Biography

Ukrainian baritone Oleh Lebedyev, based in Germany, is a versatile and accomplished freelance opera singer with a growing international reputation. 

He recently won the first price at the Emmerich Smola Förderpreis "SWR Kultur Junge Opernstars 2026", broadcasted live. Known for his rich voice color and vibrant charismatic stage presence, he has performed at major opera houses across Europe and collaborated with renowned conductors and artists. In 2025, Oleh made his debut as a cover at the Glyndebourne Festival as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia and sang Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus in Tel Aviv with Rosie Danzinger.

In the 2025–2026 season, he will perform Belcore in” L’Elisir de amore” at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt. He also appears as a soloist in Mozart’s Krönungsmesse and Requiem, alas various Bach works and concerts.

During the 2019–2021 seasons, Oleh was a member of the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain. From 2021 to 2023, he joined the Opernstudio NRW in Germany. Oleh Lebedyev has participated in masterclasses with renowned artists including Plácido Domingo, Carlo Rizzi, Roger Vignoles, Stefano Montanari, Peter Berne, Carlos Chausson, and works with Eytan Pessen, and Raúl Gimenez, among others. 

His musical journey began at the age of 6, when he started studying piano, laying the foundation for his deep connection to music. He later pursued formal training at the Stanislav Liudkevych State Music College in Lviv, where he earned his first Bachelor’s degree in Conducting. Following this, Oleh continued his studies at the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv, where he graduated with a second Bachelor’s degree in Opera Singing in 2019. 

He is a laureate of numerous international competitions, including the First Prize at the International Singing Competition Galina Slonicka (Poland, 2018), Teatro Real Special Prize in Concorso Lirico Ottavio Ziino (Rome, 2021), First Prize at the Premiere Opera Foundation Competition (New York, 2022), Engagement Prize from Semperoper Dresden Belvedere Competition (2023),Finalist and Eva Kleinitz Award at the Concorso Lirico Portofino (Italy, 2024) and the Finalist and Engagement Prize at the VC s-Hertogenbosch Competition (2024).

Oleh has performed on major European stages including the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Valencia), Semperoper Dresden, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Oper im Steinbruch, Teatro Real (Madrid), Aalto-Theater (Essen), Theater Bonn, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Staatstheater Mainz, Oper Wuppertal, Musiktheater im Revier (Gelsenkirchen), Jerusalem Theatre, among others.