Described by Süddeutsche Zeitung as "incredibly dramatic, crystal-clear, supremely controlled, and lyrically refined," Valer Sabadus is celebrated for his translucent, androgynous voice and ranks among the world’s leading countertenors.
He gained international recognition in 2012 for his exceptional portrayal of Semira in Leonardo Vinci’s opera Artaserse (directed by Silviu Purcărete, conducted by Diego Fasolis), with performances at opera houses in Nancy, Lausanne, and Cologne, as well as at the Theater an der Wien, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Opéra Royal de Versailles, and Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
Since then, his international career has flourished across opera, concert, and recital stages.
He is a regular collaborator with renowned early music ensembles such as La Cetra Baroque Orchestra Basel, Concerto Köln, Freiburger Barockorchester, L’Arpeggiata, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Kammerorchester Basel, Venice Baroque Orchestra, Cappella Mediterranea, Accademia Bizantina, Il Pomo d’Oro, Les Talens Lyriques, Ensemble 1700, and Nuovo Aspetto. He has worked with conductors including Leonardo García Alarcón, Ivor Bolton, Ottavio Dantone, Michael Hofstetter, Andrea Marcon, Alessandro de Marchi, Riccardo Minasi, and Christophe Rousset. His artistic partners include Dorothee Oberlinger, Christina Pluhar, Nuria Rial, Albrecht Mayer, Midori Seiler, Philippe Jaroussky, and Julia Lezhneva.
Driven by artistic curiosity, Sabadus is known for genre-crossing, interdisciplinary, and intercultural projects—hallmarks of his distinctive musical profile. These include Songs of Love with Syrian singer Dima Orsho and Musica Alta Ripa, blending the music of Henry Purcell with Middle Eastern sounds, and Closer to Paradise with the classical band SPARK, featuring works from Handel to the iconic band Rammstein.
These projects are reflected in his discography, with recordings such as Café – Orient meets Occident (2012), Trialog – Music for the One God with the Turkish Pera Ensemble (2013), Alla Napoletana with L’Arpeggiata (2021), and Closer to Paradise with SPARK (2022). Alongside his operatic and concert performances, these projects are central to a discography of more than 25 albums, covering an impressive range from early Baroque works by Monteverdi and Cavalli to sacred and operatic music of the 18th century, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, and contemporary works such as Enjott Schneider’s Requiem – In the Name of the Rose (2012).
His opera recordings include Vinci: Artaserse (2012) with Concerto Köln, Diego Fasolis, and Philippe Jaroussky, Hasse: Didone abbandonata (2013), and Vinci: Catone in Utica (2015). Further notable recordings include Hasse Reloaded (2011), Pergolesi: Stabat Mater (2012), To touch, to kiss, to die (2013), Le belle immagini with Hofkapelle München (2014), Caldara with Nuovo Aspetto (2015), Sacred Duets with Nuria Rial and Kammerorchester Basel (2017), Händel goes wild with L’Arpeggiata (2017), Caro Gemello – Farinelli and Metastasio with Concerto Köln (2018), Arias – Bach/Telemann with Kammerorchester Basel (Sony Classical, 2021), and his most recent release, Francesco Bartolomeo Conti: Bravo! Bene! with Nuovo Aspetto (2023).
Valer Sabadus has been honored with numerous awards, including the German Record Critics’ Award, ECHO Klassik, and the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) as Young Artist of the Year – Vocal in 2013.
A key milestone in his operatic career was his performance in Johann Adolph Hasse’s Didone abbandonata. At age 23, he made his debut under Riccardo Muti at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival in 2009 in Jommelli’s Demofoonte, which was also staged at the Ravenna Festival and Opéra National de Paris. Since then, he has performed to great acclaim in Schwetzingen, Frankfurt, Halle, Berlin, Dresden, Versailles, Aix-en-Provence, Vienna, Paris, Geneva, and Amsterdam.
The 2025/26 season begins with his role as Scipione Servilio in Francesco Cavalli’s Pompeo Magno, staged in Bayreuth, Geneva, Paris, and Vienna. Other highlights include the title role in the world premiere of Malina. Voice over Bachmann by Karola Obermüller in Schwetzingen and Aachen, and the role of Orpheus in Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, with performances in Potsdam, Nuremberg, Bayreuth, and Gotha.
He will appear in concerts with Musica Ricercata under Gabriel Bebeșelea and soprano Julia Lezhneva in Timișoara, with the Duisburg Philharmonic, the Bochum Symphony under Georg Kallweit, and with Concerto Köln at the Handel Festival in Halle. He will also perform a new composition inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke by Polish composer Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jacek Kaspszyk in Katowice.
Together with Maarten Engeltjes and PRJCT Amsterdam, he presents the Voci Bianchi project in Amsterdam and Nijmegen. His program Closer to Paradise with SPARK will tour venues including the Alte Oper Frankfurt and halls in Blankenberge, Ghent, Antwerp, and Grimbergen. With pianist Akemi Murakami, his duo partner, he continues to give art song recitals throughout the season.
Valer Sabadus is a regular guest at prestigious festivals such as the Handel Festivals in Karlsruhe and Halle, the Ludwigsburg Palace Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Musikfest Bremen, Dresden Music Festival, Kissinger Sommer, Lucerne Festival, Festival de Musique Baroque d’Ambronay, Froville Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival, Schubertiade Hohenems and Schwarzenberg, Styriarte Graz, Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, and the Grafenegg Festival.
As a soloist, he has performed at the Philharmonies in Berlin, Essen, and Cologne, the Konzerthäuser in Dortmund, Berlin, and Vienna, Munich’s Prinzregententheater, Dresden’s Frauenkirche, Hamburg’s Laeiszhalle, Stuttgart’s Liederhalle, the Chapelle Royale de Versailles, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, KKL Lucerne, L’Auditori in Barcelona, and the Philharmonies in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Valer Sabadus began his vocal studies at age 17 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich with Prof. Gabriele Fuchs and completed his training at the Bavarian Theatre Academy August Everding in 2013, graduating with honors from the master class in music theatre.
In 2020, he was awarded the Handel Prize of the City of Halle, followed by the Bavarian Culture Prize in 2022.
Please use this authorized biography of Weigold & Böhm only, Season 2025/2026.