Carlos Cardoso

Carlos Cardoso, born in Tarouquela (Portugal), is a versatile tenor. Originally trained as a trombonist, he worked as
an orchestral musician before pursuing vocal studies with Paulo Ferreira in Beira Interior. Since 2015, he has
continued his training in Verona with Annunziata Lia Lantieri.

A prize-winner of prestigious competitions, including Luísa Todi (1st prize), Magda Olivero (1st prize male
voices), and the Concorso Rubini (3rd prize and debut as Ernesto in Don Pasquale), he took his fi rst international
steps at the Dutch National Opera (Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor for young audiences), Teatro Filarmonico di
Verona (Un giorno di regno), Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona (Ferrando in La Favorite in the foyer for young
audiences), and La Monnaie in Brussels (Adriana Lecouvreur).
From 2011 to 2013, he attended the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan, debuting in Rossini roles such as
Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola and Dorvil in La scala di seta, under the direction of Michieletto and conductor
Rousset. During this period, he also debuted as Conte di Libenskof in Il viaggio a Reims at the Rossini Festival in
Bad Wildbad.
In 2015, he debuted as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto at Teatro Verdi in Busseto (stage direction: A. Pizzech).
With this role, performed for two consecutive seasons in Busseto and as a cover at La Scala, he moved increasingly
toward the lyric repertoire. Further debuts followed at the Landestheater Salzburg with Rossini (Don Narciso in Il
turco in Italia), at Stadttheater Klagenfurt (Roberto in Maria Stuarda), and at Teatro São Carlos in Lisbon (Ismaele
in Nabucco).
In the 2017/18 season, he joined the ensemble of the Aalto-Theater Essen, where he remained for seven
seasons, performing roles that became central to his artistic path: the Duke in Rigoletto, Don José in Carmen,
Rodolfo in La bohème, Alfredo in La traviata, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfl y, Rodolfo in Luisa Miller, Edgardo in
Lucia di Lammermoor, Ismaele in Nabucco, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera, Adorno in
Simon Boccanegra, and Pollione in Norma.
As a guest, he has appeared at Teatro Verdi Trieste (New Year’s Eve Concert, Duke in Rigoletto, and Rodolfo in La
bohème), Teatro Regio di Parma (Christmas Concert), Staatstheater Wiesbaden (Rigoletto), Theater Dortmund (La
bohème), Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz Munich (Luisa Miller), Theater Magdeburg (La bohème), and Musiktheater
im Revier Gelsenkirchen (Madama Butterfl y and Carmen).
Since the 2023/24 season he has continued his career as a freelance artist, debuting at the National
Opera Prague (Carmen), Teatro São Carlos Lisbon (Madama Butterfl y, Cavalleria rusticana, Aida), Nuremberg
Opera (Madama Butterfl y and Carmen), Salzburg Easter Festival (cover of Enzo in La Gioconda under Sir Antonio
Pappano with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia), Oper Leipzig (Madama Butterfl y), Plovdiv
Festival and Theatre (Madama Butterfl y, Carmen), Landestheater Linz (Madama Butterfl y), the National Opera of
Tirana (Carmen, Aida), and Klangvokal Musikfestival Dortmund (Raff aele in Stiff elio).
Alongside his operatic career, he is also highly sought-after on the concert stage. His repertoire includes
Dvořák’s Requiem with the Tonkünstler-Orchester in Grafenegg and at the Wiener Musikverein, Puccini’s Messa di
Gloria in Wuppertal, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle at the Millennium Festival in Lisbon, Donizetti’s Messa da
Requiem at Teatro São Carlos, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the Philharmonie Essen.
He has also performed with the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and appeared in a gala concert at Schloss
Neukirchen as part of a televised summer concert with the Philharmonie Südwestfalen.