After a successful career in one of Norway’s most well known rock groups and later as a musical singer, the Norwegian tenor Marius Roth Christensen turned to classical music relatively late.

He recently made his operatic debut at the Norwegian National Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. He was immediately invited back to the Norwegian National Opera for Camille de Rossilon in Die Lustige Witwe opposite Solveig Kringelborn as Hanna Glawari and the Fire-fighter in the world premier of Bengt Perry’s The Doll-Doctor.

Other recent opera engagements include Rodolfo in La bohème at Oscarsborg Opera Festival as well as with Opera South (Norway). He had enormous successes with these production and critics hailed him for the unusual beauty of tone and smooth legato, sounding like a real lyric Italian tenor. He has also appeared as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte in Sandefjord, Drammen and Sandnes, and Camille de Rossilon in Die Lustige Witwe at the Sandefjord Opera Festival.

He has also quickly become much sought after for concerts. His repertoire includes a number of masses by Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Handel and Verdi. In March 2010 he again earned much critical acclaim singing Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle under the baton of M° Andrew Wilder.

Engagement in the season 2010/11 include Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi at the Kristiansund Opera, Bastien in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne in Larvik, Verdi’s Requiem in Oslo as well as in Moss, Italian opera arias with Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, various operetta arias on a tour throughout Norway, and Mozart’s Requiem in Tonsberg.

Forthcoming highlights include Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and Beppe in I Pagliacci at Oscarsborg Opera Festival, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at Opera Nordfjord, concerts with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the conductor Mario Venzano and New Years concerts in Harstad.

June 2011