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Anthony Michaels-Moore

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British Baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore preparing behind the scenes as the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto at Opéra de Montréal, October 2010.
British Baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore preparing behind the scenes as the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto at Opéra de Montréal, October 2010.

Anthony Michaels-Moore (born 8 April 1957) is an English operatic baritone and the first British winner of the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition (Philadelphia, 1985).[1] Michaels-Moore has since performed in many of the world's major opera houses across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. He has distinguished himself as a specialist in Verdi and Puccini roles, most renowned for his portrayals of Falstaff, Nabucco, Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra, Iago in Otello, Germont in La traviata, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Scarpia in Tosca. In addition to the standard repertoire, he has sung and recorded the baritone roles of some of the less-known 19th Century Italian operas, as well as the popular English art song cycles by Stanford and Vaughan Williams.[2]

Michaels-Moore currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[3] He is the first opera singer to provide the voice of Zozobra when he performed the role of old man gloom for the 96th Burning of Zozobra on 4 September 2020.[4]

Biography

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Early years

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Michaels-Moore was born in Essex. Between 1975 and 1978, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the British Army's Royal Tank Regiment[5] while studying music and history at Newcastle University upon Tyne, and, after a year at Fenham teacher training college, he became a primary school teacher. From 1981 onward he studied singing privately, became a member of the chorus at the English Bach Festival from 1982 to 1984. He attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama from 1984 to 1985, earning a MMus/MA in Opera. In 1985 Michaels-Moore was named the first British winner of the Luciano Pavarotti Competition and sang the roles of Messenger (Oedipus rex) for Opera North and Scarpia in Tosca for Scottish Opera Go Round.[6][7]

Subsequent career

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His career has been centered on the Italian repertoire, starting with lyric roles, but now focused on the great Verdi baritone roles. A review of his 2009 performances of Rigoletto with English National Opera noted his ability to be both "gloriously lyrical and terrifyingly baleful at the same time", combining beautiful Italianate legato with "monstrous power".[8] Another reviewer of that production opined that "he is [Britain's] leading Verdi baritone".[9] Performances in Canada as Rigoletto ("performing with amazing presence, his dark voice suited the character perfectly… brought a remarkable breadth of expression to the role") and in Europe as Scarpia ("he is obsequiously, sadistically, loathsomely mellifluous") as well as Falstaff in 2010 have also drawn high praise.[10]

Michaels-Moore made his debut at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1987 and has subsequently appeared in many productions there including La Bohème, Pagliacci, The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro (1998), Andrea Chénier (1998), Tosca (2000), Macbeth (1997 & 2002), Falstaff (2003), Lucia di Lammermoor (2004), La traviata (2006), Il trovatore (2007), L’elisir d'amore (2009), and Madama Butterfly (2011). He has also appeared with all the other major British companies: English and Welsh National Operas, Opera North, Scottish Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera.[11]

In Europe he has appeared at major houses such as the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, Milan, the Opéra National de Paris, Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper, the Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Barcelona's Liceu, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Madrid's Teatro Real, Zurich Opera House (Falstaff, Otello), Oper Köln (Tosca, La Forza del Destino), and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Curlew River).[citation needed]

In North America Michaels-Moore has appeared at all of the major houses and some of the regional ones including New York's Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago (Attila), Pittsburgh Opera (Otello), Opera Colorado, Florida Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera (Billy Budd), Lyric Opera of Kansas City (La traviata), Opera Philadelphia (Cold Mountain),[12] and Opéra de Montréal (Rigoletto).[13]

In the US, Michaels-Moore has a particularly strong relationship with the Santa Fe Opera; in their summer festivals he has appeared in classic Verdi parts such as Simon Boccanegra (2004), Falstaff (2008), and Germont pere (2009). Anthony has also appeared at the festival in less familiar roles and new works; singing the title role in Mozart's The Impresario and the Emperor in Stravinsky's The Nightingale in 2014, and creating the role of Robert Crosbie in the world premiere of Paul Moravec's The Letter in 2009, as well as the roles of Father Monroe and Pangle in the world premiere of Cold Mountain in 2015. Anthony's 2009 appearances as Robert Crosbie in The Letter brought him particular critical approval.[14][15]

In South America the baritone has appeared in Andrea Chénier at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and in Aida at the Theatro Municipal in São Paulo.[16] [17]

