Franko Klisović
Franko Klisović graduated in Vocal Performance from the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, where he studied under Professor Martina Gojčeta Silić. Alongside building an international singing career, he is currently completing his studies in Orchestral Conducting under Maestro Tomislav Fačini. He completed both his primary and secondary music education in his hometown of Šibenik, where he also served for many years as organist at the Cathedral of St James. Critics have described his countertenor as a voice of beautiful bronze timbre—warm, rounded, rich, and resonant—and have praised him for his remarkable vocal control, expressive artistry, exceptional musicianship, and compelling stage presence, qualities that have earned him acclaim from both audiences and critics alike. Although still a young artist, Klisović launched his international career while still a student and has already performed an impressive number of operatic roles and concert engagements in Croatia and abroad. His performances have taken him to major opera houses and concert venues including the Croatian National Theatres in Zagreb, Rijeka, and Split; Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza and Teatro La Fenice in Venice (Italy); the Savonlinna Opera Festival (Finland); Teatro Real (Spain); Opera Wuppertal, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Theater Heidelberg, the Händel Festival Halle, and Oper Frankfurt (Germany); Besední dům in Brno, the Spanish Hall in Prague, the Znojmo Music Festival, and the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava (Czech Republic); Opera Rara Kraków (Poland); the Musikverein in Vienna (Austria); among many others.
Awards: Third Prize and the Audience Prize at the Premiere Opera Foundation Competition (New York, USA, 2020); First Prize for the role of Farnace in Mitridate, re di Ponto at the Tullio Serafin Competition (Vicenza, Italy, 2021); Second Prize at the Riccardo Zandonai Competition (Riva del Garda, Italy, 2021); Second Prize and a Special Prize at the Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský Competition (Trnava, Slovakia, 2021); Second Prize (Opera) and First Prize (Sacred Music) at the San Colombano Competition (Piacenza, Italy, 2021); First Prize in the Mahler Songs – Gabriela Beňačková category (Jihlava, Czech Republic, 2022); Finalist at the Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition (Dortmund, Germany, 2023); the Mirjana Bohanec Vidović Annual Award for Young Singers (Zagreb, Croatia, 2023); Third Prize at the Città di Bologna Competition (Bologna, Italy, 2023); the Croatian Theatre Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Young Artist (Zagreb, Croatia, 2024); and the Ivan Werner Award of the Varaždin Youth Music Association (Varaždin, Croatia, 2025). He has collaborated with distinguished conductors and stage directors including Tomislav Fačini, Marc Korovitch, Ville Matvejeff, Laurence Cummings, Aapo Häkkinen, Luca Oberti, Hansjörg Albrecht, Hervé Niquet, Philipp von Steinaecker, Richard Rosenberg, Matthew Toogood, Roman Válek, Dietger Holm, Ivor Bolton, Motonori Kobayashi, Christian Kabitz, Antonius Adamske, George Petrou, Markus Stenz, as well as stage directors Dora Ruždjak Podolski, Marin Blažević, Krešimir Dolenčić, Natale De Carolis, Immo Karaman, Tomáš Ondřej Pilař, Michał Znaniecki, Christian Brey, Julia Burbach, Ezio Toffolutti, and Claus Guth.