Author: Borbála Tuska - February 16, 2026.
He studied music since childhood, but classical singing was far from him for a long time until a recording radically changed his opinion. Since then, Botond Ódor has proven his talent not only at home, but also on several European stages, and this fall he will also be making his debut at the Vienna State Opera as a partner of his idol, Jonas Kaufmann. We talked to the young tenor about his early years and his experiences so far, including when a given role becomes relevant.
– When did you start making music?
– My parents enrolled me in music school when I was seven years old. One of my best friends and I definitely wanted to play guitar. We both took lessons for a long time, then he slowly dropped out, but I stayed. Erika Sára was my first teacher, who fundamentally determined my musical knowledge.
– How did singing come into the picture?
– When I was a teenager, I started trying out my voice in parallel with playing the guitar, and I realized that both were not so easy at the same time. Then, at one of the school concerts, in addition to my program, I sang a song from the musical Imaginary Report, and the singing teacher came up to me and asked if I would like to learn singing. I told him no, because at that time classical singing was far from me. I liked lighter genres, and I felt that something was preventing the content of opera from reaching me directly.
– What changed your opinion about opera?
– I came across a recording of Jonas Kaufmann, and it dawned on me that this could be done this way. With him, I first saw that he puts everything at the service of the given theatrical situation. Up until then, I had missed strong acting in opera. I didn't really like the fact that voices "compete" with each other. Kaufmann, however, showed me that opera is indeed a theatrical genre, and from then on I started listening only to classical music.
– In 2013, you won the Simándy József International Singing Competition. Was this your first major success that led you to pursue singing?
– At that time, I was still studying guitar at the University of Pécs, but I had already learned to sing. My teacher encouraged me to apply for the competition. At first, I didn’t really want to, because I didn’t like competitive situations: there was always too much pressure on my psyche, and I had to force myself to perform. Despite this, I still went to the competition, where I won first place, even ahead of my fellow university students majoring in singing. It’s a bit of a strange situation that I won a singing competition as a guitarist. That’s when I decided to try my luck at the Academy of Music. There I first studied oratorio and ballad singing, and then transferred to opera.
– Where did you go after graduating from university?
– I didn’t get an opportunity at home, so I started looking for theaters abroad. I was invited to audition from several places, I was in Vienna, Munich and Mannheim. To my great joy, I received a response from one of my favorite theaters, the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, that they would like to hire me.
I first got a small role in an opera by Austrian composer Gottfried von Einem called The Visit of the Old Lady. The casting director was very pleased and asked me if I wanted to sing the title role of Don Carlos in French next time. I was only 24 years old. I felt that it would be too early, I was simply not there yet. Taking the risk, I said no and luckily they didn't kick me out of the theater. (laughs)
– Has this relationship with the Theater an der Wien remained?
– After that, I got several more roles, for example, I played in Bernstein's opera Candide. And for the next season, Norma was scheduled to star Asmik Grigorian – who is one of my favorite singers, by the way – but then the performance was canceled due to Covid. When the restrictions started to ease, I was asked to do a contemporary piece, but unfortunately I couldn't take it, and so that thread was cut.
– Later you also sang in theaters in Spain. How did you get these opportunities?
– During a performance of Carmen at an opera house, I met my then partner and the renowned director, Calixto Bieito. I moved to Bilbao for four years and was constantly researching opportunities. For example, I was able to sing at the premiere of an opera by a Basque composer at the Teatro Arriaga. But then I had to realize that Spanish opera houses work differently. While the performances here are born from a rich cultural fabric, abroad they are more prepared for tourists. They serve the type of demand that people are curious about the beautiful buildings and “by the way” watch an opera. Calixto tried to establish the director's theater, but he was not really successful.
– Who else among the directors has had a big influence on you?
– I really like performing in rural operas, because in many cases young directors get the opportunity, and in such cases a new perspective always prevails. When I was first invited to the Szeged National Theatre, I worked with Márk Tárnoki in The Magic Flute, and then Countess Marica followed, directed by Gábor M. Koltai. That production remained very memorable for me, it was a revelatory experience. Up until then, I thought about the operetta genre, that one or two arias were nice, but otherwise it could easily become a kitsch parade. However, this production showed me that it can be done in a way that emphasizes eternal truths.
Botond Ódor in the performance of János Vitéz of the Csokonai National Theatre
