Maayan Licht (Hebrew: ÃÂ÷âðò÷àÃÂôÃÂÃÂÃÂ) is an Israeli classical singer and sopranist. He performs in opera and concert repertoire in Europe and Israel, with a focus on Baroque and early Classical works.
Licht was born in Israel. His vocal talent in the high soprano register was identified by the Israeli voice teacher Vita Gurevich, with whom he began his formal studies. He later studied Early Music and classical singing at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Xenia Meijer, completing bachelorâÂÂs and masterâÂÂs degrees, both awarded cum laude. During his studies he performed as a soloist in oratorio repertoire, including HandelâÂÂs Messiah and BachâÂÂs Mass in B minor in Amsterdam. These engagements led to appearances with Dutch earlyâÂÂmusic ensembles and opera projects.
LichtâÂÂs career centres on Baroque opera and sacred music, alongside Classical and early Classical roles. He has appeared at venues including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Theater an der Wien, the JanáÃÂek Theatre in Brno and opera houses in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
His stage roles have included Laertes in GaspariniâÂÂs Amleto at Theater an der Wien, Achille in PorporaâÂÂs Ifigenia in Aulide at the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival and Cherubino in MozartâÂÂs Le nozze di Figaro at Oper Dortmund and the JanáÃÂek Theatre. He has also appeared in StradellaâÂÂs San Giovanni Battista and in the premiere of ýubica ÃÂekovskáâÂÂs opera Here I Am, Orlando in Brno.
In concert, Licht has sung soprano parts in HandelâÂÂs Messiah, HandelâÂÂs Theodora, BachâÂÂs Mass in B minor and the St John Passion. He has collaborated with ensembles such as the Netherlands Bach Society and Opera2Day, among other orchestras and earlyâÂÂmusic groups.
Licht participates in staged and crossover projects that combine opera with other performance forms. He has performed in CarMEN, a queerâÂÂthemed adaptation of BizetâÂÂs Carmen created with drag performers and presented at venues including the Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw and Dutch festivals. He is also involved in Technopera, a project that integrates electronic music and operatic singing and has appeared at Dutch concert halls and festivals.
Licht has received several international prizes and distinctions for his singing.