José van Dam (1940-2026)

‘A global star who never behaved like one’, ‘Belgium loses its greatest ambassador of opera’... In recent days, tributes have been pouring in from all around the world following the death of José van Dam. But beyond the praise, what legacy does the Brussels-born bass-baritone leave behind? And what special bond did he have with La Monnaie? 

From illustrious “Brusseleir” to international star

Belgian bass-baritone José van Dam is considered to be one of the greatest performers in the history of opera. After studying at the Brussels Conservatory and winning several awards at international singing competitions, he began his career in 1961 at the Opéra de Paris in Berlioz's Les troyens. In 1967, he joined the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he performed various roles for six seasons.

Over the following years, he appeared on the world's greatest stages — from Covent Garden and the Vienna State Opera to La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera — as well as at the most prestigious festivals, from Aix-en-Provence to Saito Kinen (Japan). His extensive repertoire includes the title roles in Falstaff and Simon Boccanegra (Verdi), Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky), Guillaume Tell (Rossini), Wozzeck (Berg) and Gianni Schicchi (Puccini). 

He gained international renown in 1983 with his performance in the title role of Olivier Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise, which premiered at the Opéra de Paris; he successfully reprised the role at the Salzburg Festival and then at the Ruhrtriennale. During his career, he collaborated with prestigious conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Georg Solti, Seiji Ozawa and Sir Antonio Pappano. Both as a singer and an actor, he always brought his own personal touch to each role. In the cinema, he played Leporello in the film version of Mozart's Don Giovanni directed by Joseph Losey, and played the lead role in Gérard Corbiau's famous Le Maître de musique. In addition, in 1988, he contributed, alongside Gerard Mortier, to the establishment of a singing section at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.

40 years on the stage of La Monnaie

José van Dam made his debut at La Monnaie in 1971 in the role of Leporello in Don Giovanni. Between 1981 and 2010, the bass-baritone appeared almost every season in our opera house, even appearing in several productions the same year. He also gave a series of recitals and took part in various concerts. José van Dam played a decisive role in the success of numerous productions at La Monnaie, contributing to our opera house's international reputation. In 2010, after a 50-year career – 40 of which were spent on the stage of La Monnaie – he made his farewell performance in the famous Laurent Pelly production of Don Quichotte (Massenet), in which he played the title role for the last time. The recording of this production is currently available on ARTE. 

In addition to the many prestigious international awards he has received (including the title of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in France and Kammersänger in Berlin), José van Dam was also knighted by King Albert II. The Belgian royal family were among his greatest admirers: he sang at the wedding of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in 1999, as well as at the funerals of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola (in 1993 and 2014 respectively).

From 2004 to 2023, José van Dam headed the opera and singing department of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. In 2023, he became Master in Residence Emeritus and passed the torch to Stéphane Degout and Sophie Koch. In 2024, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Opera Awards, crowning his long and remarkable career.