Honors and awards

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2017: Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording – Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain recorded live at The Santa Fe Opera [18]

2004: Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album recording – LSO Live: Britten: Peter Grimes with Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra [19]

1995: Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, the highest recognition for live classical music-making in the United Kingdom [20]

1985: First British winner of the Luciano Pavarotti Competition in Philadelphia, USA [21]

Repertoire

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Verdi

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Puccini

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Donizetti

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Other Italian repertoire

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Repertoire in other languages

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Recordings

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Complete operas

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Other recordings

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References

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  1. ^ "All 53 Finalists Named Opera Contest Winners" from the NY Times, Published: 8 October 1985
  2. ^ "Product Details - Anthony Michaels-Moore: Songs of the Sea - Songs of Travel (Rosenblatt Recitals)". www.opusarte.com. Retrieved 6 February 2018.[title missing]
  3. ^ "El Mitote, April 7, 2013", The Santa Fe New Mexican, 7 April 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Renowned opera singer takes on role as voice of Zozobra, August 31, 2020", KOAT Action 7 News, 31 August 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  5. ^ Ann Ozorio, "Anthony Michaels-Moore — From the Army to the World Stage" in Opera Today, 18 May 2009 online at operatoday.com, retrieved 23 November 2009
  6. ^ Adam, Nicky, ed. (1993). Who's Who in British Opera. Aldershot: Scolar Press. ISBN 0-85967-894-6.
  7. ^ " Verdi's Warrior: Anthony Michaels-Moore", The Guardian (London), 7 June 2002
  8. ^ Richard Morrison, "Rigoletto at the London Coliseum"[dead link], The Times (London), 23 September 2009 Retrieved from timesonline.co.uk on 23 November 2009.
  9. ^ Mark Pullinger, "Rigoletto: English National Opera, 21st September 2009", on Opera Britannia.com, 22 September 2009. The author notes: "The main reason for going to see this run of performances though is for Anthony Michaels-Moore's portrayal of Rigoletto. His appearances in the UK are all too rare and questions should be asked why we don't see him here more frequently as he is, in my opinion, our leading Verdi baritone". Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  10. ^ Extracts from reviews appearing on the artist's North American representative at CAMI.com Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  11. ^ Artist's personal website, on anthony-michaels-moore.com Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  12. ^ "Press Release from Opera Philadelphia: Cold Mountain makes East Coast Premiere February 5-14, 2016 at the Academy of Music" Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Classical - Rigoletto and Canadian Pacific" from Le Devoir, 27 September 2010.
  14. ^ Craig Smith, "The Letter evokes dark charm of a true tale", The Santa Fe New Mexican, 26 July 2009 on santafenewmexican.com. Smith notes, "He sang better and better as the night went on, confidently ringing the changes on his virile baritone" Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  15. ^ Simon Williams, "In review: from the around the world: Santa Fe", Opera News, November 2009, p.43. Williams notes: "(Michaels-Moore) represented moral weakness, emotional dependence and alcoholic indulgence with such devastating detail that Crosbie seemed symbolic of the corruption at the heart of the whole colonial enterprise"
  16. ^ "São Paulo's Municipal Theatre to have opera about Egypt" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Brazil-Arab News Agency, 30 July 2013, online at anba.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  17. ^ "Gregory Kunde and Anthony Michaels-Moore star in Aida in Sao Paulo", intermusica.co.uk, 2 August 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  18. ^ "2017 Grammy Nominations from the LA Times" Retrieved 7 December 2016
  19. ^ "Part II of the 47th annual Grammy Awards nominees" from Variety Magazine Retrieved 7 December 2004
  20. ^ ""Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards, Singer: Past Winners"". Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  21. ^ Artist's personal website, on anthony-michaels-moore.com Retrieved 25 June 2016
  22. ^ At the Santa Fe Opera in 2008
  23. ^ At the Santa Fe Opera in 2009
  24. ^ ""CO2 production information from Teatro alla Scala"". Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  25. ^ "La Scala theater world premiere "CO2" work for the World Expo theme". Mondo Liber Online. 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015.
  26. ^ "Cold Mountain live CD recording at The Santa Fe Opera, released 04/08/2016" Archived 26 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 8 April 2016
  27. ^ "Anthony Michaels-Moore: Songs of the Sea - Songs of Travel (Rosenblatt Recitals)" on opusarte.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
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