The young Honduran sopranist Dennis Orellana has rapidly established himself as one of the most sought-after singers of his voice type. He has appeared at leading opera houses and festivals, including the Salzburg Festival, La Scala in Milan, Theater an der Wien, the Vienna Chamber Opera, Konzerthaus Dortmund and the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival. His roles have included Berardo (Carlo il Calvo), Ernesto (Griselda), Teseo (Teseo), Sifare (Mitridate, re di Ponto) and Ramiro (La finta giardiniera).
He made his professional debut in 2021 as Berardo in Porpora’s Carlo il Calvo at the Teatro Auditorio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, followed by appearances as Amor in Piccinini’s La selva sin amor, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), and Moth (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). At the 2022 Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival he sang Zeffiro (Il nascimento dell’Aurora) and Ernesto (Griselda), before making his debut at La Scala the following season.
Among his recent successes are Irina in Eötvös’ Three Sisters at the Salzburg Festival, Bellezza (Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno) at the Festival Alte Musik Knechtsteden, Hunapuh (The Indian Queen) with the Berlin Philharmonic, and in Paris and Salzburg, Alessandro (Il Venceslao) and the title role in Marianna Martines’ Isaaco at the Vienna Chamber Opera. He has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Max Emanuel Cencic, Julia Lezhneva and Franco Fagioli, as well as conductors including Teodor Currentzis, George Petrou and Dorothee Oberlinger.
Engagements in the 2025/26 season include his Asian debut in China with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra and a recital at the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing; Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at Deutsche Oper am Rhein; Meleagro in Atalanta at the International Handel Festival in Karlsruhe; Tigrane (Radamisto) in Halle and Wrocław and Poro in Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie (a Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival production) at Theater an der Wien.
Additional appearances include a song recital at Theater Duisburg, Bellezza under the baton of Dorothee Oberlinger and the title role in Alessandro Scarlatti’s Il Ciro at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
>Born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Orellana began his musical career as a trombonist before studying voice at the Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid and subsequently at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. A versatile artist with a rapidly growing international career, he continues to captivate audiences with his musicality, stage presence and distinctive voice.
