The South African tenor Siyabonga Maqungo has been a member of the prestigious Staatsoper Unter den Linden ensemble since the 2020/21 where his roles to date include David (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Froh (Das Rheingold), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) and Jaquino (Fidelio). Maqungo will perform this season as Count Almaviva in Ruth Berghaus’ iconic production of Il barbiere di Siviglia under Ido Arad, make his debut as Mozart’s Mitridate, re di Ponto with Marc Minkowski in the pit, as well as partake in engagements of Strauss’ Elektra, La fanciulla del West (Puccini) and sing Pong in Turandot.
Maqungo has also made a name for himself on the concert platform under conductors such as Osmo Vänskä, Antonio Pappano, Vladimir Jurowski and Daniel Barenboim and his repertoire includes Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, War Requiem and Evangelist in both St John and St Matthew Passions, as well as recitals with pianist Klaus Sallmann in Berlin. He sings the role of Pong in Puccini’s Turandot in the 2023 Opera-awards nominated Warner Classics recording, collaborating with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and conductor Sir Antonio Pappano.
Siyabonga Maqungo completed his studies at the North-West University in South Africa and at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Josef Protschka. In 2018 he won second prize at the Portofino International Opera Competition and in 2019 was nominated for the International Opera Awards in the Young Singer category.
