Maayan Licht

Licht was born in Israel. His vocal talent in the high soprano register was identified by the Israeli voice teacher Vita Gurevich, with whom he began his formal studies. He later studied Early Music and classical singing at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Xenia Meijer, completing bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both awarded cum laude. ^[3] During his studies he performed as a soloist in oratorio repertoire, including Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Mass in B minor in Amsterdam. These engagements led to appearances with Dutch early‑music ensembles and opera projects.^[4]

Licht’s career centres on Baroque opera and sacred music, alongside Classical and early Classical roles. He has appeared at venues including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Theater an der Wien, the Janáček Theatre in Brno and opera houses in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.^[5]

His stage roles have included Laertes in Gasparini’s Amleto at Theater an der Wien, Achille in Porpora’s Ifigenia in Aulide at the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival and Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at Oper Dortmund and the Janáček Theatre. He has also appeared in Stradella’s San Giovanni Battista and in the premiere of Ľubica Čekovská’s opera Here I Am, Orlando in Brno.^[6][7]

In concert, Licht has sung soprano parts in Handel’s Messiah, Handel’s Theodora, Bach’s Mass in B minor and the St John Passion. He has collaborated with ensembles such as the Netherlands Bach Society and Opera2Day, among other orchestras and early‑music groups.

Licht participates in staged and crossover projects that combine opera with other performance forms. He has performed in CarMEN, a queer‑themed adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen created with drag performers and presented at venues including the Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw and Dutch festivals. He is also involved in Technopera, a project that integrates electronic music and operatic singing and has appeared at Dutch concert halls and festivals.

Licht has received several international prizes and distinctions for his singing.

• Winner of the “Best Newcomer” award at the International Oper! Awards 2025.^[36][37]
• Recipient of the Bajazzo Sponsor Award 2025 from Theater- und Konzertfreunde Dortmund for his performance as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at Oper Dortmund.
• Grand Prize at the Vienna International Music Competition in 2023.
• Jury and audience prizes at the Grachtenfestival Competition 2020 with his ensemble Duo Zeffiretti.