Completing his primary, secondary and high school educations at TED Ankara College, Murat Karahan entered Bilkent University, Faculty of Music and Performing Arts in 1996. He completed his undergraduate program in 2003, master's program in 2006 and doctorate program in 2010. He started working at Ankara State Opera and Ballet as a soloist in 2003. Going to Rome in 2009, he had been the private student of the famous soprano Renata Scotto and the head of the Santa Cecilia Academy, Professor Bruno Cagli for two years
Karahan, who was a 'Regular Guest Artist' at the Latvian National Opera, to which he attended upon a special invitation received in 2012, performed more than fifty leading roles in pieces such as Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, La Boheme, Manon Lescaut and Il Trovatore.
In 2014, he was chosen as 'the Most Successful Male Opera Artist of the Year' at Donizetti Classical Music Awards by Andante Music Magazine. Again in 2014, he was invited to perform the leading roles of Il Trovatore and Manon Lescaut.
In 2015, the artist, who performed at Berlin Deutsche Oper for the first time with La Traviata, took also the leading roles in La Traviata, La Boheme, and Carmen at the Bolshoi Theatre in the same year.
In 2016, he performed the role of Manrico in Il Travatore, staged by the famous director Franco Zeffirelli, under the conducting of Maestro Daniel Oren at the world's leading Opera Festival held in the ancient amphitheatre of Arena di Verona, and achieved great success. He took stage at Parma Verdi Festival, Macerata Opera Festival and Berlin Deutsche Oper with the same piece.
In 2017, Murat Karahan performed the leading roles of Il Trovatore, Manon Lescaut, Tosca, Turandot, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Siberia and Nabucco at the most important world theatres such as Wiener Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Bolshoi Theatre, Munich Bayerische Staatsoper, Oper Frankfurt Opernhaus, Napoli Teatro di San Carlo, Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, Los Angeles Opera and Salerno Opera. In the same year, he went on a tour with Limak Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he is a founder, throughout Türkiye for 'Zeki Muren Songs' project and reached an audience of more than two thousand people in twelve cities. After the 'Zeki Muren Songs' concerts, which attracted great attention, his album was released.
Throughout 2018, the Artist continuing his performances at the world stages took place in such pieces as Manon Lescaut, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Macbeth, Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana and Turandot in Wiener Staatsoper, Berlin Deutsche Oper, Bolshoi Theatre, Finnish National Opera, Aspendos Ancient Theatre, Latvian National Opera and Teatro Massimo di Palermo. In July of the same year, the audience and critics described his performances in Turandot, staged under the direction of Franco Zeffirelli in Arena di Verona, as 'an extraordinary success'. Also, in September at the 25th International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival's Opening Night, he took role in Turandot, which was re-staged in Türkiye after a long period. Karahan, who continued giving concerts besides the performances, took stage in such events as 'the 20th Anniversary Gala' in Astana, 'Opera and Ballet Festival Gala Concert' in the ancient theatres of Ephesus and Aspendos, 'Three Tenors Concert' in Tirana, '100th Anniversary Gala' in Latvian National Opera, 'the Closing Concert of Turkish Tourism Year' in Beijing, 'Turkish Musical Journey' concerts in Tokio and St. Petersburg.
The Artist, who started working as the Administrative and Artistic Director General of Turkish State Opera and Ballet in January 2018 and is still in this position, has also made efficient movements on the composing and staging of new pieces. Murat Karahan, who was also the Project Creator and Artistic Director of Troy epic opera, Rebirth opera and Gobeklitepe epic opera, which were produced during this period, also performed with the leading role in Troy at many stages including the Bolshoi Theatre.
In 2019, besides performing in Madama Butterfly at Teatro Regio Torino, Aida at Aspendos Ancient Theatre, Manon Lescaut at Bolshoi Theatre, he once again attended in Arena di Verona Festival and had broken a new ground in the history of festivals by taking stage in four productions out of five, staged within the frame of this Festival - Aida, Carmen, Il Travatore and Tosca. In these four pieces, he performed the leading roles in fifteen different performances under the conducting of famous Placido Domingo and Daniel Oren and became a name that the world press described his performances as 'magnificent' and praised him.
