José Van Dam

Sponsor of the 10th UNESCO Week of Sound Born in Brussels, where he completed all his musical studies, José van Dam has been invited to perform on the most prestigious international stages: Scala in Milan, Metropolitan in New York, Covent Garden in London, Opéra de Paris, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires… His vast repertoire includes the title roles in Falstaff and Simon Boccanegra (Verdi), Don Giovanni (Mozart), Figaro in Les Nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Boris Godounov (Mussorgsky), Der fliegende Holländer (Wagner), La Damnation de Faust (Berlioz), Guillaume Tell (Rossini), Wozzeck (Berg), Gianni Schicchi (Puccini), as well as the world premiere of Saint François d’Assise (Messiaen) at the Opéra national de Paris.
José van Dam has also regularly played Philippe II (Don Carlo, Verdi), Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) and Amfortas (Parsifal) by Wagner, Jochanaan (Salome, Strauss), Mephisto (Faust, Gounod), Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande, Debussy), Selim (Il Turco in Italia, Rossini) and Scarpia (Tosca, Puccini).
He also performs a vast concert, oratorio and Lieder repertoire, and has made numerous recordings.
On the silver screen, José van Dam played the Master of Music in Gérard Corbiau’s film of the same name, a brilliant Leporello in Joseph Losey’s Don Giovanni, and starred in André Delveau’s Babel Opéra.
His performances have earned him numerous awards and honorary titles: Doctor honoris causa of the Universities of Montreal and Mons, Kammersänger of the City of Berlin, Commandeur des Arts et Lettres and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.
He has been knighted by King Albert II.