Rod Gilfry
Rodney Gilfry (born March 11, 1959 in Covina , California ) is an American opera singer ( baritone ). He is considered one of the most versatile singers of his generation. In addition to his appearances on all the major opera stages in the world, he sings in oratorios , operettas, musicals, gives concerts and appears in cabarets. Gilfry is considered a Mozart specialist, but his repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music. He was involved in several world premieres of contemporary operas.
Life
Rodney Gilfry grew up in California. He studied music education at California State University, Fullerton and then completed a vocal degree at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California , from which he graduated with a master's degree. He continued his vocal studies with Martial Singher and, since 1999, with the pianist Armen Boyajian, one of the most renowned and most successful singing teachers in the USA.
Since 2005 he has performed on stage under the name Rod Gilfry . In 2016 he celebrated his 30th stage anniversary as an opera singer.
For three years he moderated the weekly radio program Opera Notes on Air of the KMZT-Klassik broadcaster. Gilfry teaches as an Associate Professor of Vocal Arts at the Thornton School of Music.
Rod Gilfrey is married with three children and his daughter Carin Gilfry is an opera singer (mezzo-soprano).
Career
In 1986 Gilfry made his operatic debut at the opening of the Los Angeles Opera in Verdi's Otello in a supporting role. His first engagement in Europe was at the Frankfurt Opera . After two years as the first baritone in Frankfurt and another four at the Zurich Opera , he returned to the USA. There he sang at the first opera houses, such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago , the Dallas Opera, the San Diego Opera and the Los Angeles Opera.
1996 marked the beginning of his international career. On November 25, 1996 he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Demetrius in Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream . In the same year he made his debuts in Great Britain and France in Britten's Billy Budd at the Covent Garden Opera in London and at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. In 2006 he sang Don Alonso in Mozart's Così fan tutte in a new production for Aix-en-Provence , which was then shown at the Edinburgh Festival and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York City.
Quote
"Mozart's tough. Mozart is probably the most demanding thing that I've done so far because it's so exposed. To do it well requires a really good musician and a real master of technique. You've got this beautiful kind of pristine, crystalline, classical sonority the way that the orchestra and the voice work together. It's all there. It's laid out bare bones. There's nothing to hide behind. It takes a great deal of skill, but by that token it's also very rewarding to do Mozart, if you can do it well. "
Repertoire (selection)
His repertoire includes around 77 roles and ranges from baroque music to Viennese classic, romantic and modern to new music . He has sung a number of roles in operas by contemporary composers, including Leonard Bernstein , Daniel Catán (1949–2011), Marc-André Dalbavie , Deborah Drattell , Nicholas Maw , André Previn and Wolfgang Rihm . Gilfry enjoys an international reputation as a Mozart singer; his Mozart repertoire includes: a. the operas Don Giovanni (title role), Figaro's wedding (Figaro, Count Almaviva), Così fan tutte (Don Alfonso, Guglielmo), The Magic Flute (Papageno) or the baritone part in Mozart's Requiem .
| year | title | role | place | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Otello ( Giuseppe Verdi ) | Herald | Los Angeles Opera | Los Angeles Opera opened in October 1986, with Placido Domingo in the title role |
| 1986 | The Marriage of Figaro ( Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ) | Figaro | Hamburg State Opera | |
| 1992 | Così fan tutte (WA Mozart) | Guglielmo | Théâtre du Châtelet , Paris | DVD Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1993 | The Magic Flute (WA Mozart) | Papageno | Los Angeles Music Center Opera | |
| 1993 | The Marriage of Figaro (WA Mozart) | Count Almaviva | Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris | |
| 1996 | A Midsummer Night's Dream ( Benjamin Britten ) | Demetrius | The Metropolitan Opera , New York | |
