|
"Brian Davis boasts a splendid baritone voice," writes Richard Dyer in the Boston Globe, and
critics across the country agree. He has appeared in leading roles with the opera companies of New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas,
Pittsburgh, Detroit, Montréal, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, Louisville, Fort Worth, Wolf Trap, Sarasota, Lake George, Central
City, Syracuse, Chautauqua, and the Hong Kong Arts Center. In concert, he has been heard with orchestras throughout the United
States.
Upcoming engagements for the 2006-07 season include both a role debut and German debut as Iago
in OTELLO
with the Staatsoper Hannover; a return to the Metropolitan Opera as Fiorello in a new production of IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA,
as Marullo in RIGOLETTO, as the First Priest in the special holiday broadcast English version of THE MAGIC FLUTE and
as the Major-Domo in ANDREA CHÉNIER.
Engagements during the 2005-06 season included a return to the Metropolitan Opera as the Second Guard in
the season première of MANON starring Renée Fleming, as Morales in CARMEN, as Marullo in RIGOLETTO,
as Vicomte de Valvert and the Spanish Official in CYRANO DE BERGERAC, as the Second Philistine in
SAMSON ET DALILA, as the Surgeon in LA FORZA DEL DESTINO, and as the Third Noble in LOHENGRIN.
Engagements during the 2004-05 season included a return to the Metropolitan Opera as the Herald in the season première of
OTELLO conducted by James Levine, as Morales in CARMEN conducted by Plàcido Domingo, as Yamadori in MADAMA BUTTERFLY,
as Count di Lerma in DON CARLO, as Silvano in UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, as Vicomte de Valvert and the Spanish Official in a new
production of CYRANO DE BERGERAC; also, a return to Chautauqua Opera as John Proctor in THE CRUCIBLE.
Engagements for Brian Davis during the 2003-04 season included a return to the Metropolitan Opera as Melot in TRISTAN UND
ISOLDE, as Second Japanese Envoy in LE ROSSIGNOL, as Third Watchman in DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN, and as a Man in LA JUIVE; Alfio
in CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Scarpia in TOSCA with Pensacola Opera; and Enrico in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
with Connecticut Opera.
Engagements for Brian Davis during the 2002-03 season included a return to the Metropolitan Opera as the Trojan Soldier in
a new production of LES TROYENS, Scarpia in TOSCA with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the title role of DON GIOVANNI with
Chautauqua Opera; concert engagements during the 2002-03 season included Gellner in Catalani's LA WALLY with Teatro Grattacielo
at Alice Tully Hall.
Engagements during the 2001-02 season included a return to New York City Opera in the title role
of a new production of DON GIOVANNI and as Escamillo in CARMEN; the title role of GIANNI SCHICCHI and Tonio in I PAGLIACCI
with Knoxville Opera; Scarpia in TOSCA with Dallas Opera for the student matinees; Reverend Blitch in SUSANNAH with Shreveport
Opera; Escamillo in CARMEN with both Fort Worth Opera and Kentucky Opera; and Count Almaviva in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO with both
Michigan Opera Theatre and El Paso Opera. Concert engagements included Melot in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra under Maestro Daniel Barenboim at both Chicago's Orchestra Hall and Carnegie Hall.
Engagements during the 2000-01 season included a return to New York City Opera as Germont in
LA TRAVIATA and a return to L'Opéra de Montréal as Enrico in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR. Other engagements during the 2000-01 season
included Ping in TURANDOT with Kentucky Opera, Escamillo in CARMEN with New Hampshire's Granite State Opera, and Count Almaviva
in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO with Abilene Opera. Concert engagements included Melot in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE with the Ravinia Festival
under Maestro Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Engagements for Mr. Davis during the 1999-00 season included his Metropolitan Opera debut as
Melot in a new production of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, conducted by Maestro James Levine, starring Ben Heppner and Jane Eaglen (his
Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast debut was in the same role on December 18); a New York City Opera debut as Escamillo in
CARMEN; Frédéric in LAKMÉ with L'Opéra de Montréal; and Count Almaviva in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO with Montana's Intermountain
Opera.
