With a remarkable voice, Franko Klisović is the new rising star. The 2024/25 season saw Franko perform Arsace in Partenope at Oper Frankfurt, followed by his debut as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus in Zagreb. He then took the stage for Handel’s Messiah in Babenhausen and Darmstadt before headlining the Handel Marathon Concert in Budapest. Further engagements included the role of Arbate in Mitridate at the Teatro Real Madrid. Franko also appeared at the Teatro Malibran as 3. Schauspieler in Der Protagonistin Venice, concluding the season as Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare in Znojmo and at the Národní Divadlo Ostrava.
Franko was born in Šibenik (Croatia), where he received his basic and higher musical education. Following his high school graduation, he graduated in singing in the class of prof. Martina Gojčeta Silić at the Academy of Music, currently working on a diploma in conducting in the class of prof. Tomislav Fačini, both at the Academy of Music in Zagreb.
Franko Klisovic made his operatic debut as Ottone in Handel’s Agrippina at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, followed by his performance as the Ghost in Dido and Aeneas at the Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka. His international career gained momentum with an invitation from the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra to perform at the Katara Opera House in Doha.
With a growing passion for conducting his conducting debut came in March 2019 with Mozart’s Così fan tutte, followed by the premiere of the musical Stribor’s Forest at the ”Komedija„ Municipal Theatre. In May 2021, he served as assistant conductor for Massenet’s Cendrillon and conducted the performance during the same period.
Franko frequently collaborates with the Croatian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir and is a regular soloist with the Croatian Baroque Ensemble (HRBA). He has worked alongside esteemed conductors such as Marc Korovich, Ville Matvejeff, Laurence Cummings, Aapo Häkkinen, Luca Oberti, Hansjörg Albrecht, Hervé Niquet, Philipp von Steinaecker, Richard Rosenberg, Dorothee Oberlinger, and Roman Válek.collabor
Marc Korovich, mo. Ville Matvejeff, mo. Laurence Cummings, mo. Aapo Häkkinen, mo. Luca Oberti, mo. Albrecht Hansjörg, mo. Hervè Niquet, mo. Philipp von Steinaecker, mo. Richard Rosemberg, mo. Matthew Toogood, mo. Roman Válek, mo. Dietger Holm, mo. Ivor Bolton, mo. Motonori Kobayashi, mo. Christian Kabitz, mo. Antonius Adamske, mo. George Petrou, dir. Dora Ruždjak Podolski, dir. Marin Blažević, dir. Krešimir Dolenčić, dir. Natale de Carolis, dir. Immo Karaman, dir. Tomáš Ondřej Pilař, dir. Michał Znaniecki, dir. Christian Brey, dir. Julia Burbach.
His operatic repertoire includes roles such as Farnace in Mitridate, re di Ponto, Smeton in Anna Bolena, Ulisse in Corselli’s Achille in Sciro (Teatro Real, Madrid), Ottone in L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Wuppertal Opera), and Mars in La Concordia de’ Pianeti (Spanish hall in Prague and Znojmo). He has also portrayed Nireno in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Rijeka & Savonlinna Opera Festival), Aeneas and the Sorceress (Musica Appassionata & Korkyra Baroque Festival), Hamor in Handel’s Jephtha (Theather Heidelberg), and roles in Nebucadnezzar (Theater Schwetzingen & Telemann Festival Magdeburg). Notable performances also include Il Sant’Alessio at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Apollo in Death, Arcane in Handel’s Teseo (Wroclaw Concert Hall & Halle Handel Festival), and the world premiere of Zusammenstoss.
Beyond opera, Franko is a sought-after oratorio and concert soloist. His repertoire includes Galuppi’s La caduta di Adamoand Dixit Dominus, Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, Handel’s Messiah and Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, Charpentier’s Te Deum and Messe à 8 voix, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Bach’s St. John, St. Matthew, and St. Mark Passions as well as his Magnificat. He has also performed Orff’s Carmina Burana alongside soprano Sumi Jo, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Bruckner’s Te Deum, among many others.
In 2024, Franko Klisović received the Award of the Croatian Association of Drama Artists for exceptional artistic achievement by a young opera singer, nominated for his portrayal of the Swan/Devil in Carmina Burana at the Split Summer Festival. He is also a laureate of numerous international competitions, including 1st Prize and the Audience Award at the Premiere Opera Foundation Competition in New York (2020), 1st Prize at the Tullio Serafin Competition in Vicenza (2021), and 2nd Prize at the Riccardo Zandonai Competition (2021). Additional distinctions include the Ružičky Song Prize at the Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský Competition, awards at the Aria Borealis Competition (2022) and the Gabriela Beňačková Competition (Mahler Prize, 2022), and finalist status at the Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition (2023). He later earned 3rd Prize at the Città di Bologna Competition (2023), and in 2024 received the Szeged Symphony Orchestra and Müpa Budapest Award at the József Simándy Competition.
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