Karahan, who also received great acclaim with his Gala Concerts in Munich, Bregenz and Zurich in February 2020, took the leading roles in Cavalleria Rusticana, Turandot and Aida at Arena di Verona Festival in the summer of 2021 and around the same days, he took the leading roles in three pieces following as Siberia at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, Il Trovatore at Italy Pisa and Tosca at Bolshoi Theatre of Russia with world-famous soprano Anna Netrebko under the conducting of Placido Domingo.
The Artist was awarded 'the Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana' - Knights of the Order of the Merit of the Italian Republic - in 3 November 2021 at the ceremony held in the Embassy of the Italian Republic for his outstanding services to art.
The Artist taking the leading role in Aida directed by Vincenzo Grisostomi Travaglini within the frame of the opening events of Atatürk Cultural Center in Istanbul in November 2021, also took stage in the Gala Concert in the same month. In December 2021 at CSO Ada Ankara Main Hall and Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Centre, he performed in 'Limak Philharmonic Opera Stars' concerts under the conducting of well-known conductor Francesco Ivan Ciampa, and with world-famous soprano Anna Pirozzi.
Murat Karahan performed the role of Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut three times with the famous soprano Martina Serafin at the opening of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Alfredo Kraus Opera Festival held in the Canary Islands in February, Cavaradossi in Tosca directed by Prof. Zeliha Berksoy at ATO Congresium in April, and Giordano in Siberia at the Teatro Real in Madrid in May 2022 with the famous soprano Sonya Yoncheva. With the production of the famous director Zeffirelli at the opening of Arena di Verona in June 2022, he performed the role of Radames in Aida under the conducting of Daniel Oren. He took stage as Calaf role of Turandot at Berlin Staatsoper with one of the most significant conductors in the opera history Zubin Mehta and accompanied by the Berlin Staatsoper Orchestra in July 2022. After taking part in '7 Tenors' concert at the opening of the 13th International Istanbul Opera Festival again in July, this time he performed the leading role in Tosca with the world-famous soprano Angela Gheorghiu at the same Festival. Having part in '3 Tenors' concert held at Bodrum Ancient Theatre within the frame of the events by Ministry of Culture and Tourism in the same month, the Artist took stage again at Arena di Verona in August this time for the leading role of Turandot under the direction of Franco Zeffirelli and conductor Francesco Ivan Ciampa and achieved great success. Murat Karahan, who performed at '3 Tenors' concerts held in Canakkale within the frame of the Troy Festival, the first stop of the Culture Road Festivals initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism across Türkiye in September 2022, was invited as a juror to the 21st Ottavio Ziino International Opera Competition organised by the Cultural Association Il Villaggio della Musica in the same month. Again, in September 2022 within the frame of Aspendos Born Again Events, he gave a concert with the famous Spanish tenor Placido Domingo accompanied by Limak Philharmonic Orchestra at the Aspendos Ancient Theatre. The Artist, who gave two concerts together with the famous soprano Kristine Opolais at CSO Ada Ankara Concert Hall and Istanbul AKM Opera Hall in October 2022, took part in '3 Tenors' concert in Diyarbakir and Istanbul in the same month. He took stage at the UNESCO's Headquarters in Paris in the Turkish and Azerbaijan Permanent Representatives Concert in November 2022, became the leading role in Tosca at Ankara State Opera and Ballet and performed at the New Year Concert held in CSO Ada Ankara Concert Hall in December.
In January 2023, he took part in the New Year Concert at Ada Ankara Concert Hall and Istanbul Zorlu PSM with the famous tenors Marcelo Alvarez and Rame Lahaj accompanied by the Limak Philharmonic Orchestra and performed the leading role in Turandot staged at the Presidential Complex of the Republic of Türkiye's Congress and Culture Centre. He starred in the same piece, Turandot, with again great success at Berlin Staatsoper in March and at Latvian National Opera in Riga in April.
As he did in throughout his entire art career, Murat Karahan contributes to the promotion of Turkish opera at the international arena by representing our country in the field of international polyphonic music. He has a good command of English and intermediate level of Italian.