| 1996 | Billy Budd (Benjamin Britten) | Title role | Opéra Bastille , Paris | french First performance Grand Prix des Critiques for the best opera production |
| 1998 | A Streetcar named Desire ( André Previn ) | Stanley Kowalski | San Francisco Opera | World premiere DVD Arthaus / Naxos |
| 2000 | La Bohème (Giacomo Puccini) | Marcello | The Metropolitan Opera, New York | |
| 2000 | Billy Budd (Benjamin Britten) | Title role |
Royal Opera House , London Los Angeles Opera |
|
| 2001 | Iphigénie en Tauride ( Christoph Willibald Gluck ) | Oreste | Zurich Opera | DVD Arthaus music |
| 2001 | Così fan tutte (WA Mozart) | Guglielmo | The Metropolitan Opera , New York | |
| 2001 | The Marriage of Figaro (WA Mozart) | Count Almaviva | DVD Deutsche Grammophon | |
| 2002 | Sophie's Choice ( Nicholas Maw ) | Nathan | Royal Opera House , London | premiere |
| 2003 | Les Indes galantes ( Jean-Philippe Rameau ) | 3 roles: Osman, Huascar, Adario |
Zurich Opera | Role debut |
| 2003 | Nicholas and Alexandra ( Deborah Drattell ) | Nicholas | Los Angeles Opera | premiere |
| 2004 | The Merry Widow ( Franz Lehár ) | Danilo | Zurich Opera | DVD art house |
| 2005 | Margaret Garner ( Richard Danielpour ) | Edward Gaines | Michigan Opera Theater, Detroit Cincinnati Opera |
Libretto Toni Morrison world premiere |
| 2007 | Cyrano de Bergerac ( Franco Alfano ) | de Guiche | Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia | DVD Naxos |
| 2008 | Intermezzo ( Richard Strauss ) | Robert Storch | Zurich Opera | |
| 2010 | Don Giovanni (WA Mozart) | Don Giovanni | Festival Aix-en-Provence | Resumption in 2013 |
| 2010 | Gesualdo ( Marc-André Dalbavie ) | Gesualdo | Zurich Opera | premiere |
| 2013 | Anna Nicole ( Mark-Anthony Turnage ) | Howard K. Stern | BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Brooklyn, New York Royal Opera House, London |
|
| 2014 | Così fan tutte (WA Mozart) | Don Alfonso | Théâtre del'Archevêché, Festival Aix-en-Provence | Coproduction with the Opéra de Lille, Korea National Opera and Edinburgh International Festival |
| 2015 | The Merry Widow ( Franz Lehár ) | Danilo | The Metropolitan Opera, New York | |
| 2015 | Crossing ( Matthew Aucoin ) | Walt Whitman | Citi Shubert Theater, Boston | premiere |
| 2015 | Red Lantern ( Christian Jost ) | Master Chen | Zurich Opera | premiere |
| 2016 | The Loser ( David Lang ) | The narrator | Brooklyn Academy of Music Howard Gilman Opera House |
premiere |
| 2016 | Così fan tutte (WA Mozart) | Don Alfonso |
Festival Aix-en-Provence Edinburgh International Festival Mostly Mozart Festival ( Lincoln Center ) NY |
|
| 2016 | It's a Wonderful Life ( Jake Heggie ) | Mr. Potter / Mr. Gower | Houston Grand Opera | premiere |
| 2017 | Hamlet ( Brett Dean ) | Claudius | Glyndebourne | World premiere Adelaide Festival 2018, Australian premiere DVD Opus arte |
| 2017 | The Exterminating Angel ( Thomas Adès ) | Alberto Roc | The Metropolitan Opera, New York | US premiere |
| year | title | role | place | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Most Happy Fella ( Frank Loesser ) | Joey | UCLA Freud Playhouse , Los Angeles | |
| 2003 | The New Moon ( Romberg / Hammerstein ) | Robert | Encores! New York City Center, New York | concertante |
| 2008 | South Pacific ( Rodgers and Hammerstein ) | Emile de Becque | Ahmanson Theater, San Francisco US National Tour of the Lincoln Center production |
7 Tony Awards |
| 2009 | Trouble in Tahiti ( Leonard Bernstein ) | Sam | Bavarian State Opera , Munich | German premiere |
| 2009 | Camelot ( Alan Jay Lerner , Frederick Loewe ) | Lancelot | Ravinia Festival, Illinois | concertante |
| 2009 | The Sound of Music ( Rodgers and Hammerstein ) | Baron von Trapp | Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris | with Carin Gilfry as Liesl |
| 2011 | Sweeny Todd ( Hugh Wheeler , Stephen Sondheim ) | Todd | Théatre du Châtelet, Paris | |
| 2011 | Annie Get Your Gun | Frank Butler | Glimmerglass Festival, New York | |
| 2013 | Show Boat ( Jerome Kern , Oscar Hammerstein ) | Gaylord Ravenal | Kennedy Center , Washington DC | |
| 2016 | Kismet ( Robert Wright , George Forrest ) | Hajj | Volksoper Vienna | Austrian first performance in concert |
Discography / filmography (selection)
Rod Gilfry has recorded about 25 CDs, including the 1995 Don Giovanni and 2008 the Saint François d'Assise of Olivier Messiaen , which for a Granny were nominated. Several opera performances have been recorded on DVD.
