Viktor Rud Baritone
Viktor Rud, baritone, was born in Kyiv Ukraine. In 1996 he entered the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music and in 2001 he graduated with an Honours Diploma and Mmus in conducting. From 1999-2002 he was the chief conductor of the Ukrainian National Technical University chorus.

In 2002 Viktor entered the Post-Graduate Diploma course at the Royal Academy of Music to study with Mark Wildman and Audrey Hyland. While at the Academy Viktor won the John Lewis Award, the Henry Cummings Prize for baritones, the Norman McCann Award, Joaninho Award and Marilyn Horne Foundation Award. In September 2004 he joined the Royal Academy Opera.

Since the summer of 2003 Viktor has sung a lot of operatic repertoire including Onegin in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin with Oxford City Opera, Maurizio in Wollf-Ferrari's School For Fathers with Royal Academy Opera, Emilio in Nino Rota's Il Capello Di Paglia Di Firenze, Santa Barbara, California, USA, Salieri in Mozart and Salieri by Rimsky Korsakov with the Second Movement opera company, London. Le Roi, Cenrillion, Massenet, RAO. Nardo in La Mozart's Finta Giardiniera, RAO, Goffredo in Rinaldo (Handel) RAO (May 2006). In November 2004 Viktor sang the role of Papageno from Mozart's Magic Flute with the Royal Academy opera conducted by Sir Colin Davis and directed by John Copley.

On the concert platform Viktor Rud has performed as a soloist in venues such as the Barbican Hall, St. Martin-In-The-Fields, St. John's Smith Square, St. James' Piccadilly (UK), Chartres Cathedral, Académie Européenne de Musique, Aix-en-Provence (France), Wexford Festival (Ireland) the Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara (USA), Piazza Solti (Italy) Teatro Pamplona and Accademia di Bellas Artos, Madrid (Spain). Viktor has also performed live for BBC Radio 3 and Ukrainian and Irish national television.

Recent performances include the title role in Don Giovanni with British Youth Opera (September 2006).

Viktor's studies at the National Opera Studio are kindly supported by a Sybil Tutton Award, the Ross Goobey Trust, a John Wates Bursar and the Opera Rara Award. He is also extremely grateful to Serena Fenwick and Alan Beurrieror for their support.

S. Rachmaninov's Mozart and Salieri, Patrick O'Connor
Opera magazine, January 2005

'Rud has a fine rich voice'

Magic Flute, Richard Law
Opera magazine, February 2005

'The Ukrainian Viktor Rud gave us a delightfully communicative Papageno'

Magic Flute, Margaret Davies,
Musical Opinion, January-February 2005

'The Ukrainian baritone Viktor Rud offered an irresistibly human portrayal of the bolshie bird catcher, emphasizing his dialogue with a kaleidoscope of facial expressions and delivering the music in a warm toned, mobile baritone.'

Neil Fischer
The Times, Wednesday December the 1st 2004:

'Ukrainian baritone Viktor Rud...embraced Papageno's wistful melodies with panache'

A Night at the Chinese Opera, George Hall,
The Observer, Sunday March 26, 2006

‘Viktor Rud (doubling as the Night watchman and Marco Polo) is first-rate’

A Night at the Chinese Opera, London, Richard Fairman
Financial Times, March 24 2006

‘The performance was led by some strong voices, notably Viktor Rud as the Night watchman/ Marco Polo.’