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Captivating audiences throughout the world, Charles Dutoit is
one of today's most sought-after conductors, having performed
with all the major orchestras on most stages of the five
continents.
Presently Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the
London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, he recently celebrated his
30-year artistic collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra, who
in turn, bestowed upon him the title of Conductor Laureate. He
collaborates every season with the orchestras of Chicago, Boston,
San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles and is also a regular
guest on the stages in London, Berlin, Paris, Munich, Moscow,
Sydney, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, amongst others.
His more than 200 recordings for Decca, Deutsche Grammophone,
EMI, Philips and Erato have garnered multiple awards and
distinctions including two Grammys.
For 25 years , Charles Dutoit was Artistic Director of the
Montreal Symphony Orchestra, a dynamic musical team recognised the
world over.
From 1991 to 2001, he was Music Director of the Orchestre National
de France and in 1996, was appointed Principal Conductor and soon
thereafter, Music Director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo).
He is today Music Director Emeritus of this Orchestra.
He was for 10 years Music Director of the Philadelphia
Orchestra's season at the Mann Music Center and for 21 years, at
the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Charles Dutoit's interest in the younger generation has always
held an important place in his career and he has successively been
Music Director of the Sapporo Pacific Music Festival and Miyazaki
International Music Festival in Japan as well as the Canton
International Summer Music Academy in Guangzhou. In 2009, he became
Music Director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra.
When still in his early 20's, Charles Dutoit was invited by Von
Karajan to conduct the Vienna State Opera. He has since
conducted at Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera in New York,
Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Rome Opera and Teatro Colón in Buenos
Aires.
In 1991, he was made Honorary Citizen of the City of
Philadelphia, in 1995, Grand Officier de l'Ordre
national du Québec, in 1996, Commandeur de l'Ordre des
Arts et des Lettres by the government of France and in 1998,
he was invested as Honorary Officer of the Order of
Canada.
In 2007, he received the Gold Medal of the city of Lausanne,
his birthplace and in 2014, he was given the Lifetime Achievement
Award from the International Classical Music Awards.
He holds Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of McGill,
Montreal, Laval and the Curtis School of Music.
A globetrotter motivated by his passion for history and
archaeology, political science, art and architecture, he has
traveled in all 196
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Charles Dutoit, conductor
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Susan Graham - hailed as "an artist to treasure" by the New
York Times - rose to the highest echelon of international
performers within just a few years of her professional debut,
mastering an astonishing range of repertoire and genres along the
way. Her operatic roles span four centuries, from Monteverdi's
Poppea to Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie's Dead Man
Walking, which was written especially for her. She won a
Grammy Award for her collection of Ives songs, and her recital
repertoire is so broad that 14 composers from Purcell to Sondheim
are represented on her most recent Onyx album, Virgins, Vixens
& Viragos. This distinctly American artist has also been
recognized throughout her career as one of the foremost exponents
of French vocal music. Although a native of Texas, Graham was
awarded the French government's prestigious "Chevalier de la Légion
d'Honneur," both for her popularity as a performer in France and in
honor of her commitment to French music.
To launch the 2016-17 season, Graham joined Renée Fleming and
Michael Tilson Thomas at the San Francisco Symphony's opening-night
gala, before stepping in to play Dido in Lyric Opera of Chicago's
new, premiere staging of Berlioz's epic Les Troyens.
Having created the role of Sister Helen Prejean in the world
premiere production of Dead Man Walking, she stars in
Washington National Opera's revival of the opera, now making her
role debut as the convict's mother. She returns to Santa Fe Opera
in the plum "trouser" role of Prince Orlofsky, in the company's
first new production of Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus
in 25 years, and sings Erika in Samuel Barber's Vanessa
with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Also in concert, she
joins the MET Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen at Carnegie Hall for
selections from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn; sings
Octavian to Renée Fleming's Marschallin in Richard Strauss's
Der Rosenkavalier with the Boston Symphony and Andris
Nelsons; performs selections from Canteloube's Chants
d'Auvergne with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick
Nézet-Séguin; reprises Berlioz's La mort de Cléopâtre with
the San Antonio Symphony; and sings Ravel's Shéhérazade
and Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with the Sydney Symphony under David
Robertson. In recital, she reunites with regular partner Malcolm
Martineau for accounts of "Frauenliebe und -leben Variations," her
wide-ranging program inspired by Schumann's iconic song cycle, in
Santa Barbara, Baltimore, and Portland, Oregon.
