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Rodrigo Esteves

baritone

"Rodrigo Esteves, who portrayed Jokanaan, has a privileged voice and was, without a doubt, a highlight of the evening."

Salomé, Teatro da Paz, Belém

Nelson Kunze, concerto.com.br

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TERRITORY

Latin America - exclusive

BIO

Acclaimed by critics for the beauty of his voice and the naturalness and rich expression of his interpretations, Rodrigo Esteves is building an international career, shining on various stages around the world.

For two consecutive years (2009 and 2010), he received the Carlos Gomes Award for Classical Music as the best singer. He has recordings of Zarzuelas in Spain under the EMI and RTVE labels, and in Brazil, a CD of songs by Algol Editora, along with participation in the recording of Eric Zeisl's "Hebrew Requiem" with OSESP. He also recorded "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" for Disney Studios Brazil (singing the voice of Frollo).

Among his performances are Marcello (La Boheme) in Madrid and Jerez de La Frontera, Schaunard (La Boheme) at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, Alfonso XI (La Favorita) in Pamplona, Silvio (I Pagliacci) at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and in Cagliari, G. Germont (La Traviata) in Spoleto, at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, in Messina, and on tour in Japan, Mercutio (Romeo et Juliette) in Jerez de la Frontera, Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) in Spoleto and on tour in Japan, Dandini (La Cenerentola) in Manaus, Rodrigo (Don Carlo) at the Municipal Theater of São Paulo, Valentin (Faust) with OSESP, São Paulo, Macbeth at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio (Verdi) in Tokyo, Falstaff in Bussetto, Italy, Enrico (L'Elisir d’Amore) in São Paulo and Jerez de la Frontera, Renato (Un Ballo in Maschera) in Messina, Faninal (Rosenkavalier) and Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" with OSESP in São Paulo, Scarpia (Tosca) at the Arena di Verona, at the Municipal Theater of São Paulo and at the Teatro da Paz in Belém, Conte di Luna (Il Trovatore) in Rio de Janeiro, Ford (Falstaff) in a production of the Opera de Monte Carlo, Danilo (The Merry Widow) in Taormina, Nabucco (Nabucco) in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, and Mahler's Kindertotenlieder cycle in Palma de Mallorca with the Symphony Orchestra of Mallorca.

He collaborated closely with Plácido Domingo, serving as his understudy in the role of Oreste (Iphigénie en Tauride) in Valencia, Spain. He also has been working with Peter Guth, Miguel Gomes Martinez, Helena Herrera, Mario Perusso, Enrique Ricci, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Alain Lombard, Alain Guingal, Marcello Panni, Gianluca Martinenghi, Stefano Ranzani, John Neschling, Lorin Maazel, Emilio Sagi, Roberto Lagana, Roberto  Oswald, Sonja Frisel, Ivo Guerra, Stefano Vizioli, Marco Gandini, Giancarlo del Monaco etc.

Esteves' celebrated interpretations include his premiers at Arena di Verona as Scarpia, at Teatro Carlo Felice de Genova as “Falstaff” and Germont (“Traviata”) and at Palau de les Arts de Valencia as Sharples “Madame Butterfly”.

Other highlights include Escamillo (Carmen) at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and at the Municipal Theater of São Paulo, Amonasro (Aida) at the Municipal Theater of São Paulo and in Montevideo, The Dutchman (The Flying Dutchman) at TMSP and Iago (Otello) at Valladolid (Teatro Calderón) and Belém Theatro da Paz.

REVIEWS

"If everything had gone very well up to this point, it must be remembered that this is an opera that relies heavily on the interpretation of the title character, Sir John Falstaff. Baritone Rodrigo Esteves delivered a meticulous portrayal of this marvelous braggart, always attentive to Arrigo Boito’s text (more difficult and complex than the vast majority of Italian librettos), and revealing himself, in the right measure, sometimes funny and conceited, sometimes comically dramatic. Vocally, his Falstaff was at once flexible and vibrant, endowed with expressiveness and powerful high notes. His already mentioned scenes with Quickly, Ford, and Alice resulted in some of the best moments of the evening, as did his two great monologues (“L’Onore! Ladri!” in Act I and “Ehi! Taverniere” opening Act III), both excellently performed. Bringing to life one of the most challenging characters ever created by Verdi, the artist offered in this production, I believe, his finest work on Brazilian soil since the return of live performances after the pandemic, with a captivating command of the stage." Falstaff Leonardo Marques, August 2025 notasmusicais.com "The success of a staging of The Threepenny Opera depends greatly on the performance of the interpreter of the scoundrel Mac. And Rodrigo Esteves did not disappoint all of us who remembered his convincing performances in important baritone roles in Italian operas, some years ago. He surprised in this welcome return to Brazilian stages, bringing a charismatic nonchalance and cunning to the Brechtian protagonist." Die Dreigroschenoper, Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill Irineu Franco Perpetuo, September 5, 2022 concerto.com.br "Rodrigo Esteves created a Gonzales with elegance and style." Il Guarany, A. Gomes Jorge Coli, May 15, 2023 concerto.com.br "Rodrigo Esteves seems to have truly embodied the Dutchman during this first scene, which culminates in “Vain hope! Terrible illusion!”. As prescribed by Wagner, Esteves’s Dutchman gave vent to “all the force of his despair”." Der fliegende Holländer, R. Wagner Theatro Municipal de São Paulo Fabiana Crepaldi, November 24, 2023 notasmusicais.com "In the cast, baritone Rodrigo Esteves delivered a true masterclass, in a characterization that, as Giovacchino Forzano's libretto itself states, "knows and understands every trick of laws and codes". His warm, curvilinear, and copious voice filled the ears in practically every phrase; when Schicchi nasalizes his voice to imitate Buoso Donati's agony, Esteves was simply hilarious." Gianni Schicchi, G. Puccini Theatro São Pedro Márvio dos Anjos, August 5, 2024 concerto.com.br "Rodrigo Esteves was a vocally impeccable, and also eloquent, ironic, sarcastic Schicchi. If the stage direction wasn't very helpful, he managed with his accumulated experience. The artist intelligently and skillfully used the colors of his instrument, including perfectly imitating the voice of an old man. The final result was a beautiful performance." Gianni Schicchi, G. Puccini Theatro São Pedro Leonardo Marques, August 9, 2024 notasmusicais.com "Rodrigo Esteves, who portrayed Jokanaan, has a privileged voice and was, without a doubt, a highlight of the evening." Salomé, R. Strauss Teatro da Paz, Belém Nelson Kunze, concerto.com.br "Baritone Rodrigo Esteves played the girl's father, with his usual authority and a touching rendition of the aria in which he mourns the loss of his daughter." Le Villi, G. Puccini Theatro Municipal de São Paulo João Luiz Sampaio, July 21, 2025 concerto.com.br "Rodrigo Esteves delivered a Figaro worthy of the character, funny and with a melodic and powerful voice." The Marriage of Figaro, W. Mozart Theatro São Pedro Ali Hassan Ayache, December 10, 2014 operaeballet.blogspot.com

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