The Swiss baritone Ruben Drole studied at the Zurich University of the Arts and won several singing competitions during his studies. Since 2005 he has been a member of the ensemble of the Zurich Opera House. A particular highlight of his Zurich engagements has been his interpretation of Papageno in Martin Kušej’s production of Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and released on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon.
Ruben Drole also appeared under Harnoncourt in a tour of Japan with Concentus Musicus Wien performing Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah, at the Vienna Musikverein and the Lucerne Festival in Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberge, at the Styriarte in Graz in Haydn’s The Creation and at the Theater an der Wien as Leporello (Don Giovanni).
He performed Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) and Leporello in Zurich’s Da Ponte cycle, directed by Sven-Eric Bechtolf and conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. He also appeared in these three roles with the Cleveland Orchestra under Welser-Möst. Other roles that he has performed in Zurich include the title role in Paisiello’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, Argante in Handel’s Rinaldo under William Christie and Wurm in Verdi’s Luisa Miller.
Other past highlights include Kecal (The Bartered Bride) under Harnoncourt at the Styriarte, Papageno at the Spoleto Festival USA and Georges de La Trémouille in Braunfels’s Jeanne d’Arc at the Salzburg Festival. He made his debut at the Semperoper Dresden as Papageno.
His appearances on the concert platform have included Mozart’s ‘Coronation Mass’ with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Ton Koopman, Handel’s Israel in Egypt with Concerto Köln under Emmanuelle Haïm and recitals in the Swiss Chamber Concerts series.
Ruben Drole is a cultural prizewinner of the European cultural foundation Pro Europa and in 2008 won the Carl Heinrich Ernst Art Prize.
