Home    ▫    About us    ▫    Artists     ▫    Auditions    ▫    Contacts

César Augusto Cortés Betancourt, is a Colombian tenor born in the city of Cali (Colombia) on September 22, 1989, graduated from the National Pedagogical University as a graduate in Music, he lives in Barcelona where, in 2019, he got a Master degree at the Conservatori of Liceu under the guidance of Marta Matheu.

He attended masterclasses with Miquel Ortega Pujol, Alexandra Rosa Zabala, Gino Quilico, Melba Ramos, Victoria Livengood, Marta Matheu, Elio Orciuolo, Nancy Herrera, Dolora Zajick, Raul Jimenez, Francisco Araiza, Teresa Berganza.

He was awarded in several Competition: Winner of the National Singing Contest, organized by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogotá (Colombia) in 2016; Winner of the Josep Palet International Singing Contest (Martorell) in 2017; second place in the Andrea Singing International Contest Chénier in Foggia (Italy).

He was also awarded with the Scholarship granted by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogotá and the Conservatori Liceu of Barcelona (Spain) in 2017-2018 to continue his studies with the  Master degree in Opera Performance. After his debut as soloist in 2015 with Opera de Colombia, as Edoardo in La cambiale di matrimonio, he had the opportunity to begin performing in Spain as Florville in Il Signor Bruschino with Opera de Sarrià conducted by Raul Jimenez, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at the Palau de la Música Catalana, preparing the role with Francisco Araiza; Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Opera de Sabadell.

He also performed with Opera de Sabadell as Beppe in Pagliacci and as Bertrando in L'inganno felice with Opera de Sarrià under the artistic direction of Raul Gimenez.

In 2025/26 he will be Elvino in La Sonnambula at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in Antwerpen and Gent, and then in France in the theatres of Nantes, Angers, Rennes and Massy as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor; Fenton in Falstaff at Liceu in Barcelona, Fadinard in Il cappello di paglia di Firenze in Cagliari.

In the season 2024/25 he will be La fille du régiment (Tonio) at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, in Düsseldorf for Il barbiere di Siviglia and La Cenerentola, Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Opéra de Lille and at Swedish Royal Opera in Stockholm.

Among the main engagements in 2023/24: Le Comte Ory (Comte Ory) at Teatro Comunale in Bologna; Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo) in Zaragoza (production cancelled by the theatre); Il barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva) with Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duisburg and with Seattle Opera (US debut); La Cenerentola (Don Ramiro) in Kiel.

Among his engagements during the 2022/23: Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio) with Sabadell Opera in the theatres of Sabadell, Santander and Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona; Così fan tutte (Ferrando) in Kiel; Don Pasquale (Ernesto) in Pisa and with Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf; Il barbiere di Siviglia  (Almaviva) in Mannheim; Der Rosenkavalier (Ein Sänger) with Irish National Opera in Dublin; Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Belmonte) with Orquestra Ciudad de Granada; Il barbiere di Siviglia in Krakow and Wildbad with Rossini in Wildbad Belcanto Opera Festival (CD recording with NAXOS).

In 2021/22: Il barbiere di Siviglia (Almaviva) - Teatro Comunale in Bologna and in Mannheim; Die Zauberflöte (Tamino), Il Cambise (Orconte) by A. Scarlatti - Theater Kiel; Don Pasquale (Ernesto) - Teatro Verdi in Trieste and in Oldenburg; La cenerentola (Don Ramiro) – Theater Bonn; Mozart’s Requiem at Palau de la musica in Barcelona.

In 2020/21: La finta giardiniera (Belfiore) - Theater Kiel; Don Pasquale (Ernesto) in Oldenburg; in December 2020 a concert at Liceu with Sondra Radvanovsky "Les tres reines" (cancelled due to pandemic); Il barbiere di Siviglia (Conte Almaviva) in Reggio Emilia and Modena; Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo) at Liceu in Barcelona.

In 2019/20: Il viaggio a Reims (Belfiore), Les Troyens (Iopas) - Theater Kiel; La cenerentola (Don Ramiro) - Swedish Royal Opera, Stockholm; La sonnambula (Elvino), La clemenza di Tito (Tito), Zaide (Gomatz)  - Theater Oldenburg; La scala di seta (Dorvil) - Festival Rossini in Wildbad (cancelled due to pandemic).

In 2018/19 he debuts as Nemorino in Elisir d'amore with Opera de Sabadell, Alphonse in La muette de Portici at Theater Kiel; winner of Belcanto Prize as best emerging voice at Festival Rossini in Wildbad where he took part to the Accademia Belcanto.