The young Armenian born bass Vazgen Ghazaryan is captivating audiences with his stellar, expressive performances and the bold resonance of his powerful, virulent sound.

Now in his fifth season at Theater Erfurt in Germany, Mr. Ghazaryan can be seen in 2011/12 as Zaccaria in Nabucco, Bertram in Robert le Diable, Publio in La Clemenza di Tito, Ein Eremit in Die Freischütz, and Pagano in I Lombardi a role he will also perform at the 2011 St. Gallen Music Festival in Switzerland. Mr. Ghazaryan’s 2010/11 performances included the role of Hunding in a concert of Die Walküre with the Russian National Orchestra in Moscow under the baton of Maestro Kent Nagano. At Theater Erfurt, he reprised the title role of Boito’s Mefistofele, sang his role debut as Colline in La Bohème, and played three characters (Onkel/ Soldat/ Adjudant) in the world premiere of Johanna Doderer’s Der leuchtende Fluss.

In previous seasons with Theater Erfurt, Mr. Ghazaryan has been seen as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Dr. Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Falstaff in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Banco in Macbeth, Samuel in Johann Kresnik’s production of Un Ballo in Maschera, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Tibo in The Maid of Orleans, and Titurel in Parsifal.

Vazgen Ghazaryan has sung the role of Sarastro at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova under the baton of Riccardo Frizza, at the Stresa Festival in Italy, and with the Armenian State Opera. He made his debut as a guest artist at Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg singing Vodnik in Dvorák’s Rusalka. He sang Zaccaria in Nabucco at the Opera Classica Festival in Bad Schwalbach, Germany and has returned there to sing Ramfis in Aida, a role he also performed at Theatre Craiova in Romania. At Teatro São Carlo in Lisbon, he performed the dual roles of the Yard Keeper and the Son of the Dame in Shostakovich’s The Nose.

On the concert stage, Mr. Ghazaryan has performed the bass solo in Mozart’s Requiem at Armenian Philharmonic Hall, and at Theater Erfurt has sung the solos in Händel’s Messiah, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Verdi’s Requiem. He has performed on a concert tour of the USA and Canada with the Armenian Kohar Symphonic Orchestra with stops at Carnegie Hall in New York, Gibson Theatre in Los Angeles, and Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco.

In 2011 Vazgen Ghazaryan was a finalist in the famous BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. In 2010, he won the award for best bass at the Gian Battista Viotti International Music Competition in Vercelli, Italy. In 2008, he was a finalist of the Eleanor McCollum Competition at Houston Grand Opera and a semifinalist at the Belvedere Competition in Vienna. He is also the winner of the 2004 Yerevan Opera Competition in Armenia.