Last season, Graham made her role debut as Countess Geschwitz in
William Kentridge's new production of Berg's Lulu at the
Metropolitan Opera, where she also starred in Die
Fledermaus under James Levine. In concert, she celebrated New
Year's Eve in a Parisian-themed program with the New York
Philharmonic, joined the Orchestra of St. Luke's for Purcell at
Carnegie Hall, and sang Berlioz with the San Francisco Symphony and
Michael Tilson Thomas. To cap the 2015-16 season, she premiered her
"Frauenliebe und -leben Variations" program in recitals with
Bradley Moore in Boston's Celebrity Series and at London's Wigmore
Hall, before giving her role debut as Clarion in Richard Strauss's
Capriccio at Santa Fe Opera.
Graham's earliest operatic successes were in such trouser roles
as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Her
technical expertise soon brought mastery of Mozart's more virtuosic
roles, like Sesto in La clemenza di Tito, Idamante in
Idomeneo and Cecilio in Lucio Silla, as well as
the title roles of Handel's Ariodante and Xerxes.
She went on to triumph in two iconic Richard Strauss mezzo roles,
Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier and the Composer in
Ariadne auf Naxos. These brought her to prominence on all
the world's major opera stages, including the Met, Lyric Opera of
Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, La Scala,
Bavarian State Opera, Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival,
among many others. In addition to creating the role of Sister Helen
Prejean in the world-premiere production of Dead Man
Walking at San Francisco Opera, she sang the leading ladies in
the Met's world premieres of John Harbison's The Great
Gatsby and Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy, and
made her Dallas Opera debut as Tina in a new production of The
Aspern Papers by Dominick Argento. As Houston Grand Opera's
Lynn Wyatt Great Artist, she starred as Prince Orlofsky in the
company's first staging of Die Fledermaus in 30 years,
before heading an all-star cast as Sycorax in the Met's Baroque
pastiche The Enchanted Island and making her rapturously
received musical theater debut in a new production of Rodgers &
Hammerstein's The King and I at the Théâtre du Châtelet in
Paris.
It was in an early Lyon production of Berlioz's Béatrice et
Bénédict that Graham scored particular raves from the
international press, and a triumph in the title role of Massenet's
Chérubin at Covent Garden sealed her operatic stardom.
Further invitations to collaborate on French music were forthcoming
from many of that repertoire's preeminent conductors, including Sir
Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit, James Levine and Seiji Ozawa. New
productions of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, Berlioz's
La damnation de Faust and Massenet's Werther were
mounted for the mezzo in New York, London, Paris, Chicago, San
Francisco and beyond. She recently made title role debuts in
Offenbach's comic masterpieces La belle Hélène and The
Grand Duchess of Gerolstein at Santa Fe Opera, along with
proving herself the standout star of the Met's star-studded revival
of Berlioz's Les Troyens, which was broadcast
live to cinema audiences worldwide in the company's celebrated
"Live in HD" series. She also returned to the Met in the title role
of Susan Stroman's new production of Lehár's The Merry
Widow, before closing the season opposite Bryan Hymel in a new
staging of Les Troyens by David McVicar at San Francisco
Opera. She also headlined gala concerts at Los Angeles Opera and
Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she joined Jane Lynch, Renée Fleming,
Ramsey Lewis and others to celebrate the company's 60th
anniversary.
