Prima Donnas + 2 Heroes: Michele Kalmandy

Anyone who knows or at least heard Mihály Kálmándy sing knows that concentration, recognition of the best moment, and a sense of rhythm are among the most important virtues of this excellent baritone. He started playing the piano at the age of six, later he played the classical guitar and tried his hand at other instruments, all the while listening to operas on the radio and then conducting them while standing in front of the set. In 1985, he graduated from the Gheorghe Dima College of Music in Cluj-Napoca with a diploma in singing. It was here that he sang the role of Nabucco for the first time, which accompanied him throughout his entire career, and even started his international career with it in Trieste. His success brought him numerous invitations worldwide, he performed in Rome, Naples, Vienna, Stockholm, London, Warsaw, but he was also applauded in Seoul and New Zealand, while he continued to sing the major baritone roles at the Hungarian State Opera. Since his debut in 1988, he has grown into one of the most important members of the company, performing more than 600 times in front of the Budapest audience.