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The Romanian counter-tenor and pianist, Florin Cezar Ouatu, was born into a family of musicians in Ploiești. He is the son of the late flautist and former teacher at Mozarteum University of Salzburg, Florin Ouatu. He began his musical studies at 6 years of age at the "Carmen Sylva" Academy of Art and Music in his home town, where he obtained the piano and choral direction diploma. In 1998 he began the study of singing, immediately distinguishing himself as a rare "falsettista". In 2001 he was accepted to the Giuseppe Verdi Music Academy in Milan, where he graduated with special mention in 2004, under the guidance of Margaret Hayward. He attended master-classes with Jordi Savall, Sara Mingardo, René Clemencic and Mariana Nicolesco. He won several prestigious international competitions, including Francisco Viñas of Barcelona (Best Counter-tenor) in 2003; Competizione dell’Opera of Dresden (1st Prize); Riccardo Zandonai of Riva del Garda (Jury Special Prize); International Voice Competition organized by the Renata Tebaldi Foundation in San Marino (Baroque Prize) in 2005; and Spiros Argiris Prize of Sarzana. He has performed in concert in Italy and abroad and has frequently appeared with La Cappella Musicale of Lodi and Claudio Monteverdi Choir of Crema.
His concert repertoire includes George Frideric Handel's Dixit Dominus, Purcell’s Te Deum, Antonio Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus and Stabat Mater, Cavalli’s Requiem. In august 2007 he was the protagonist of a recital with arias by G.F. Handel and A. Vivaldi in San Marino, with the Baroque ensemble „Venti, turbini“, led by Sergio Ciomei. His operatic repertoire also includes the roles of Goffredo and Rinaldo in Rinaldo by Händel and Bertarido in Rodelinda. He recorded the Requiem and Two Voices Motets by Cavalli (Tactus), Vespero delli Cinque Laudate by Cavalli (Dynamic), "Bizzarrie, follie, stravaganze" (Amadeus).
In 2007 Florin Cezar Ouatu made his debut at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice singing the role of Armando d’Orville (title role) in Meyerbeer‘s Il crociato in Egitto with Emmanuel Villaume conductor and Pierluigi Pizzi director. He has since appeared in further opera performances in Baroque opera roles. Recent engagements include: G.F. Handel's Giulio Cesare (Nireno) at the Opéra de Lausanne under the baton of Ottavio Dantone; A. Vivaldii’s Ottone in Villa (Caio Silio) at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, with l’Arte dell’Arco and Federico Guglielmo (the studio recording of this production will be released by Sony/BMG); Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Nerone) at the Corinth Festival under George Petrou; the world premiere of Bononcini’s La conversione di Maddalena (Amor Divino) at the MITO Festival with Accademia d’Arcadia under Diego Fasolis.
Among his future engagements: Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine with Ensemble Matheus and Jean-Christophe Spinosi in Brest and at the Théâtre du Châtelet, in a new production directed by Oleg Kulik; a concert with Simone Kermes with arias and duets from G.F. Handel's Rinaldo with L’arte del mondo led by Werner Ehrhardt in Steinfurt (Bagno-Konzertgalerie) and in Dortmund (Klangvokal Musikfestival). In April 2009 he made his debut as Didymus in G.F. Handel's Theodora at the Cuenca Festival with Il Complesso Barocco and Alan Curtis. He returned to the Teatro La Fenice in Venice for G.F. Handel's Agrippina (Nerone), under the baton of Fabio Biondi.
Florin Cezar Ouatu released his first pop-opera single "Cinema Paradiso" on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2012. In May 2013, he represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "It's My Life", and finished in 13th place with 65 points at the end of the contest. A week later, on May 25, 2013, he performed alongside Andrea Bocelli and Angela Gheorghiu at Bocelli's concert in Romania at the Romexpo, which led to a collaboration with Vangelis. In 2018, he auditioned for the UK X Factor. |
