Julian Henao

Praised for his “noble vocal timbre” (Wiener Zeitung) and his “golden tenor voice” (Der Standard), Julian Henao Gonzalez excels in a wide and versatile repertoire that includes works by Bizet, Debussy, Donizetti, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Salieri, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi.  

As a member of the Ensemble at the Theater an der Wien, he has performed notable roles such as Pelléas in “Pelléas et Mélisande”, Ernesto in “Don Pasquale”, Toniolo in “Gli uccellatori” by Gassmann, Pylades in “Oreste”, Ferrando in “Così fan tutte”, Christgeist in “Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots”, Lucio/Gondoliero in Rossini’s “Otello”, Conte Bandiera in Salieri’s “La scuola de’ gelosi”, Harlequin/Soldier in Ullmann’s “Der Kaiser von Atlantis”, and Malcolm in “Macbeth” alongside Plácido Domingo in the title role. He also performed as Alfredo in a remix version of “La Traviata”, created by Lotte de Beer.por su “noble color de voz” (Wiener Zeitung) y su “voz de tenor dorada” (Der Standard), Julian Henao Gonzalez destaca en un amplio y versátil repertorio que incluye obras de Bizet, Debussy, Donizetti, Händel, Mozart, Rossini, Salieri, Tchaikovsky y Verdi.

Among his early engagements are: Pylades in “Oreste” at the Halle Handel Festival, Mengone in “Lo speziale” at the Stift Altenburg Baroque Theater (Austria), Don Ottavio in “Don Giovanni” with the Vienna Festival Opera, Tamino in “Die Zauberflöte” in Oberursel and Philippsburg (Germany), Il Figlio/Il Giornalista in “Les mamelles de Tirésias” at the Wiener Kammeroper, Conte Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia”, and Conte Alberto in “L’occasione fa il ladro” at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl. His debut at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples was as Pylades in “Ermione”. He also performed Rodrigo/Egoldo in “Matilde di Shabran” at the Wildbad Rossini Festival and was the tenor soloist in “Die Bakchen” at the Burgtheater in Vienna.  

He has worked with renowned conductors such as Pavel Balev, Bertrand de Billy, Rubén Dubrovsky, Stefan Gottfried, Patrick Hahn, Antonello Manacorda, Alessandro De Marchi, José Miguel Pérez-Sierra, and Toby Purser. He began his vocal studies with Professor Bernardo Sánchez and Maestro Detlef Scholz at the University of Antioquia and the Bernardo Sánchez Academy in Colombia. He debuted as Saboyano in “Luisa Fernanda” at the Medellín Opera. Later, he continued his training at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and at the Accademia Rossiniana “Alberto Zedda” of the Rossini Festival in Pesaro, under the guidance of Ernesto Palacio.  

Among his recent engagements are: Conte Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia” for Opera Open 2021 in Plovdiv, Ernesto in “Don Pasquale” for Glyndebourne on Tour, a recital for the Chopin Society of Warsaw, concerts with the Haydn Society of Hainburg and the Herbstsaiten of Passau, as well as the revival of “Die Bakchen” at the Burgtheater in Vienna. He debuted at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro as Lucio/Gondoliero in “Otello” (2022), performed Nemorino in “L’elisir d’amore” at the Ópera de Colombia and the Teatro Mayor (2022 and 2023), and returned to the role of Conte Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia” for the Sofia State Opera and the Plovdiv Opera (2023).  

Other projects include: JET Specials – “The End” at the Theater an der Wien, Conte di Libenskof in “Il viaggio a Reims” for the English Touring Opera (UK), Almanzor in “Zoraida di Granata” by Donizetti and Un ragazzo del popolo in “La Ciociara” by Tutino for the Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland, as well as Ismaele in “Nabucco” (concert version) with Concentus 21 in Vienna.  

Among his current engagements for 24/25 are: Nemorino in “L’elisir d’amore” at the Teatro Comunale in Siracusa, Conte Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia” for the Plovdiv State Opera, “Die Schöne Müllerin” with the Schubert Society of Vienna, with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, performing Mozart’s Coronation Mass and “Vesperae solennes de confessore” at the Mozartiana Festival in Gdansk, Poland, Ernesto in “Don Pasquale” for Scottish Opera in Glasgow and Edinburgh (Access Opera), Malcolm in “Macbeth” at the Villamarta Theater in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Ramiro in “La Cenerentola” for the Plovdiv State Opera Festival in Bulgaria, and Pelléas in “Pelléas et Mélisande” for the Longborough Festival Opera in England.