“…the Honduran countertenor Dennis Orellana (Berardo), also agile and technically very solid, with a voice of enviable sound projection for such a young sopranist, to be kept well in mind in view of future developments in a career that already promises to be promising.”
Connessi all’Opera
“In the highest vocal range, the phenomenal soprano Dennis Orellana as Bellezza, who has a full-toned, flawless timbre that is in no way inferior to that of a female singer. He doesn’t come across as a countertenor at all (and probably isn’t). He was the center of the performance, also in the way he appeared, in his graceful, boyish appearance, youthful appearance.” (translation from German)
Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
He made his professional debut in 2021 as Berardo in Porpora’s Carlo il Calvo (Teatro Auditorio San Lorenzo del Escorial), followed by appearances as Amor in La selva sin amor, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, and Moth in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. At the 2022 Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, he performed Zeffiro (Il Nascimento de l l ’Aurora) and Ernesto (Griselda), before making his debut at La Scala the following season.
Highlights of the 2026/27 season include his long-awaited debut in the United States as Heswin in Telemann’s Emma und Eginhard in a production by the Boston Early Music Festival. This special event will take place in Boston, Massachusetts. Orellana will also make his debut at the Royal Opera of Versailles with The Three Countertenors, a gala concert alongside Maayan Licht, Théo Imart and the Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal. He will return to the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival for the sold-out The Sopranos concert in collaboration with the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, ensemble that will also accompany him in the Herr Jesu concert at the National Forum of Music in Wrocław and a CD recording (Alpha Classics) of Bach Cantatas with Giovanni Antonini and Andrzej Kosendiak.
This season will also include his appearance as Sesto in Gluck’s La clemenza di Tito at the Slowacki Theatre in Krakow, a reprise of Isacco by Marianna Martines at Martinskirche in Kassel, his return to Theater an der Wien as Tigrane in Radamisto and Medoro in Orlando, as well as professional recordings and many more exciting projects.
Some highlights of the 2025/26 season included Irina (Three Sisters, Salzbur ger Festspiele), Ciro (Il Circo , Maggio Musicale Fiorentino), Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Deutsche Oper am Rhein), Hunahpú (The Indian Queen at the Berlin Philharmonic, Paris and Salzburg), Alessandro (Il Venceslao, Warsaw Philharmonic) , and Isacco (Isacco, Theater an der Wien).
Last season also marked Orellana’s Asian debut in China, first with the Xiamen Philharmonic and in recital at the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing. He enchanted audiences as Meleagro in Atalanta at the Internationale Händel-Festspiele Karlsruhe, Tigrane in Radamisto (Halle and Wrocław), and Poro in Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie at Theater an der Wien, directed by Max Emanuel Cenčić and conducted by Martyna Pastuszka with {oh!} Orkiestra. He also appeared as Bellezza in Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno with Dorothee Oberlinger, and in Il Ciro at the Teatro Goldoni in Florence as part of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
He has performed alongside renowned colleagues such as Max Emanuel Cenčić, Jeanine de Bique, Julia Lezhneva, Cameron Shahbazi, and Franco Fagioli, under conductors including Teodor Currentzis, George Petrou, and Dorothee Oberlinger.
Born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Orellana began his musical career as a trombonist before studying voice at the Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, followed by further training at the Hochschule der Künste Stuttgart. A versatile artist with a solid international profile, he continues to captivate audiences with his artistry, stage presence, and a uniquely expressive voice.
(2026_27, please only use this CV)