Engagements during the 1998-99 season included John Sorel in THE CONSUL and Reverend Blitch in
SUSANNAH with L'Opéra de Montréal, Ping in TURANDOT with Utah Opera, Tonio in I PAGLIACCI with Anchorage Opera, and the title
role of DON GIOVANNI with Belgium's Alden Biesen Festival and at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw.
Engagements during the 1997-98 season included the title role of DON GIOVANNI with El Paso Opera,
Mathieu in ANDREA CHÉNIER with Atlanta Opera, Scarpia in TOSCA with Syracuse Opera, Baldassarre in Cilèa's L'ARLESIANA with
Sarasota Opera, and the title role of Victor Ullmann's DER KAISER VON ATLANTIS with Chicago Opera Theater (directed by Rhoda
Levine). Concert engagements included MESSIAH with Louisville's Bach Society and an OPERETTA CONCERT with
the Little Orchestra Society of New York at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.
Other recent engagements include Der Spielmann in Humperdinck's DIE KÖNIGSKINDER with Sarasota
Opera; Marcello in LA BOHÈME with Pittsburgh Opera ("The most impressive vocalism of the evening came from the Marcello,
Brian Davis - a big voiced baritone who should be destined for a major career." Robert Croan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette);
again Marcello in LA BOHÈME with Utah Opera and Syracuse Opera; Ping in TURANDOT with L'Opéra de Montréal and Pittsburgh Opera;
and Count Almaviva in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO with Wolf Trap, the Lake George Opera Festival, Opera Roanoke, and Opera Theater
of Pittsburgh. Mr. Davis's first excursion into the bel canto repertoire was as Enrico in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, which he sang
with Greater Miami Opera.
Additional engagements have included Escamillo in CARMEN (Central City); Harlequin in ARIADNE
AUF NAXOS and De Brétigny in MANON (Lake George); Melchior in AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS (Cincinnati); Sam in TROUBLE IN
TAHITI (Chautauqua); Count Robinson in IL MATRIMONIO SEGRETO (Wolf Trap); and Hermann, Schlemil, and Crespel in LES CONTES
D'HOFFMANN (Hong Kong).
Brian Davis has worked with such conductors as Theo Alcantara, Daniel Barenboim, Richard Buckley,
Anton Coppola, Enrique Diemecke, Mark Flint, Hal France, Anton Guadagno, Joe Illick, Cal Stewart Kellogg, James Levine, Lorin
Maazel, George Manahan, Stephan Mercurio, John Moriarty, Edoardo Müller, Joseph Rescigno, Stewart Robertson, William Fred
Scott, and Willie Anthony Waters; and with the stage directors Tito Capobianco, Michael Cavanagh, Francis Cullinan, Dieter
Dorn, Bliss Hebert, Matthew Lata, Rhoda Levine, Guy Montavon, Bernard Uzan, Graham Vick, Kay Castaldo Walker, and Francesca
Zambello. With Pittsburgh Opera, in addition to Marcello and Ping, he has appeared as Shchelkalov in BORIS GODUNOV, as Saretsky
in EUGENE ONEGIN, as Melot in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, as Monterone in RIGOLETTO, as Silvano in UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, and as Baron
Douphol in LA TRAVIATA.
Concert engagements include the SAINT MATTHEW PASSION and MAGNIFICAT of J. S. Bach; Handel's
MESSIAH; Beethoven's NINTH SYMPHONY, CHORAL FANTASY, and MASS IN C; Brahms's EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM; Haydn's LORD NELSON MASS;
Rossini's STABAT MATER; the VERDI REQUIEM; Orff's CARMINA BURANA; Bruckner's TE DEUM; Britten's CANTATA MISERICORDIUM; and
ELEGIES FOR ROG, a large work written for him by Jeffrey Brody to a text of Paul Monette. A regional finalist in the Metropolitan
Opera Auditions, Mr. Davis attended Bowling Green College of Music and the Boston Conservatory of Music.
|
| Escamillo in CARMEN |
|
