Aldo Baldin

This internationally renowned tenor was the son of Italian parents who immigrated to Brazil. He studied piano and cello in Porto Allegre, and in Rio de Janeiro, he began vocal instruction with Eliane Sampaio. The legendary conductor Karl Richter was impressed by the beauty of Baldin's voice and arranged for him to study in Germany. Baldin continued his vocal studies with Martin Gründler at the Musikhochschule of Frankfurt am Main, with Margarethe von Winterfeldt in Berlin, and with Conchita Badia and Noëmi Perugia in Paris. From 1975 to1977, Baldin was engaged as a concert singer at Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern and was the first lyric tenor at the National Theatre of Mannheim. Baldin was especially noted for his roles in Mozart's operas, including appearances as Arbace in Idomeneo in 1983 at the Opera of Rome, and a guest appearance as Tamino in Die zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) in Rio de Janiero. Baldin also sang acclaimed interpretations of Alfredo in La traviata, of Alfred in Die fledermaus (The Bat), and of David in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. His splendid solos in oratorios and religious choral works drew him special appreciation. At the 1987 Salzburg Festival, he sang the tenor solo in Dvorák's Stabat Mater, and at the same festival in 1988, he sang in Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Mass in C minor. With conductor Helmuth Rilling, Baldin recorded all of Bach's cantatas involing the use of a tenor voice. He also recorded other religious works, such as the Mozart and Donizetti Requiems. Baldin's concert tours covered Europe, Israel, the U.S., and South America (Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo). In 1979, Baldin served as a lecturer at the Musikhochschule of Heidelberg. Later, he was appointed a professor at the Musikhochschule of Karlsruhe.