Graham's affinity for French repertoire has not been limited to
the opera stage; it also serves as the foundation for her extensive
concert and recital career. Such
great cantatas and symphonic song cycles as Berlioz's La mort
de Cléopâtre and Les nuits d'été, Ravel's
Shéhérazade and Chausson's Poème de l'amour et de la
mer provide opportunities for collaborations with the world's
leading orchestras, and she makes regular appearances with the New
York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Orchestre de Paris and London
Symphony Orchestra. In 2013-14 Graham joined Bernard Haitink and
the Boston Symphony for Shéhérazade in Boston and at
Carnegie Hall. In the 2014-15 season she sang Berlioz's Les
nuits d'été with John Eliot Gardiner's Orchestre
Revolutionnaire et Romantique, and later joined the Royal Flemish
Philharmonic for La mort de Cléopâtre. Finally she
reunited with regular recital partner Malcolm Martineau for a West
Coast tour and a season-closing recital in Classical Action's Michael Palm Series.
Graham's distinguished discography features all the works
described above, as well as a series of lauded solo albums,
including Un frisson français, a program of French
songrecorded with pianist Malcolm Martineau for Onyx; C'est ça
la vie, c'est ça l'amour!, an album of 20th-century operetta
rarities on Erato; and La Belle Époque, an award-winning
collection of songs by Reynaldo Hahn with pianist Roger Vignoles,
from Sony Classical. Among the mezzo's additional honors are
Musical America's Vocalist of the Year and an Opera News
Award. Gramophone magazine has dubbed her "America's
favorite mezzo."
www.susangraham.com
https://www.facebook.com/MezzoGraham
https://twitter.com/MezzoGraham
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Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano (Marguerite)
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American tenor Paul Groves enjoys an impressive international
career performing on the stages of all the world's leading opera
houses and concert halls.
Paul Groves begins his 2016/17 season with his return to the
Opéra national de Paris for a rare role debut singing Alessandro
Cesare in Cavalli's Eliogabalo this September. Groves
returns to his native New Orleans later in the season singing the
title role of Faust with the New Orleans Opera. An avid
concert performer, Groves' season is filled with debuts and return
engagements with symphonies across the United States. He can be
seen singing Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the
Cleveland Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony, Berlioz'
Requiem with the San Francisco Symphony under Charles
Dutoit, as well as Stravinsky's Perséphone with the Oregon
Symphony.
Highlights of recent seasons for the American tenor include his
first performances in the title role of Wagner's Parsifal
with Lyric Opera Chicago led by Sir Andrew Davis, appearances as
Admète in Gluck's Alceste with Madrid's Teatro Real,
Nicias in Massenet's Thais with the Los Angeles Opera, and
Pylade in Iphigénie en Aulide with Theater an der Wien.
Groves returned to the Metropolitan Opera last season for Berg's
Lulu, and was seen in the East Coast premiere of Jennifer
Higdon's Cold Mountain with Opera Philadelphia.
Paul Groves made an important role debut in the 2014-15 season
when he performed the title role in Wagner's Lohengrin in
a new production with the Norwegian National Opera in Olso. He
returned to the Festival International d'Art Lyrique
d'Aix-en-Provence in staged performances of Stravinsky's
Perséphone as well as to the Vienna Staatsoper where he
appeared as Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio. Mr. Groves
appeared throughout the season in concert, including appearances
with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the
Saint Louis Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Zurich's
Tonhalle Orchestra. In the 2015-16 season he returned to Opéra de
Lyon for performances of Stravinsky's Perséphone, for
which Opera Today praised his "splendid" portrayal of Eumolpus at
the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Groves also appeared with the Boston
Symphony Orchestra for Berlioz' Te Deum and with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Berlioz' Roméo et
Juliette.
