Jan Šťáva (*1988, Brno, Czech Republic) has studied opera signing since early childhood under the guidance of his mother, teacher and opera singer Zdeňka Rybecká. In 2007–2012, he studied at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno in Zdeněk Šmukař’s class. Since 2010 he has been a soloist at the Janáček Opera, National Theatre in Brno. Since 2011 he has been a regular guest soloist at the Prague National Theatre and the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava. Since then he has made regular guest appearances in all major Czech opera houses. His international appearances have been at at the Opéra de Paris, the opera houses at Montpellier, Nantes/Angers Opera and at the Opéra de Toulon. His performances cover major basso parts: Leporello (Don Giovanni), Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier), Méphistophéles (Faust), Zaccaria (Nabucco), Don Alfonso (Cosí fan tutte), Figaro and Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro), Osmin (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Raphael/Adam (Die Schöpfung), Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Ferrando (Il Trovatore), Gremin (Eugene Onegin), Colline (La Bohème), Claudius (Hamlet), Alvise Badoero (La Gioconda), Kecal (Prodaná nevěsta).
His prolific concert performance have involved work with BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, Radio Symphony Orchestra Hannover, Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonia and others. He has appeared at numerous prestigious festivals (BBC Proms, Salzburger Festspiele, Prague Spring, Smetana’s Litomyšl, Prague Proms). Jan’s concert repertoire includes basso parts in Bach (Weihnachtsoratorium, Die Johannes-Passion), Haydn (Die Schöpfung), Mozart, Dvořák or Verdi (Requiem).
In this season Jan will appear in new productions among others as Swallow (Peter Grimes), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Grigoris (The Greek Passion).