BIOGRAPHY

 

Frank Blees (bass-baritone) studied with several important teachers including Erika Köth, Birgit Nilsson, and Walter Berry.

Following first engagements at opera theatres and festivals in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands as well as concert tours through Chile and Georgia and after participating in an european tour of a high-profile production of Mozart's The Magic Flute he debuted at the Vienna Konzerthaus in concert performances of Der lustige Krieg by Johann Strauss II (released on CD) and Daphne by Richard Strauss. In 2001 he made his debut at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo as the Animal Trainer and Rodrigo in Alban Berg's Lulu and as Wotan in Wagner's Das Rheingold at the Festival 'Oper im Zelt' in the German federal state of Saarland. At the Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova he appeared as Speaker and Armed Man in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte in 2002 and returned there for his debut as the First Narzarene in Salome by Richard Strauss.

Frank Blees was engaged for concert appearances at the Philharmonie Berlin, the Munich Philharmonie im Gasteig and the Cologne Philharmonie to name but a few. Guest engagements took him to the opera houses of Leipzig (L'Ombre d'Hector in Berlioz's Les Troyens, Bielefeld (Robinson in Haubenstock-Ramati's Amerika, Don Pizarro in Beethoven's Fidelio, and Filippo II in Verdi's Don Carlo), Schwerin (Zsupán in Der Zigeunerbaron by Johann Strauss II), Trier (Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Mastricht (Water Sprite in Dvorák's Rusalka which was was filmed for TV), and Erfurt (Il Giudice Adam in Flavio Testi's La brocca rotta after Heinrich von Kleist).

From 2007 to 2012 Frank Blees was member of the ensemble of the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater in Schwerin where he was able to expand his repertoire with roles like Peter Besenbinder in Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel, the title role in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle, Plumkett in Martha by Friedrich von Flotow, Ollendorf in Millocker's Der Bettelstudent, Kaspar in Weber's Der Freischütz, the title roles in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer and Judith Weir's Blond Eckbert as well as Tevje in Bock's The Fiddler on the Roof. During the same period he appeared at the Theater of Lübeck as Wotan in Das Rheingold and as Sarastro in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. For the West German Radio (WDR) he sang Doctor Engel in a production of Sigmund Romberg's The Student Prince which was released on CD shortly afterwards.

In 2012 Frank Blees became member of the Ensemble of the Dresden Staatsoperette, where he appeared as Nasoni in Millöcker's Gasparone, as Zsupán, Sarastro, Frank in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II, as Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady, as Kecal in Smetana's The Bartered Bride as well as in a solo recital with arias from Spanish zarzuelas and Italian operettas. In 2013 he sang the title role in a new production of Der fliegende Holländer at the Brno National Theatre, appeared as Filippo II in Don Carlo at the Landesbühnen Sachsen in Radebeul, and made his debut as Van Bett in Lortzing's Zar und Zimmermann at the Landestheater Detmold.

From 2016 to 2018 Frank Blees worked as a freelance again, continuing to sing Van Bett in the Detmold production of Zar und Zimmermann and making his debut at the Staatstheater Braunschweig as Sultan Nazreddin in the rarely performed opera Aladin by Kurt Atterberg. In summer 2017 he made his debut as Don Juan de Peralta in a scenic production of the Spanish zarzuelaEl barberillo de Lavapiés, one of the most famous works of this genre, which took place in Los Realejos on Tenerife. After appearing as guest performer in a new production of Lehár's The merry widow at the Theater Plauen-Zwickau, Frank Blees is a permanent memnber of this theater since Nomber 2018.

Beginning in August 2022 Frank Blees now is member of the ensemble of the Mittelsächsisches Theater, a co-operation of the two saxonian towns of Freiberg and Doebeln, where he already has appeared in the title role of Donizetti's Don Pasquale and - at the Summer Festival of Lake Kriebstein - as Prince Basil Basilovich in Franz Lehár's operetta The Count of Luxemburg between April and July 2022.

During the 2022/2023 season he will appear in Freiberg, Döbeln ans at the Summer Festival at Lake Kriebstein as Sir John Falstaff in Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor, as Kaiphas in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, as Oberst Ollendorf in Carl Millocker's Der Bettelstudent as well as in a solo recital programm singing arias from Spanish Zarzuelas.

Voice training and interpretation based on natural breathing and vocal technique are important concerns for Frank Blees, and he tries passionately to convey these basics when teaching young singers. Frank Blees is member of the Bundesverband deutscher Gesangspädagogen (BDG) und im Deutschen Tonkünstlerverband (DTKV).

 

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