Paul Groves came to national attention as a winner of the Met's
National Council Auditions in 1991. A graduate of the Metropolitan
Opera's Young Artists Development Program, Mr. Groves made his
Metropolitan Opera debut in 1992 as the Steuermann in Der
fliegende Holländer. Mr. Groves returned to the MET for
performances as Camille de Rosillon in their new production of
The Merry Widow, opposite Placido Domingo and Frederica
von Stade; Ferrando in a new production of Cosi fan tutte;
Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress; Lysander in Britten's
A Midsummer Night's Dream; Belmonte in Die Entführung
aus dem Serail; Fenton; and Don Ottavio in
nationally-televised season-opening performances of Don
Giovanni opposite Bryn Terfel and Renee Fleming. In 2006, he
created the role of Jianli in the world premiere of Tan Dun's
The First Emperor, opposite Placido Domingo, and he
returned to the MET in 2008 for further performances of this role.
Paul Groves made his debut with San Francisco Opera as Fenton, and
he returned in subsequent seasons for performances as Ferrando,
Belmonte and Pylade. His debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago was in
1998 as Nadir in a new production of Les pêcheurs de
perles, and audiences in Chicago saw him in later seasons as
Tamino, Pylade and the title role in La Damnation de
Faust. Los Angles Opera audiences first saw him in
season-opening performances of the title role in La damnation
de Faust, and he recently returned for performances as Fritz
in a new production of La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein
directed by famed Hollywood director Garry Marshall. His company
debut with The Washington Opera was in 2006 as Nemorino, and he
recently appeared in his home state of Louisiana for his first
performances of the title roles in Gounod's Faust, Les
contes d'Hoffmann, and Verdi's Un ballo in Maschera.
Mr. Groves has appeared often with Santa Fe Opera, including
performances of Offenbach's Hoffmann and his first performances as
Florestan.
He made his debut at La Scala in 1995 as Tamino in the opening
night performance of Die Zauberflöte, Riccardo Muti
conducting, and he has returned in several roles, including Renaud
in Gluck's Armide and Nemorino in L'elisir
d'amore - the first American tenor invited to La Scala for
this role. Audiences in Paris have seen the tenor often since
his debut in 1996 season when he appeared as Tom Rakewell at the
Théâtre Musical de Paris, Châtelet in a new Sellers/Salonen
production of The Rake's Progress. He has returned to the
Châtelet as Admète in their season-opening production of
Alceste, led by Sir John Eliot Gardiner and in the title
role in Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict. Mr. Groves made
his debut with the Opéra de Paris as Fenton in a new production of
Falstaff, and he soon returned for performances as Tamino,
Berlioz's Faust, Nemorino, Julian in a new production of
Charpentier's Louise and his role debut as Mozart's
Idomeneo.. The role of Tamino was also the vehicle for his
debut at London's Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He has since returned
to perform the role of Pylade in Iphigénie en Tauride
opposite Simon Keenlyside and Susan Graham. He has performed often
with the Vienna Staatsoper in roles including Camille in a new
production of Die lustige Witwe, Carlo in a new production
of Linda di Chamounix, Tamino, Nemorino, Don Ottavio,
Flamand in Capriccio, Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di
Siviglia, and the Italian Singer in Der
Rosenkavalier. In 2009 the tenor sang his first performances
as Massenet's Werther with Opera National du Rhin, the same season
he made his debut in the title role of Stravinsky's Oedipus
Rex in Japan under the baton of Charles Dutoit. Mr. Groves'
work in Europe also includes his debut as Albert Gregor in
Janacek's The Makropulos Case with Frankfurt Oper. Mr.
Groves has appeared frequently with the Salzburg Festival since his
debut there in 1995 as Don Ottavio under the baton of Daniel
Barenboim, including his portrayal of the title role in a
critically-acclaimed new production of La damnation de
Faust as well as performances as Pylade, Belmonte, and Tamino
in the 2006 Mozart anniversary season in performances led by
Riccardo Muti. Mr. Groves made his debut with the Deutsche Oper
Berlin in 1998 as Des Grieux in a new production of Manon
and with the Netherlands Opera in 2001 as Bénédict. His debut with
the Bayerische Staatsoper was in 1997 as Don Ottavio, and he has
returned to Munich for performances as Tamino and as Arturo in a
new production of I Puritani, opposite Edita
Gruberova.
