Aurélien Mangwa

Baritone Aurélien Mangwa, a native of Yaoundé, Cameroon, is quickly gaining recognition for the power, richness, and presence of his voice on stage. He made his international debut in Belgium in November 2022 with Brussel Operette Theater as Monsieur de Saint-Aiglefin in Yes!

He has recently appeared with Opera Parallèle as Le Père/Ludovic in La Belle et la Bête. In June 2024, he joined the Opera Festival of Chicago as a Young Artist, performing in the Puccini Forever season-opening concert. There, he also sang the role of the Sergeant in Manon Lescaut and covered Mr. Gobineau in The Medium.

His operatic repertoire includes the title role in Don Giovanni, Escamillo and Zuniga in Carmen, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. He has also appeared as the baritone soloist in Messa di Gloria by Giacomo Puccini and is increasingly in demand as a soloist in sacred repertoire.

Aurélien has participated in public master classes with Zachary Gordin. His recent honors include being a finalist and prizewinner with the Seattle Opera Guild in 2025, as well as receiving an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2024. He was also a finalist in the Africa Lyric’s Opera Competition in 2023.

He has participated in summer opera training programs in Berlin and Chicago. Aurélien pursued professional opera studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in the studio of César Ulloa during the 2024–25 academic year. He also studied with Allan Glassman in Chicago, and at the Conservatoire royal de Mons with Thierry Migliorini.