Gidon Saks

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Bass-baritone Gidon Saks was born in Israel and spent his youth in South Africa, before moving to the UK to study at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Since his debut with the Canadian Opera Company, he has sung at Covent Garden, the Opéra National de Paris, San Francisco, the Berlin Staatsoper, Houston, Madrid, New York City Opera, La Monnaie in Brussels, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, New Israeli Opera, and the Grand Théâtre de Genève. He has also been heard at the Klangbogen Festival in Vienna, and recently as Hagen (Götterdämmerung) in Seattle and in London for English National Opera, Pizarro (Fidelio) and Kaspar (Der Freischütz) for the Deutsche Staatsoper, Philip II (Don Carlos) in Geneva and Palermo, Boris Godunov (title role) in London and Toronto, Claggart (Billy Budd) in Paris, Nick Shadow (The Rake's Progress) in London, Daland (Der fliegende Holländer) and Kochubei (Mazepa) for Welsh National Opera. Future plans include Hunding (Die Walküre), Hagen (Götterdämmerung), and his first Scarpia (Tosca) in Washington.

Recordings include Saul (title role, Handel), Hercules (as previous), Appollyon and Lord Hate-Good (The Pilgrim's Progress, Ralph Vaughan Williams). He has also appeared in film versions of Anna Bolena and The Mikado.

Saks is also founder and artistic director of Opera Garden, the Aberdeen International Youth Festival's Opera Project. He gives vocal masterclasses at various establishments and is a member of staff at the Royal Conservatoire of Ghent.