Teodor Ilincai

Biography

Romanian tenor Teodor Ilincai has performed at many of the important opera houses in the world, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Opera di Genova, Opéra Municipal de Marseille, Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, Semperoper Dresden, Opera Australia and many others. In the 2018/19 season, Ilincai appeared for the first time with the ABAO in Bilbao as Rodolfo in La Boheme, and sing Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Vienna State Opera.

In the 2017/18 season, Ilincai debuted at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, a role which he also sang at the Hamburg State Opera. He also added the role of Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur to his repertoire at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville. Ilincai returned to the Romanian National Opera in Eugene Onegin, Tosca and La Boheme, appeared in concert with Angela Gheorghiu at the Teatro Real, and sang in a gala performance of La Boheme at Oper St. Gallen. Often appearing in concert, Ilincai also partnered with Gheorghiu in an outdoor concert in Bucharest in September of 2017, which was heard live by an audience of 12,000 people.

Teodor Ilincai began his professional career at the Romanian National Opera in Bucharest in 2008 when, at only 25 years old, his performance of Macduff brought him to international attention. In 2009, he was invited to sing the same role at the Hamburg State Opera. That same year, he made his debut at the Vienna State Opera as Ismaele in Nabucco and at he Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Rodolfo in La Boheme. He was soon in demand all over the world and has appeared in Paris, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Barcelona, Toulouse, Marseille, Lausanne, Budapest, Dresden, Strasbourg, Santiago de Chile and many other theaters. During the first years of his career, Ilincai concentrated on the lyric repertoire. His most performed roles included Rodolfo in La Boheme, Alfredo in La Traviata, Macduff in Macbeth, Romeo in Romeo et Juliette, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Lensky in Eugene Onegin, and the title role in Faust. He also sang the title role in Mascagni’s L’Amico Fritz for his debut at the Opera National du Rhin in Strasbourg.

In January of 2015, Ilincai made his debut as Pollione in Norma in Bucharest, which was the beginning of his development into the Lirico-Spinto repertoire. In the summer of 2015, he sang his first Cavaradossi in Tosca in San Sebastian, followed by his debut as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Semperoper Dresden. In 2017, he appeared as the title role in Don Carlos at the Theatre du Capitole in Toulouse and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He has since appeared as Cavaradossi at the Staatsoper Berlin opposite Angela Gheorghiu and made his Australian Opera debut in the same role. Other highlights of recent seasons have included Madama Butterfly in Paris, London, Marseille, Vienna and for his American debut in San Diego, as well as his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Macduff.

Teodor Ilincai began his musical studies as an oboist, after which he entered the Bucharest Conservatory to study Byzantine Music and Musical Pedagogy. With the discovery of his vocal gifts, he turned his attention to singing under the guidance of famed Romanian Tenor, Corneliu Fataneanu. In 2008, Ilincai was awarded First Place at the Great Tenors Tournament in Szczecin, Poland, and in 2010 the Second Prize at the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona. Ilincai has also been granted numerous awards, including Soloist of the Year at the Bucharest VIP Gala Awards and the Ludovic Spiess Prize by the Romanian Music Forum (2009), the In Memoriam Iosif Sava distinction by Radio Romania Cultural (2010), and the Award of Excellence by Elite Art Club Unesco Romania for being a cultural ambassador for Romania all over the world (2013). In March of 2016, Ilincai was conferred the The Order of the Romanian Crown at the Knight Rank by Princess Margareta, who bestowed the honor to the artist at the request of his Majesty King Mihai 1 of Romania. Mr. Ilincai resides in Bucharest and, when not appearing on the opera stage internationally, has also won high praise as a published poet.


Photo: Petrica Tanase.