The multi-award-winning baritone Neven Crnić (including first prize winner at the international Haydn Competition in Rohrau and the Salice d'Oro Competition in Vienna) is a member of the ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden.
During the 2026/27 season, Neven Crnić will once again perform a diverse repertoire at the Semperoper Dresden. To kick off the season, he will appear in the concert program “Auftakt! A Musical Stroll Through the 2026/27 Season". On the opera stage, he will portray Escamillo in Georges Bizet’s "Carmen" and Tonio in Ruggero Leoncavallo’s "Pagliacci". Other highlights include the role of the priest Fotis in Bohuslav Martinů’s "The Greek Passion", Don Fernando in Ludwig van Beethoven’s "Fidelio", and Figaro in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s "Le nozze di Figaro". He will also appear as Beaupertuis in Nino Rota’s "The Florentine Hat" and as Schaunard in Puccini’s "La bohème". In addition to his engagements in Dresden, Neven Crnić will make his debut at the Leipzig Opera during the 2026/27 season, where he will appear from May through July 2027 as Tonio in "Pagliacci & Carmina Burana". He also makes a significant mark in the concert repertoire: Together with the Regensburg Chorus Philharmonic, he will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s "St. John Passion".
Neven Crnić made guest appearances as Don Giovanni and Marchese di Posa at the Latvian National Opera in Riga and as Escamillo (Carmen) and Amonasro (Aida) at the opera festival in Burg Gars. He also appeared at the Cologne Opera in the role of Escamillo (Carmen). He appeared as Chansonette and Lovro in Gorenjski slavček. In a concert performance in Graz Kasematten, he sang Escamillo (Carmen) alongside Elina Garanča and Ramon Vargas. Crnić made his debut at the Teatro alla Scala Milan as Deputato flammingho (Don Carlo) and covered the role of Rodrigo Posa. He made his house debut at the SNG Opera Ljubljana as Schaunard in Puccini's opera La bohème.
His concert repertoire includes works such as Dvorak's Requiem, Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Christ on the Mount of Olives, Bach's Mass in B minor, Christmas Oratorio and St. John and St. Matthew Passion, Haydn's Creation, Seasons, Stabat Mater and Theresienmesse, Handel's Messiah, Verdi Requiem, Faure Requiem, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Puccini's Messa di Gloria.
Neven Crnić was born in Prijedor, Bosnia, and received his first musical training at the local elementary music school, where he focused on the clarinet. At the Savo Balaban Music School in his hometown, he pursued his passion for singing and laid the foundation for his artistic development and later career. Crnić then studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. In 2017, he joined the opera studio at Graz Opera and sang roles such as Schaunard (La bohème), Silvio (Pagliacci), and 1st Nazarene (Salome). In 2019/20, he was accepted into the ensemble, where he expanded his repertoire to include Leporello (Don Giovanni), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Marchese di Posa (Don Carlo), Fra Melitone (La forza del destino), Gunther (Der Ring an einem Abend), Marcello (La bohème), and Sharpless (Madama Butterfly). In 2018, he was a member of the Young Singer Project at the Salzburg Festival.
- Photo: Marko Mestrović
- Photo: Uwe Moosburger