Distinguished artists by Prof. Mario Diaz
Pumeza Matshikiza
Described as “one of today’s most exciting new operatic voices” (Independent), South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza is one of today’s rising opera stars. Being an exclusive Decca Classics recording artist, she already released two albums: her debut album “Voice of Hope”, featuring arias and traditional and popular African songs, and “Arias” with a selection of operatic arias and songs from her current repertoire.
“Mario Diaz is one of the best singing teachers around in the world today. The testimony is in the quality of his student’s singing. He continues the beautiful tradition of the old Italian bel canto school. It was a pleasure to work with him.”
Pumeza Matshikisa
Nutthaporn Thammathi
Born in Thailand he was awarded 1st prize at the 11th Osaka International Music Competition. In 2011 he began studying singing at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg with Prof. Mario Diaz. In 2014 he sang at the New Year's Concert of the Bläserphilharmonie Mozarteum Salzburg in the Großes Festspielhaus Salzburg, in June 2015. In the same year he made his debut at the Freiburg Theater and at the Budapest State Opera. At the Salzburg Mozart Week 2019 he appeared alongside René Pape in the title role of Mozart's Thamos, König in Egypt, including a TV broadcast on ARTE.
Santiago Sánchez
Tenor Santiago Sánchez studied piano at the Torrevieja Conservatory (Alicante) and continued his vocal studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, where he completed his master's degree in song and oratorio with Prof. Mario Diaz and Pauliina Tukiainen.
Engagements have taken Santiago Sánchez as Alfredo, directed by Leo Nucci, he has been a member of the ensemble at the Theater Bonn since the 2020|21 season and won first prize at the International Mozart competition 2023.
Margarita Polonskaya
Margarita Polonskaya as student at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Prof. Mario Díaz since 2018, she is the recipient and finalist of the singing Deutschlandsberg Feruccio Tagliavini 25th International Competition and obtained a Ein Gianna Szel grant. Recently, she appeared in Tan Dum’s Tea at the Mozarteum Opera Studio. Margarita Polonskaya joined the Paris opera Academy in September 2022.
Gabriel Arce
Tenor Gabriel Arce currently based in Madrid, Spain studied “Singing” at the National University of San Juan, Argentina and later “Opera and Musical Theater” at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg with the tenor Mario Diaz. As soloist he performed in different Opera Houses, Concert Halls and Festivals in Austria, Germany, Bulgary, Greece, Spain, Italy and Argentina.
Sassaya Chavalit
The Thai Soprano is a promising opera talent. She showed us in the Aria from Christoph Wilibald Glucks „Iphigénie en Tauride” that she has a sonorous soprano voice, brilliant stage presence and musical expression.
Sofiya Almazova
Sofiya Almazova, completed her bachelor's degree in opera singing at the Mozarteum in Salzburg after training at the Russian Academy of Theater Arts. Since autumn 2016 she has been studying opera with Niels Muus at the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna. She was able to gain numerous stage experiences.
Niklas Mayer
Born in Heidelberg . Since 2016 he has been studying singing at the Mozarteum University in the class of Prof. Mario Diaz. Niklas Mayer was part of the Young Singers Project 2022 at the Salzburg Festival. In 2022 the tenor also celebrated his debut with the role of Cavaliere Belfiore in Rossini's "Il Viaggio a Reims" at the Staatstheater Augsburg. From September 2023 he will be part of the Opera Studio at the National Theater Mannheim.
Sissi Qi Wang
Sissi Qi Wang, born in Qingdao (China), studied singing at the University of the Arts in Bremen and at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne. She was able to gain stage experience in numerous roles, including at the Theater Aachen, she has appeared on German stages in various roles, e.g. with the Bremen Shakespeare Company.
Gunnar Andor Nieland
Was born in Bergen, Norway, in 2011 he came to Mozarteum in the class of Prof. Mario Diaz in 2013 he sung the role of Schaunard in La Bohème (Puccini) in Opera Bergen, Norway in 2017 Harlekin from Ariadne auf Naxos, and Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana. In 2018 he has Sung Morales in Carmen and Schaunard with Opera Rogaland. In November 2018 he sung Zurga in Pearlfishers by G. Bizet with Ringsakeroperaen.
Inês Constantino
Portuguese Mezzo Soprano, studied singing at the Universidade de Aveiro. From 2016 to 2018 she studied at the University of Mozarteum Salzburg in the class of Pauliina Tukiainen and singing with Mario Diaz, in which she graduated in 2020. In Salzburg she sang the roles of Filipjewna in “Eugene Onegin”, Zita in “Gianni Schicchi”. Recently she performed the role of Francisca in the opera “Vingança” at the theater Fórum Luísa Todi, Setúbal and Annio in “La Clemenza di Tito”, Salzburg.
Kudaibergen Abildin
Tenor who comes from Kazakhstan, has been part of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt since the 2022/23 season, where he made his debut as Tamino (Die Zauberflöte). With the Tchaikovsky roles Lukash (The Sorceress) and Lenski (Eugene Onegin). He began his education at the College of Arts in Karaganda, then studied at the Kazakh National University of Arts in Astana, he completed his studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. His repertoire includes roles such as Nemorino (L'elisir d'amore), Camille de Rosillon (The Merry Widow), Rodolfo (La Bohème) and Alfredo (La traviata).
Julia Heiler
Born in Munich, soprano Julia Elisabeth Anna Heiler completed her Bachelor's degree in Voice at the Leopold Mozart Centre for Music at the University of Augsburg, and at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. She studied singing with Mario Diaz. In 2022 she was a semi-finalist in the Concorso Lirico Internazionale Portofino competition in Italy, also a prize-winner at the Salzburg International Mozart Competition 2023 (invitation to ARCO 2023 in Marseille).
Hany Abdelzaher
Tenor Hany Abdelzaher was born in Cairo and completed his bachelor's degree at the Cairo Conservatory there. He continued his education at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He was a member of the ensemble at the Cairo State Opera. He made guest appearances at the Staatstheater Bielefeld as Radames in AIDA and at the Salzburg Easter Festival 2020 as the cover for Yusif Eyvazov in a new production of DON CARLO under the musical direction of Christian Thielemann. From the 2022/23 season, Hany Abdelzaher will be a member of the ensemble at Theater Regensburg.
Ruzana Grigorian
The young Russian mezzo-soprano studied singing at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Since the 2017/18 season she has been a member of the international opera studio of the Hamburg State Opera. In November 2018 she won 1st prize at the international Nuovo Canto singing competition in Milan. From the 2020/21 season, Ruzana Grigorian will be a member of the ensemble at the Hanover State Opera. Here she has already appeared in the title role in Carmen and as Emilia in Otello, and in the 2021/22 season she will also sing Maddalena in Rigoletto and Olga in Eugen Onegin.
Ksenia Leonidova
Graduated with distinction from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in the class of Prof. Zurab Sotkilava and from the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in the class of Prof. Mario Diaz. She got important impulses in masterclasses with Elena Obraztsova. Her career brought her to stages all around the world like Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Immling Festival, Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Yekaterinburg State Opera, Beijing Tianqiao Theatre. She performed roles such as Carmen, Lucretia, Maddalena, Suzuki, Lyubasha, Olga, Flosshilde, Waltraute, Schwertleite.