A gifted musician, Paul Groves is continually in demand for
concerts with the world's leading orchestras and conductors. In
2003 Mr. Groves made his debut with the New York Philharmonic as
soloist in Berlioz's Requiem in performances conducted by
Charles Dutoit, and he returned for performances of the title roles
in La Damnation de Faust, and Candide, opposite
Kristin Chenowith. His debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
came also in 2003 in the world premiere of John Harbison's
Requiem conducted by Bernard Haitink in performances in
Boston and at New York's Carnegie Hall, and he has returned
frequently, including performances in Schönberg's
Gurrelieder and Tippet's A Child of Our Time as
well as La Damnation de Faust, all led by James Levine.
Mr. Groves performed Stravinsky's Rossignol and Berlioz's
Te Deum with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas and Mahler's Das Lied von
der Erde with the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Christoph
Eschenbach. The tenor made his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra
in performances as Berlioz's Faust, led by Christoph von Dohnanyi,
and he has since appeared with them in performances of Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony also under the direction of von Dohnanyi at
Cleveland's Severence Hall and at New York's Carnegie Hall. Other
recent performances at Carnegie Hall include Berlioz's
L'enfance du Christ with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and
Sir Charles Mackerras. The tenor made his debut with the Los
Angeles Philharmonic in a program of works of Mozart and Britten
led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, and soon returned for performances of
Haydn's Die Schöpfung and Stravinsky's Les Noces.
The works of Benjamin Britten figure prominently in Paul Groves'
concert work and include performances of Britten's Serenade for
Tenor, Horn, and Strings with the Atlanta Symphony and at the
Caramoor Festival led by Donald Runnicles, and the composer's
War Requiem in performances with Accademia di Santa
Cecilia in Rome, the St Louis Symphony and at the Festival de St.
Denis in Paris, led by Kurt Masur. In 2010 added Tippet's Child
of our Time to his repertoire, a work which he performed with
his native St Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Paul Groves made his debut with the Munich Philharmonic in
performances of Haydn's Die Schöpfung under the direction
of James Levine. He made his debut with the Bayerische Rundfunk in
performances of Rossini's Stabat Mater led by Riccardo
Muti and recently returned to Munich for performances of Britten's
St. Nicholas Cantata. He has sung Berlioz's Te
Deum with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra led by Seiji
Ozawa, as well as the BBC Symphony led by Sir Colin Davis. He
appeared with the BBC Symphony again for Szymanowski's Symphony
No. 3 led by Sir Andrew Davis, and in 2003 he appeared with
Maestro Davis in a performance of Stravinsky's Perséphone
at the BBC Proms. The tenor's debut at the Proms was in Haydn's
Die Schöpfung in performances led by Sir Charles
Mackerras, and he was first seen with the London Philharmonic as
Berlioz's Faust. In 2005 Mr. Groves sang his first performances of
The Dream of Gerontius, led by Mark Elder, at London's
Royal Albert Hall. Mr. Groves made his debut with the Orchestre de
Paris in performances of Mahler's Das Klagende Lied, and
he was first seen with L'orchestre National de la Radio France in
performances of Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives
at the Montpellier Festival. He appeared as soloist in Berlioz's
Requiem with the Orchestre National du Capitôle de
Toulouse under the direction of Michel Plasson and returned for
performances of the title role in La Damnation de Faust.
He was also invited to perform the rolewith the Rotterdam
Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Valery Gergiev. Mr. Groves' debut at
the Festival de Saint Denis was in performances of Haydn's
Creation, and he appeared in concerts of Mozart's
Requiem at La Scala in a memorial performance for Giuseppe
Sinopoli led by Riccardo Muti. He appeared with the Czech
Philharmonic in performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis
led by Sir Charles Mackerras, and recently performed Mahler's
Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestre de la Suisse
Romande.
