Pianist and singer Fernando Araujo was born in São Paulo, Brazil, where he began piano lessons at the age of seven and composition studies at eleven. At the age of twelve, he sang the part of the Third Boy in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with the Ópera Minaz. He graduated in piano and voice from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, and from the University Mozarteum Salzburg, where his teachers were Menahem Pressler and Hans Leygraf (piano), György Sebök (chamber music), KS James King, KS Lilian Sukis, Carlos Montanè and Boris Bakow (voice), Breda Zakontik and Wolfgang Holzmair (lied and oratorio).
At Indiana University, he was director of studies for the class of legendary soprano and pedagogue Virginia Zeani. He performed at the Kammersängerin title ceremony for Grace Bumbry at the Federal Chancellery in Vienna, accompanied Diana Damrau at her Mahler CD presentation at the Salzburg Festival and his former teacher, tenor Carlos Montanè at recitals.
Fernando Araujo had the honour of accompanying soprano Barbara Bonney in her recitals at the Cultural Centre in Bangkok, at the Verbier Festival, at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco (where he replaced Maestro André Previn at short notice) and at the Darmstadt Opera on the occasion of her career anniversary. At the Auditório Nacional de Música in Madrid, he accompanied Isabel Rey and Ruggero Raimondi at a benefit concert, where he also had the honour of singing a duet with Raimondi.
He has also performed for master classes given by Maurizio Arena, Martina Arroyo, Enza Ferrari, KS Christa Ludwig, Teresa Kubiac, Claudia Pinza, Bruno Pola, Bruno Rigacci, KS Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Margaret Singer, KS Patricia Wise and Rolando Villazón, among others. He has also been vocal coach for the Young Singers Project of the Salzburg Festival under the direction of Barbara Bonney, Marjana Lipovsek and Michael Schade, for the Ezio Pinza Council for American Singers of Opera (EPCASO) in Oderzo, Italy, and vocal accompanist for Elina Garanča's Future Voices. He was also vocal coach for the Mongolian premiere of Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Ulan Bator State Opera. As a singer, he has participated in master classes with Herbert Brauer, Gemma Bertagnolli, Joan Dornemann, Horiana Branisteanu, Irina Gavrilovici, Alfio Grasso, Medea Iassonidi, Bonaldo Giaiotti, KS Olivera Miljakovic, Rio Novello, Bruno Rigacci, Neyde Thomas, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Giorgio Tozzi and Virginia Zeani, among others.
Fernando Araujo also has an intense activity as a singer (baritone). He has participated in the programmes for young artists of the Pacific Music Festival in Japan and the Verbier Festival. Among the highlights of his activity are collaborations as a soloist with conductors such as Fabio Luisi, Dennis Russell Davies, Hans Graf, Nayer Nagui and others. ; Escamillo at the Lithuanian National Opera (staged by Arnaud Bernard, conducted by Robertas Servenikas), Papageno at the Munich Philharmonic (with the Immling Festival, directed by Ludwig Baumann, musical director Cornelia von Kerssenbrock), Rigoletto at the Winds of Baikal Festival in Russia (conducted by Ilmar Lapinsch), Dante in the world premiere of Inferno & Paradiso by Christopher Preissing and Robert Kyr at the DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts at Notre Dame, Indiana (director Anton Juan, conductor Carmen Tellez), Papageno with Opera Classica Europa (director Michael Vaccaro, Smetana Philharmonic Orchestra Prague conducted by Hans Richter), Amonasro, Germont and Belcore at the Opera Festival Schloss Amerang (director Ingo Kolonerics, conductor Stefano Seghedoni), Gianni Schicchi and Marcello at Perm Opera & Ballet Theatre (staged by Philipp Himmelmann, conductor Artem Abashev).
As a guest he took part in many productions of the opera department of the Mozarteum University: Marcello in La Bohème (staged by Hermann Keckeis, musical direction by Gernot Sahler), Escamillo in Carmen (staged by Alexander von Pfeil, musical direction by Gernot Sahler) and Alberto Serra in Manfred Trojahn's Die Limonen aus Sizilien (staged by Mascha Pörzgen, musical direction by Kai Röhrig). With the Mozart Opera Institute he sang the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro (staging Eike Gramss, musical direction Josef Wallnig). He also sang the baritone solo in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana at the Großes Festspielhaus (with the Bad Reichenhall Philharmonic) and at the Felsenreitschule (with the Salzburg Philharmonic conducted by Elisabeth Fuchs). Future engagements as a baritone include the title role in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Würth Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Elisabeth Fuchs, the role of Braz in Marcos Portugal's Le Donne Cambiate (1797) conducted by Ricardo Bernardes at the Mateus Palace in Vila Real, Portugal, and concerts at the National Theatre in Bucharest, Romania.
Also active in oratorio, he regularly sings in the historic Salzburg churches under the direction of János Czifra, Bernhard Gfrerer and Hans-Josef Knaust. As vocal coach at the opera department of the Mozarteum University, he has accompanied and supervised many productions and successful final examinations. His graduates include prize winners of international singing competitions at leading theatres and festivals. Fernando Araujo is a soloist with the Salzburg Concert Society, the Oper im Berg Festival, the Salzburg Philharmonic Orchestra and co-founder of the Amadeus International Culture Committee. He won the Audience Prize and the Verdi Prize at the Grandi Voci Singing Competition under the patronage of KS Grace Bumbry.
In 2022, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Brazil's independence, he was commissioned to create the soirée "Leopoldina, for the love of Brazil" as a cooperation between the Brazilian Embassy in Vienna and the Mozarteum University with the special participation of Ulrike Arp, Michèle Crider, Mario Diaz, Don Juan Archiv, Peter Kellner, Herbert Lindsberger, Cecilio Perera, among others.
In 2023 he was vocal accompanist at the International Mozart Competition (vocal section).
