival and tour); Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Oper Dortmund and Janáček Theatre Brno); Amore in Martín y Soler’s L’arbore di Diana (Wiener Kammeroper); the title role in Giacomelli’s Scipione in Cartagine nuova (Teatro Farnese, Parma); Achilles in Porpora’s Ifigenia in Aulide and Erodiade La Figlia in Stradella’s San Giovanni Battista (Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival); and the title role in the world premiere of Ľubica Čekovská’s Here I Am, Orlando at the Janáček Theatre Brno. He has also appeared in recital with Ottavio Dantone and Accademia Bizantina at the Monteverdi Festival and was invited to perform at the prestigious amfAR Gala in Salzburg.
Equally passionate about expanding opera beyond its traditional boundaries, Licht regularly creates interdisciplinary productions that combine opera with other artistic worlds. He headlined the queer production CarMEN at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw and the Parade Festival, and continues to develop Technopera, a project blending opera with electronic music that has appeared at venues including the Concertgebouw, Down the Rabbit Hole Festival, and Paris Fashion Week.
Upcoming engagements include reprising the title role in Handel’s Xerxes in Oldenburg while making his debut in a new production of the opera at Bern Opera; touring Australia with his recital program Coloratura Queen; and performing Arsace in Vivaldi’s Rosmira with Ottavio Dantone and Accademia Bizantina at the Theater an der Wien and the Concertgebouw.
Maayan Licht studied Early Music at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Xenia Meijer, graduating with distinction in 2021 after first being discovered by his Israeli teacher Vita Gurevich. In addition to the Oper! Award, he has received the Bajazzo Sponsor Award from Theater Dortmund, the Grand Prize at the Vienna International Music Competition, and both the Jury and Audience Prizes at the Grachtenfestival Competition with his ensemble Duo Zeffiretti.
© CSAM, July 2026