Paul Groves has appeared frequently in recital throughout the
United States and Europe. In 1996 the tenor gave his New York
recital debut at Alice Tully Hall with James Levine accompanying
him at the piano, and he has returned twice to Lincoln Center's
prestigious "Art of the Vocal Recital" series accompanied by
Malcolm Martineau. He has also appeared in recital at Teatro alla
Scala, Amsterdam's renowned Concertgebouw, Brussels' Théatre de la
Monnaie and London's prestigious Wigmore Hall.
In addition to his several recordings with Maestro Levine, Paul
Groves' performances in the Salzburg Festival's productions of
Die Zauberflöte and La damnation de Faust were
recorded for release on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon and Naxos
Records, respectively. He recently recorded Roger Water's new opera
Ça Ira opposite Bryn Terfel for SONY Classics as well as
Ravel cantatas with Michel Plasson for EMI Classics. He can be
heard as Tebaldo in Teldec Classic's recording of I Capuleti e
i Montecchi, led by Donald Runnicles. He also recorded the
role of Belmonte in a video and audio recording of Die
Entführung aus dem Serail, filmed in Istanbul and led by Sir
Charles Mackerras, for the Telarc label. Mr. Groves' performances
as Admète in Alceste at London's Barbican Centre were
recorded for CD and DVD on the Philips Classics label. In 2002 Paul
Groves made his debut at the Saito Kinen Festival in performances
of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony under the baton of Seiji
Ozawa, recorded on DVD for Philips Classics. In 2003 Mr. Groves
completed a solo recording of songs by Henri Duparc for Naxos
Records. In 2004 Mr. Groves was invited to perform at the
prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in front of a live national
television audience.
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Paul Groves (Faust), tenor
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Baritone David Kravitz is increasingly in demand on operatic and
concert stages. Critics have hailed his "large, multi-layered" and
"sumptuously flexible" voice, his "power and eloquence," his
"deeply considered acting," his "drop-dead musicianship," and his
"deep understanding of the text."
This season, David Kravitz joins the Center for
Contemporary Opera in a collaboration with Laboratorio
Opera for the premiere of Love Hurts, music by
Nicola Moro and libretto by Lisa Hilton, singing the role of
Marquis de Sade / Gilles de Rais. He also debuts with Opera
Santa Barbara as Forester in Cunning Little
Vixen, and joins the Boston Symphony as the Notary
in Der Rosenkavalier.
Last season included Mr. Kravitz's role debut of Scarpia
in Tosca with Skylight Opera, and
performances of Handel's Messiah wth
the Virginia Symphony. The 2014-2015 season included a company
debut with Palm Beach Opera, as the Rabbi in the world
premiere of Enemies, A Love Story. Continuing
his commitment to new music, he also appeared in the workshop and
acclaimed world premiere of Matthew Aucoin's Crossing: A
New American Opera with American Repertory
Theater. Additionally, he returned to Boston Lyric
Opera as the Baron Duphol in La Traviata.
The baritone's 2013-204 season brought a company debut
with Dallas Opera to reprise the role of United Nations
in Death and the Powers, the role of Frederik in
Sondheim's A Little Night
Music with Emmanuel Music, as well as performances
with Boston Lyric Opera as both the Speaker
in Die Zauberflöte and Marullo
in Rigoletto. His concert performances
included Mohammed Fairouz's Symphony No. 3 (Poems and
Prayers) with the UCLA Philharmonic, and A
Sea Symphony, with the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra.
He closed the season as La Rocca in Un giorno di
Regno with Odyssey Opera in their inaugural
season, followed by debuting the role of Tevye in Fiddler
on the Roof with Ash Lawn Opera.
The baritone's 2012-2013 calendar included appearances with
the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for Le
rossignol under the baton of Charles Dutoit; The
English Concert, as Farasmane
in Radamisto at Carnegie Hall; Boston
Pops, for holiday concerts conducted by Keith Lockhart; Boston
Lyric Opera, for Abraham in the North American premiere of
MacMillan's Clemency; the Lyric Opera of Kansas
City, for his debut, as Poo-Bah in The
Mikado; Boston Modern Orchestra Project, for King Fisher
in a concert performance of The Midsummer
Marriage; Chautauqua Opera, for Captain Balstrode
in Peter Grimes, and the Tanglewood Music
Festival, for Nick in Emmanuel Music's production of
Harbison's The Great Gatsby. Additionally, Mr.
