On 23 March 2025, during the curtain call following a performance of Bánk Bán, the popular tenor was surprised with the announcement that he would be one of the recipients of the Hungarian State Opera's greatest honour for the next season. He was presented with a swan-shaped award made by the Herend Porcelain Manufactory by artistic director András Almási-Tóth, amidst the celebration of his colleagues and the audience.
During the Anglophone Season, tenor István Horváth performed in major symphonic concerts, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand") and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. In addition, audiences saw him as the Steersman in The Flying Dutchman and as Ottó in the recently concluded and highly successful Bánk bán series. In August 2025, he will take the stage as Ernesto in Donizetti’s comic opera Don Pasquale. In recent years, he has delivered memorable performances as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, Tonio in La fille du régiment (showcasing the virtuoso aria with nine high Cs), the Director in Péter Eötvös' final opera Valuska, and Tamino in The Magic Flute.
Horváth earned his vocal performance degree at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pécs under Márta Bukszár. His opera career began at the Pécs National Theatre’s opera company, and he made his debut as Count Almaviva in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in Miskolc. He successfully performed the title role in Le comte Ory at the Szeged National Theatre and the Budapest Spring Festival. His repertoire includes a wide range of bel canto and other tenor roles, from Ernesto in Don Pasquale to Fenton in Falstaff, Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Rodolfo in La bohème. He is a regular guest artist with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he has performed in Brussels and Rome, including a special performance for Pope Benedict XVI in honor of the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt’s birth. Their collaborations have also included rare works, such as the role of Jüngling in Schönberg’s Moses und Aron and Leukippos in Richard Strauss’ Daphne. Since 2010, he has been a soloist at the Hungarian State Opera. Alongside his domestic performances and solo recitals, he has toured in Europe, as well as North and South America. In 2012, at the invitation of György Selmeczi and the Cluj-Napoca Hungarian Opera, he recorded the title role in György Orbán’s Prince Pikkó. On the opera stage, he has performed alongside such renowned artists as Andrea Rost, Erika Miklósa, Zoltán Kocsis, Juan Pons, Roberto Scandiuzzi, and Roberto Abbado. In recognition of his exemplary and versatile performance career, he was awarded the Hungarian Silver Cross of Merit in 2021.
With the chamber singer award, modeled after the Kammersänger title known from German opera houses, the management of the OPERA wishes to express its appreciation for its outstanding active soloists, appreciating their talent and stage performance. A maximum of three people can hold the title of Chamber Singer, which also comes with special remuneration during the season, an opera singer, who has not received the Kossuth Prize yet, may be awarded the title a total of three times. In the past decade, the accolades were presented at the end-of-season Night of Stars gala. As an innovation, they are now presented during the season, allowing the audience to share in the surprise and joy of their favorite artists.
Fotó: Nagy Attila
