Gábor Bretz was born in Budapest, and studied singing first with Stephan Czovek in Los Angeles, and subsequently at the Bela Bartok Conservatory of Music and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music.   He has also attended master classes with Julia Hamari, Ralf Doring, Eva Marton and Yevgeni Nesterenko.  He was awarded the Cesare Bardelli prize at the 2004 Viotti International Singing Competition, and was the winner of the 2005 Maria Callas Grand Prix Competition in Athens.

Since graduating from the Franz Liszt Academy he has appeared regularly with the Hungarian State Opera, where his roles have included the title-role in Mefistofele, Leporello/Don Giovanni, Banquo/Macbeth, Escamillo/Carmen, Kothner/Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Don Fernando/Fidelio.  Other recent appearances include Escamillo/Zuniga in Carmen under Gustavo Dudamel at La Scala, Sparafucile/Rigoletto for the Vienna Festwochen at the Theater an der Wien and numerous performances of Duke Bluebeard’s Castle in the title-role with Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, and with the New York Philharmonic at Alice Tully Hall, New York. Other operatic performances include Antonio/Le Nozze di Figaro at the Salzburg Festival, Masetto/Don Giovanni at the Komische Oper, Berlin, the title-role in Don Giovanni with Opera Zagreb, the High Priest of Babylon/Nabucco for Opera de Rennes, Sparafucile/Rigoletto in Klagenfurt, Bluebeard/Bluebeard’s Castle under Gergiev in Ekaterinburg and Moscow, and First Soldier/Salome, Bluebeard/Bluebeard’s Castle, the Monk /Don Carlo and Don Basilio/Il Barbiere di Siviglia at La Scala, Milan.  He also sang the title role of Don Giovanni for Opera Australia, Seneca/L’incoronazione di Poppea in Klagenfurt and Escamillo /Carmen for Leipzig Opera.   Engagements in the 2009/10 season included Rocco/Fidelio in Klagenfurt, Bluebeard with the Netherlands Opera, Colline/La Bohème in Monte Carlo, Zuniga in the new production of Carmen under Daniel Barenboim, Escamillo at the Bayerische Staatsoper, and Don Basilio/Il Barbiere di Siviglia at La Scala, Milan.

In addition to his operatic appearances Gábor Bretz sings regularly in concert,  and his repertoire includes the major oratorios of Bach, Haydn, Mozart (including the Coronation Mass under Helmut Rilling), Rossini, Puccini,  Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Tippett’s A Child of our Time, Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ (under Sylvain Cambreling) and the Verdi Requiem in Budapest with the National Philharmonic under Zoltan Kocsis. 

A busy operatic season in 2011/12 sees Bretz at the Hungarian State Opera performing Leporello/Don Giovanni, Alidoro/Cenerentola, King/Aida, Figaro/Le Nozze di Fagaro, Basilio/Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Banquo/Macbeth. Other engagements include; Daland/Der Fliegende Holländer at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt in Austria, Bluebeard’s Castle with the Bergen Philharmonic under Edward Gardiner and Le Nozze di Figaro at the Verbier Festival and Academy.

2011/2012