Kravitz created the role of Davis Miller in the world premiere of
D.J. Sparr's Approaching Ali at Washington
National Opera.
In autumn of 2011, Mr. Kravitz made his debut
with Florentine Opera as Ping in Turandot,
and appeared with The Washington Chorus, for
Wachner's Come My Dark Eyed One and
Mozart's Mass in C Minor. He continues the season as
Melchior in Amahl and the Night
Visitors with The Little Orchestra Society at
Avery Fisher Hall; Dr. Falke in Die
Fledermaus with Opera Memphis; Lord Salt
in The Golden Ticket with Atlanta Opera;
and Cosimo in John Musto's The Inspector
with Boston Lyric Opera.
In the 2010-2011 season, Mr. Kravitz sang the Businessman
in Intermezzo for his debut at New York
City Opera, and appeared as the United Nations Delegate in the
world premiere of Tod Machover's Death and the
Powers at Opéra de Monte-Carlo, with subsequent
performances of the work that season at Chicago Opera
Theater and in Boston in a production by the American
Repertory Theater. He also returned to Opera Boston as
the Provost Marshall and Gold Merchant in Hindemith's rarely
performed Cardillac, sang
Handel's Messiah for his debut with
the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, covered Matthias Goerne in
Britten's War Requiem with the Saito Kinen
Festival under Seiji Ozawa, performed Pilate in
Bach's St. John Passion with the Boston
Symphony led by Masaaki Suzuki, sang his first
Verdi Requiem, and appeared as Nick Shadow inThe
Rake's Progress with Emmanuel Music. He closed the
season as Taddeo in L'italiana in
Algeri with Boston Midsummer Opera.
In the summer of 2009, he joined Glimmerglass
Opera for Dr. Grenvil in La traviata and
Mr. Kofner in The Consul. In the 2009-2010 season, he
sang his first Germont in La traviata with
the Pioneer Valley Symphony, joined the Boston Symphony
Orchestra for Elijah (solo bass, covering
Elijah) and MacMillan's St. John Passion
(covering Christus), bowed as Baron Grog in Offenbach's La
Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein with Opera Boston,
and later traveled to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for
Lord Salt in the world premiere of The Golden
Ticket. He also sang Raphael in Die
Schöpfung with Emmanuel Music under John
Harbison and Cimarosa's Il maestro di
cappella with Boston Baroque under Martin
Pearlman (a "tour de force," declared the Boston
Globe).
In the 2008-2009 season, Mr. Kravitz sang Prince Ottokar
in Der Freischütz and Krusina in The
Bartered Bride with Opera Boston, and joined
the Philadelphia Orchestra for
Handel's Messiah. He also garnered rave reviews
for his "resolute power and total connection" (Opera News)
in Bach's St. Matthew Passion with
the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Bernard
Haitink.
In the 2007-2008 season he returned to the Boston Symphony
Orchestra under Maestro Levine for Berlioz's Les
Troyens, to Opera Boston for
Handel's Semele, to Opera Theatre of St.
Louis for Martin y Soler's Una Cosa Rara, and
to Boston Baroque for Purcell's King
Arthur. Mr. Kravitz joined the Boston Symphony
Orchestra for Bach's St. Matthew
Passion under Bernard Haitink; he performed
Handel's Messiah in Carnegie Hall; he
joined the Lincoln (NE) Symphony under Edward Polochick
for Bach's St. Matthew Passion; and he returned
to Emmanuel Music for Bach's B Minor Mass,
to the New England Philharmonic for
Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, and to
the Cantata Singers for Carmina
Burana and for the Boston premieres of Kurt
Weill's Flight of Lindbergh and Charles
Fussell's High Bridge.
