Introducing Bass-Barihunk Božidar Smiljanić

Božidar Smiljanić

If you're in or around Nottingham in the U.K., make sure to check out British-born Serbian bass-barihunk Božidar Smiljanić on Sunday, March 22nd. He'll be giving a free performance of Schubert's Winterreise with accompanist Thomas Primrose as part of St Mary’s ‘Suffering & Sacrifice’ Lenten concert series.

Smiljanić, who is currently studying opera at the Royal Academy of Music, is new to our site. He was born and raised in London and gained his degree in Law at the University of Nottingham before focusing on a singing career.

In 2014, he made his debut at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera as A Captain in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, conducted by Omar Meir Wellber. During the same festival season, he also covered the roles of Police Commissioner in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier and Doctor Grenvil in Verdi’s La traviata.

At the Academy, Smiljanić has worked on a variety of operatic roles including Leporello and Masetto in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Figaro in La nozze di Figaro, Monterone in Verdi's Rigoletto, Bartolo in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le Roi  in Massenet's Cendrillon and Superintendent Budd in Britten's Albert Herring.

In the 2014-15 Royal Academy Opera productions, he performed the role of Betto in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and will be performing the roles of Nick Shadow in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress and Luka in Walton’s The Bear.

As an Academy/Kohn Foundation Bach Scholar, Smiljanić has performed numerous Bach Cantatas with the Academy Baroque Orchestra, conducted on different occasions by Iain Ledingham and Masaaki Suzuki. Božidar is also a member of the Royal Academy of Music Song Circle in which he has performed various recitals of lieder, English and American song.

Smiljanić was awarded first prize in the Blythe-Buesst Operatic Competition, the Sacred Aria Prize in the Mozart Singing Competition and was a two-time finalist in the Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award. Most recently, Bozidar was awarded the Peter Hulsen Orchestral Song Award which will culminate in an evening recital at the Church of St Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square in June 2015.

You can also catch him on Saturday, March 28th in Mozart's Mass in C Minor at New Hall at Winchester College. He'll be joined by sopranos Mary Bevan and Kitty Whately, and tenor Daniel Auchincloss.