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 vocal coach Virginia Zeani. He performed at the "Kammersängerin" title ceremony for Grace Bumbry at the Federal Chancellery in Vienna, accompanied Diana Damrau in her Mahler CD presentation at the Salzburg Festival, and his former teacher, tenor Carlos Montanè, in recitals.
Fernando Araujo had the honor to accompany soprano Barbara Bonney in her recitals at the Cultural Center 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 honor to sing a duet with Raimondi.
Furthermore he played for master classes of 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 Salzburg Festival's "Young Singers Project" 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 participated in master classes with Herbert Brauer, Gemma Bertagnolli, Horiana Branisteanu, Michèle Crider, Joan Dornemann, Irina Gavrilovici, Bonaldo Giaiotti, Medea Iassonidi, KS Angelika Kirschlager, KS Olivera Miljakovic, Rio Novello, Bruno Rigacci, Neyde Thomas, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Giorgio Tozzi and Virginia Zeani among others. He also works regularly with Mario Diaz and Alfio Grasso, who are among his mentors.
Fernando Araujo has an intense international activity as a singer (baritone). He participated in the programs for young artists of the "Pacific Music Festival" in Japan and the "Verbier Festival" and was a scholarship holder of the "Don Giovanni Singing Competition" of the "Fondazione Arena di Verona" / UNESCO under the patronage of Gianfranco DeBosio. Among the highlights of this activity are collaborations as 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 Šervenikas), Papageno at the Munich Philharmonic (with the "Immling Festival", directed by Ludwig Baumann, musical direction by Cornelia von Kerssenbrock), Rigoletto at the "Festival Winds of Baikal" in Russia (conductor Ilmar Lapinsch), Dante in the world premiere of "Inferno & Paradiso" by Christopher Preissing and Robert Kyr at the "DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts" in Notre Dame, Indiana (director Anton Juan, musical direction Carmen Tellez), Papageno with "Opera Classica Europa" (directed by Michael Vaccaro, Smetana Philharmonic Orchestra Prague conducted by Hans Richter and recently with the "Thüringen Philharmoniker Gotha-Eisenach" conducted by Markus Huber), Amonasro, Germont, Silvio and Belcore at the "Opernfestspiele Schloss Amerang" (directed by Ingo Kolonerics, musical direction by Stefano Seghedoni, Marco Moresco and Patrick Murray), Gianni Schicchi and Marcello at the "Perm Opera & Ballet Theatre" (staged by Philipp Himmelmann, conducted by Artem Abashev), the Schumacher Braz in Marcos Portugal's "Le Donne Cambiate'"(1797) at the "Teatro de Vila Real", Portugal (musical direction Ricardo Bernardes, direction Nicolás Isasi), the title role in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" with the "Würth Philharmonic Orchestra" at the Carmen Würth Hall, concerts at the National Theaters in Bucharest and Timisoara, Romania, as well as with the "Syrian National Symphony Orchestra" at the National Opera in Damascus, Syria.
As a guest he took part in many productions of the opera department of the Mozarteum University: Marcello in "La Bohème" (staging Hermann Keckeis, musical direction Gernot Sahler), Escamillo in "Carmen" (staging Alexander von Pfeil, musical direction Gernot Sahler) and Alberto Serra in Manfred Trojahn's "The Limes from Sicily" (staging Mascha Pörzgen, musical direction Kai Röhrig). With the "Mozart Oper Institut" he sang the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro (staging Eike Gramss, musical direction Josef Wallnig). Furthermore he sang the baritone solo in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in the Großes Festspielhaus (with the "Bad Reichenhaller Philharmonie") and in the Felsenreitschule (with the "Philharmonie Salzburg" conducted by Elisabeth Fuchs).
Future engagements as a baritone include principal roles in Marcos Portugal's "L'oro non compra amore" with the Fundação Casa de Mateus, Portugal, and in Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischütz" with the Salzburg Philharmonic.
Also active in the oratorio field, he regularly sings in the historic Salzburg churches under the direction of János Czifra, Bernhard Gfrerer and Hans-Josef Knaust. As a vocal coach at the opera department of the "Universität Mozarteum" he has accompanied and supervised many productions and successful final examinations. Among his graduates are prize winners of international singing competitions at leading opera houses and festivals.
Fernando Araujo is artistic director of the "Mozart Dinner Concert", soloist of the "Salzburger Konzertgesellschaft", the "Oper im Berg Festival", the "Philharmonie Salzburg" and the "Kinderfestspiele" and co-founder of the "Amadeus International Culture Committee". At the "Grandi Voci Singing Competition", under the patronage of KS Grace Bumbry, he won the audience prize and the "Verdi Prize".
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". On the occasion of the Salzburg Festival 2023 he performed with the ensemble "Bella Musica" under the direction of Stefan David Hummel, at Leopoldskron Castle.
