Colin Balzer
The Canadian tenor Colin Balzer has won numerous prizes at various competitions including the Hertogenbosch Competition, the Hugo Wolf Competition, the 55th International ARD Competition, the Wigmore Hall Song Competition, and holds the rare distinction of earning the Gold Medal at the Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau. He is an alumnus of the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden, Austria, the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program in Aldeburgh, and the prestigious Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia. His repertoire ranges from the 17th to 20th century. He has appeared in concert all over the world and has collaborated with such conductors as Simone Young, Phillipe Herreweghe, Marc Minkowski, Simon Preston, Kenneth Montgomery, Bernard Labadie, Hans-Christoph Rademann, and Helmut Rilling.
In 2008-09 he will sing the title role in operas in Edmonton and d'Aix-en-Provence, go on tour with Handel's Brockes Passion and Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, sing in oratoria in Berlin Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Washington DC, Houston and Quebec in addition to recitals in Canada and Germany.
His recordings to date include lieder by Hugo Wolf, Hanns Eisler Lieder, Hans Werner Henze, Bach's Mass in B-minor with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre, several recordings of various repertoire with Les Voix Baroques, and the Boston Early Music Festival's Grammy nominated recording of Lully's Psyché.