Mr. Kravitz's commitment to new music has led to his
presentation of world or regional premieres of numerous
contemporary works. Critics hailed his performance of the leading
role of Leontes in John Harbison's Winter's
Tale with Boston Modern Orchestra Project as
"brilliantly sung" and "a personal triumph." New music engagements
in 2010-2011 include Dominick Argento's song cycle The
Andrée Expedition, newly-commissioned songs by Andy Vores and
James Yannatos, and the world premiere of an oratorio by Kareem
Roustom. In recent seasons, Mr. Kravitz presented the world
premieres of Thomas Whitman's A Scandal in
Bohemia with Orchestra 2001; James
Yannatos's Lear Symphony with
the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra; Julian Wachner's My
dark eyed one with Back Bay Chorale; and short
operas by Andy Vores and Theo Loevendie with Boston Musica
Viva. His other recordings include Bach's Cantata BWV
20 and St. John
Passion with Emmanuel Music (Koch International
Classics), and Harbison's Four Psalms and Peter
Child's Estrella with Cantata
Singers (New World).
Before devoting himself full-time to a career in music, Mr.
Kravitz had a distinguished career in the law that included
clerkships with U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and
Stephen Breyer. He later served as Deputy Legal Counsel to the
Governor of Massachusetts.
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David Kravitz, baritone (Brander)
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John Relyea continues to distinguish himself as one of today's
finest basses.
Mr. Relyea has appeared in many of the world's most celebrated
opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera
(where he is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program and a former
Adler Fellow), Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Canadian
Opera Company, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Paris Opera,
Bayerische Staatsoper, Vienna State Opera, Theater an der Wien, and
the Mariinksy Theater.
His roles include the title roles in Attila, Le Nozze di
Figaro, Bluebeard's Castle, Don Quixotte,
Attila, and Aleko; Zaccaria in Nabucco, Bertram
inRoberto le Diable, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Colline
in La Bohème, Don Alfonso in Lucrezia Borgia, Don Basilio
in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Alidoro in La Cenerentola,
Giorgio in I puritani, Banquo in Macbeth, Garibaldo
inRodelinda, Méphistophélès in both Faust and La
Damnation de Faust, the Four Villains in Les Contes
d'Hoffmann, Escamillo in Carmen, Marke in Tristan und
Isolde, Caspar in Der Freischutz, Nick Shadow in The
Rake's Progress, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia, and King
René in Iolanta.
Mr. Relyea also remains in high demand throughout the concert
world where he appears regularly with orchestras such as the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia
Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic,
Pittsburgh Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Swedish
Radio Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the
Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic.
He has also appeared at the Tanglewood, Ravinia, Blossom,
Cincinnati May, Vail, Lanaudière, Salzburg, Edinburgh, Lucerne and
Mostly Mozart festivals, and in the BBC Proms.
In recital, he has been presented at Weill Hall and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Wigmore Hall in
London, the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, and the
University of Chicago Presents series.
The many conductors with whom Mr. Relyea has worked with include
Harry Bicket, Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von
Dohnányi, Gustavo Dudamel, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev,
Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Sir
Charles Mackerras, Sir Neville Marriner, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano,
Sir Roger Norrington, Seiji Ozawa, Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon
Rattle, Donald Runnicles, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Robert Spano, Wolfgang
Sawallisch, and Ilan Volkov.
Mr. Relyea's recordings include the Verdi Requiem (LSO
Live), Idomeneo with Sir Charles Mackerras and the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra (EMI), Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with Sir
Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (EMI),
and the Metropolitan Opera's DVD presentations of Don
Giovanni, I Puritani and Die Meistersinger von
Nürnberg (Deutsche Grammophon),
and Macbeth (Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series).
This season, Mr. Relyea returns to the Metropolitan Opera as the
Water Sprite in Rusalka and appears in a new production
of I Lombardi at the Hamburg State Opera. He also appears
in concert with the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony,
National Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the
Hamburg NDR. Mr. Relyea is the winner of the 2009 Beverly
Sills Award and the 2003 Richard Tucker Award.
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John Relyea, bass-baritone
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