The French baritone Ludovic Tézier got his introduction to opera as a boy, listening to his father retelling opera plots as stories. Tézier was born in Marseille in 1968 and started his professional career at Opéra National de Lyon, singing the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (1787) and the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro (1786) alongside bel canto roles from Donizetti. The oak-like solidity and tonal polish of his voice meant that heavier roles quickly beckoned, and he has since sung operas by Puccini, Wagner and Verdi across the international circuit. Verdi is a particular specialty, and in 2021 Tézier devoted his highly acclaimed debut solo album to a selection of arias by the Italian composer. Tézier has a particularly close artistic relationship with German tenor Jonas Kaufmann, and in 2020 the pair launched a petition imploring European governments to ensure adequate financial support for the arts during the coronavirus pandemic.