In Less Than Five Minutes, Get to Know – Baritone Roman Hoza

By Alan Neilson

The young Czech baritone Roman Hoza is currently appearing as Gorjančikov in Janacek’s “From the House of the Dead” at the Brno Janacek Festival. Although attached to the Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, for which he performs a variety of roles, he also makes guest appearances with other companies, particularly in his home country, at the Prague National Opera and, of course, in Brno.

OperaWire: What was the first opera you ever attended?

Roman Hoza: That would be “Le Nozze di Figaro” in Prague. I was 18 at the time, so I was a bit of a late starter.

OW: What was the first opera in which you performed?

RH: “Die Zauberflöte” in Brno.

OW: What was the last opera in which you performed?

RH: “La Boheme”  in Brno.

OW: What is the next opera you are scheduled to perform?

RH: “Le Nozze di Figaro” in Düsseldorf.

OW: Who has been the biggest influence on your singing career? 

RH: The Czech baritone Adam Plachetka.

OW: What is your favorite opera?

RH: “Don Giovanni.”

OW: Which character have you played the most often?

RH: Belcore from “L’elisir d’mmore.”

OW: Which role would you most like to perform in the future?

RH: Wolfram.

OW: Which opera house would you most like to perform, but have not yet had the opportunity?  

RH: La Scala.

OW: Who is your favorite composer?

RH: Mozart.

OW: Which character would you love to play, but is not going to happen?

RH: Tristan.

OW: If you could exchange places with any character, who would it be?

RH: Figaro.

OW: What is your favorite non-operatic music?

RH: Red Hot Chili Peppers.

OW: If you weren’t a singer, what would like to be? 

RH: A teacher.

OW: If you could have any composer write an opera for you in the starring role, who would it be?

RH: Janacek.

OW: What do you like most about your voice?

RH: I like the flexibility of my voice. It allows me to articulate clearly.

OW: If you could invite three guests to dinner, one of whom must be an opera character, who would they be?

RH: Mozart, Elon Musk and Tarantino

OW: What was the last book you read?

RH: A biography of the Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky

OW: What is your favorite film?

RH: “Pulp Fiction”

OW: Who is your favorite painter?

RH: The Czech painter Antonin Slaviček.

OW: What do you dislike most about being an opera singer?

RH: Traveling.

OW: What do you like most about being an opera singer? 

RH: The freedom it gives you to organize your life.

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