Forthcoming engagements of bass-baritone Igor Bakan in the 2014/15 season include the roles of Raimbaud in Le Comte Ory in Malmö Opera (house and role debut) and Masetto (Don Giovanni) in Bergen National Opera.

In 2013/14 Igor continues in the ensemble at Theater an der Wien and sings Ircano in the Vinci/Händel Semiramide under Alan Curtis, Don Magnifico in  Rossini's La Cenerentola, Publio in La Clemenza di Tito, and Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata on the mainstage. He sang the role of Pietro in a new Simon Boccanegra recording, released in September 2013 by Decca, with Thomas Hampson, Kristine Opolais, Joseph Calleja and Carlo Colombara with the Wiener Symphoniker and Massimo Zanetti.
Igor Bakan joined the new Junges Ensemble (JET) of Theater an der Wien for the 2012/13 season. As part of the Junges Ensemble he was heard as Tobia Mill in Rossini's La cambiale di matrimonio, Colline in Puccini's La Boheme, and Zoroastro in Handel's Orlando. In addition, Igor gave guest performances at the Theater an der Wien in Rossini's Le comte Ory in February 2013 alongside Cecilia Bartoli. In September 2012 he made his house debut at the Theater an der Wien in the role of Antinoo in Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria.

In the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons Igor was an ensemble member at the Vlaamse Opera, and in his first season performed Oroe in Rossini’s Semiramide under the baton of Alberto Zedda, einäugige in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten, Vittelius in Massenet’s Herodiade, and Il Tempo/Antinoo in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria. His roles the following season at the Vlaamse Operaincluded Ivan Sjoeranin in Tchaikovsky’s The Enchantress; Don Prudenzio in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims; Alcade/ Chirurgo in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, and Daniel in Donizetti’s Le duc d’Albe. In addition, Igor performed the role of Oroe in Semiramide at the Edinburgh Festival in summer 2011.

In 2009/2010 Igor was a member of the International Opera Studio of Opernhaus Zürich. His first guest engagement was in Strauss’ Elektra as An Old Servant as well as cover for the role of Orest. The production was conducted by Gustav Kuhn and was staged eight times in Italy in January and February 2010. Igor also made his Opernhaus Zürich debut as Jailer in Tosca in February alongside Thomas Hampson, under the baton of Nello Santi.

During the 2008/9 season Igor was a member of the Opera Studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper and appeared in many important productions including Verdi's Macbeth, Palestrina, La Boheme, Otello, and Lohengrin (starring Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros, available on DVD). The same year Igor also appeared alongside baritone Paolo Gavanelli as Monterone in Rigoletto in a concert at the Herkulessaal der Residenz in Munich with the Munich Opera Orchestra.

In January 2009 Igor performed in a concert with the Deutschen Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern conducted by Enrico Delamboy, and was the winner of the Emmerich-Smola-Förderpreis the same year. As part of the competition, Igor was featured in a documentary film produced by SWR Television about the competition.

The young singer has won several prizes and awards:
- 2nd Prize in Opera, Audience Prize, Prize of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Prize of La Scala di Milano, and Prize of the Stadttheater Klagenfurt at the 27th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Vocal Competition.
- finalist in the 1st International Singing Competition of the Savonlinna Opera Festival in July 2010.
- 1st Prize at the Emmerich Smola Förderpreis 2009 in Landau, Germany.

Igor graduated from Klaipeda University with a degree in Voice in 2007. From 2006-2008 the young artist was a member of the Opera Theater of Klaipeda where he appeared in a number of roles including Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville, Fürst Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Uberto in La Serva Padrona, Doctor Grenvil in La Traviata, and Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro.

Igor Bakans Oroe was a strong anchor for the action...

Simon Thompson
http://www.seenandheard-international.com/2011/08/28/edinburgh-international-festival-2011-13-fantastic-musical-values-but-poor-staging-in-rossinis-semiramide/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=edinburgh-international-festival-2011-13-fantastic-musical-values-but-poor-staging-in-rossinis-semiramide

Igor Bakan made a fine Oroe with a smooth, even timbre throughout his range. His bass-baritone voice did not carry over the orchestra as well as the others; whether that was a lack of projection on his part or just where I was sitting it was hard to tell but the first example of this was the bottom-F at the end of his opening aria, Si...gran Nume...tintesi which was lost.

Katy Thomson
Opera Britannia
http://www.opera-britannia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=555:semiramide-edinburgh-international-festival-25th-august-2011&catid=8:opera-reviews&Itemid=16

Igor Bakan war ein beeindruckenender bassgewaltiger Oberpriester Oroe.

Julia Poser
Orpheus Magazine

Auch Petri Lindroos als Phanuel und Igor Bakan als Vitellius meisterten die kleineren Rollen sehr gut.

opera "Herodiade"
http://www.omm.de/veranstaltungen/musiktheater20102011/ANT-herodiade.html

Igor Bakan (Vitellius) confirme l’impression favorable laissée en décembre dans Sémiramide...
Translation:
Igor Bakan (Vitellius) confirms the favorable impression left in December in Semiramide...

Sebastien Foucart
http://www.concertonet.com/scripts/review.php?ID_review=7240

Quando Wagner canta Rossini
Il basso lituano Igor Bakan, assai "strapazzato" quale Gran Sacerdote Oroe dalle belle trovate di Nigel Lowery (che lo costringe a trasportare la maggior parte del tempo una valigia), ha ricoperto il suo ruolo adeguatamente lasciando però a desiderare in fatto di eleganza vocale.

Fulvio Stefano Lo Presti
http://www.bellininews.it/articoli/Rossini.htm

Semiramide à lOpéra de Flandre
En revanche, belle prestation du baryton-basse Igor Bakan (Oroe).
Translation:
...good performance bass-baritone Igor Bakan (Oroe).

Philippe Thanh
"La lettre du musicien"

Goddelijke zang in Antwerpse Semiramide   14.Dec. 2010 Antwerpen
De (zeer?) jonge basbariton Igor Bakan was een fenomenale Oroe. Ondanks de belachelijke outfit als handelsreiziger kon hij het karakter van de Hoge Priester weten over
te brengen.
Translation:
The (very) Young bass-baritone Igor Bakan was a phenomenal Oroe. Despite the ridiculous outfit like the character he was salesman of the High Priest to bring about.

Basia Jaworski
Opernmagazine

Rathaus Wien : BELVEDERE  WETTBEWERB   6.Juni 2008

Und wieder sehr kompetent in seiner Sparte war der zwei Jahre jüngere Litauer Igor BAKAN, ein im Auftreten schon sehr routinierter Sänger, mit einem typisch russisch gefärbten Bass-Bariton, der aus Rachmaninovs Aleko ein einfühlsames Portrait mit Vesj tabor spit gestaltete. Der Publikumspreis war ihm damit sicher, ebenso auch der zweite Jurypreis.

Peter SKOREPA