Baritone
World
The talented Czech baritone Jiří Rajniš studied drama at the Prague Conservatory then he moved to USA to study opera singing in Los Angeles at the prestigious UCLA “Herb Alpert” School of Music, in the class of Vladimir Chernov. He also participated in masterclasses at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
In 2017/18 season he has been a member of the Junges Ensemble at Semperoper Dresden, where he had the chance to take part in many productions: La bohème (Schaunard), Carmen (Morales), Rigoletto, La traviata, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Die Zauberflöte, Schoenberg’s Moses und Aaron, Berlioz’s Les troyens and Ariadne auf Naxos under the baton of M° Christian Thielemann.
Jiří Rajniš begun his career at a very young age, when he won the first prize at Prague Singer Competition 2008 and when he was a semifinalist at “Antonín Dvořák” International Competition in Karlovy Vary, again in 2008 at the age of seventeen. In July 2016 he became the youngest interpreter of the title role of Don Giovanni that appeared on the stage of the Estates Theater in Prague, since Luigi Bassi in first performance of Mozart’s masterpiece in 1787.
From 2013/14 season to 2016/17 season he was “Czech youngest opera singer in a fest foreign engagement” at Landestheater Coburg (Germany), where he performed many different roles including Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Freddy (My Fair Lady), Schaunard (La bohème), Ford (Otto Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor), Frédéric (Lakmé), Korngold (Ausblick in ein schönes Land), Sylph, Grimbald Sylph, On, Aeolus, Comus (Purcell’s King Arthur), Aneas (Dido and Aenes), Harasta (Janáček’s The cunning little Vixen), Don Fernando (Fidelio).
Jiří Rajniš performs regularly in important theatres in Czech Republic and abroad: National Theater in Prague (Die Kluge / Der Mond, Werther, Fidelio, Das Rheingold, Schwanda Dudak, La bohéme), National Theater Brno (Rusalka, La bohéme), DJKT Plzen (Eugene Onegin, Carmen, Die Fledermaus), F.X.Šaldy Theatre in Liberec (La bohème, Il trovatore, Don Giovanni, Otello), Theater Freiburg (Eugene Onegin, Falstaff, Le nozze di Figaro), Welsh National Opera (The cunning little Vixen). He also performed in concerts across Europe and in festivals such as Prague Spring Festival, Smetana Festival in Litomyšl, Festival Český Krumlov, Mahler Festival Jihlava, Immling Opera Festival and he cooperated with Prague Chamber Opera, Písek Chamber Orchestra, Virtuosi Pragenses and others.
LATEST PERFORMANCES: Andrea Chenier (Gerard) in Liberec; Così fan tutte (Guglielmo) in Metz, in Modena, in Pisa and in Jesi; Mahler’s Symphony No 8 with Prague Symphony Orchestra at Smetana Hall; Don Giovanni in Košice; Il trovatore in Liberec; Rusalka at Opéra Royal de Wallonie de Liege and at Teatro alla Scala; Carmen (Escamillo) in Plzen; Salomè at Teatro alla Scala di Milano; La bohème (Schaunard) at National Theatre Prague; Eugene Onegin (title role) at Luzerner Theater; Madama Butterfly (Sharpless) at Immling Festival (Germany).
FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Eugene Onegin (title role) in Liberec; Šostakovič’s Lady Macbeth at Teatro alla Scala with M° Riccardo Chailly;
