István Kristóf

Repertoire

Preliminary 

• Bizet: Carmen - Votre toast je peux vous rendre (Escamillo)

Semi-Final 

• Massenet: Manon - Épouse quelque brave fille (Des Grieux)
• Erkel: Bánk bán - Ha férfi lelkedet egy hölgyre feltevéd (Petúr)

Final 

• Erkel: Bánk bán - Mint száműzött ki vándorol ... Hazám, hazám (Bánk) 
• Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream - When my cue comes, call me (Bottom) 

Biography

The young baritone István Kristóf graduated  from the University of Szeged in Cultural management with Library and Information Science in 2006. He took up singing in 2008. His masters in voice were Attila Csete, Katalin Károly, Mihály Kálmándy and Éva Bátori. He also experienced the world of light music and movie: He sings in the Sétakiadás music group, in 2010 he participated in the concert Hattyúdal of Levente Szörényi and played the role of Gyorgye Jankovity in János Sándor’s film Mass graves without name. He has intermediate knowledge in English and basic knowledge in German.

In 2008, he played the role of Solt and Chronicler in Stephen, the king in the Gergely Csiky Theatre in Kaposvár and in the László Papp Sportarena after which he also participated in the national tour.

In 2009 he played in the musical Cyrano by Edmond Rostand – Máté Viktor the role of Cuigy, Vicomte, Poet and Cadet in the “Nevesincs” Theatre and the title role of Toldi.

Between 2010 and 2011, he performed in István Verebes’s play 6 celebs searching 1 multiplier (6 celeb keres 1 szorzót) at the Karinthy Theatre and in Les misérables in the József Katona Theatre in Kecskemét, where he also had to stand in for the roles of Courfeyrac and Grantaire.

Between 2011 and 2012, he stayed in Kecskemét where he played in Ganxsta-Pierrot-Darvasi’s piece, Popeye (Joe), in Ferenc Lehár’s The merry widow (Bogdanovitch), in Galambos-Szemenyei-Réczei’s Winnetou (Lionheart) and in Pál Békés’s The clumsy wizard (The Door).

Between 2012 and 2016, he performed the following roles at the Budapest Operetta Theatre: The Bat – Falke, Ransom – Minister of Finance, The Land of Smiles – Fu Li, Józsiás the Devil-Slayer – Ropogán. At the Operetta Gala in Germany and Russia, István Kristóf participated as a soloist.

Between 2013 and 2016 he sang the bass solo parts in Honegger-Claudel’s Joan at the Stake at the National Theatre in Budapest.

Since 2014, he can be seen at the Hungarian State Opera House in West Side Story as Diesel, in Verdi’s Rigoletto as Court Usher and he also sings in the ensemble in productions such Bizet’s Carmen, Weber’s The Freeshooter, Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress or Verdi’s Aida. Since 2018, István Kristóf also plays Des Grieux in Massanet’s Manon and Escamillo in Carmen at the National Theatre in Pécs.