- Franco Alfano : Cyrano de Bergerac (role: De Guiche)
- 2007: Valencian Community Orchestra, conductor: Patrick Fournillier, director: Michal Znaniecki, with Placido Domingo , Sondra Radvanovsky , Arturo Chacón-Cruz; DVD Naxos
- 1999: Soloistes Européens Luxembourg, director Rolf Beck , with Veronica Cangeni, Alison Browner , Markus Schäfer , Rodrigo Orrego; Berlin Classics
- Leonard Bernstein : Trouble in Tahiti (Sam)
- Münchner Rundfunksinfonieorchester, conductor: Ulf Schirmer ; BR classic
- 1991: Orchester révolutionnaire et romantique, conductor: John Eliot Gardiner
- Maurice Duruflé : Mass Cum Jubilo , op.11 .
- 2001: Los Angeles Master Chorale, conductor: Paul Salamunovich ; RCM
- Christoph Willibald Gluck : Iphigenie en Tauride (Oreste)
- 2000: Boston Baroque, direction Martin Pearlman
- 2001: Choir and Orchestra of the Zurich Opera, Direction: William Christie . Director: Claus Guth , Juliette Galstian (Iphigenie), Deon van der Walt (Pylade), Anton Scharinger (Thoas): DVD Arthaus
- The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, with Sylvia McNair , Donna Brown, Michael Schade . Gerald Finley ; Deutsche Grammophon
- Franz Lehár : The Merry Widow (Danilo)
- 2004: Choir and Orchestra of the Zurich Opera, Direction: Franz Welser-Möst , Direction: Helmut Lohner , with Ute Gfrerer, Dagmar Schellenberger ; DVD art house
- Olivier Messiaen : Saint François d'Assise (title role)
- 2008: Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera, Hague Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Ingo Metzmacher , director: Pierre Audi ; Opus Arte
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Così fan tutte (Don Alfonso)
- 1993: The English Baroque Soloists, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner; The Monteverdi Choir
- 2002: The English Baroque Soloists, conductor: John Eliot Gardiner; The Monteverdi Choir; with Rosa Mannion, Rainer Trost , Mirian James, Claudio Nicolai; Deutsche Grammophon
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni (title role)
- 1995: English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, lead: John Eliot Gardiner; with Andrea Silvestrelli, Luba Orgonasova, Christoph Prégardien , Charlotte Margiono,
- 2001: Choir and Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House, conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt , director: Jürgen Flimm ; with Cecilia Bartoli , László Polgár , Isabel Rey, Roberto Saccà
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (Count Almaviva)
- 1994: The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner; with Hillevi Martinpelto , Alison Hagley , Bryn Terfel , Pamela Helen Stephen; Deutsche Grammophon
- 1996: Chorus and Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House, director: Nikolaus Harnoncourt, director: Jürgen Flimm, with László Polgár Polgar, Isabel Rey, Cecilia Bartoli ; DVD TDK / Arthaus
- 2008: Theater an der Wien, director: Graeme Jenkins, director: Kaspar Bech Holten, with Johan Reuter, Elisabeth Futral, Anna Bonitatibus; Deutsche Grammophon
- Gioacchino Rossini : L'inganno felice (Batone)
- 1997: Le Concert des Tuileries, conductor: Marc Minkowski with Annick Massis, Raúl Giménez, Pietro Spagnoli; Warner Classics
- Kurt Weill : The Firebrand of Florence (Benvenuto Cellini)
- 2003: BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Davis , with Felicity Palmer , Lori Ann Fuller, George Dvorsky; Capriccio
Web links
- Rod Gilfry at Operabase (engagements and dates)
- The Royal Opera House: Rod Gilfry
- Collection of reviews in the Los Angeles Times
- Rod Gilfry in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rod Gilfry, USC, Thornton School of Music , accessed October 14, 2016.
- ^ Robert Price: Renown voice coach moves to Wantage , New Jersey Herald, December 10, 2015, accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ Rodney Gilfrey (bass-baritone) , Bach Cantatas website, accessed May 11, 2019
- ^ Clare Covin: It is interesting to have a blank slate ': Rod Gilfry on working for new productions; Rod Gilfry, USC Thornton School of Music Express, August 31, 2014, accessed October 13, 2016.
- ↑ Conversation Piece: Baritone Rodney Gilfry. By Bruce Duffie
- ↑ Premiere review
- ↑ Premiere criticism , Los Angeles Times, accessed on 27 October 2016
- ^ Premiere reviews , Royal Opera House , accessed October 24, 2016.
- ↑ Premiere criticism The New York Times, September 17, 2003. Retrieved on October 27, 2016
- ↑ Michigan Opera Theater , accessed May 10, 2019
- ^ Festival Aix-en-Provence, Don Giovanni , accessed on October 28, 2016.
- ↑ Premiere review
- ↑ Premiere review , accessed on October 24, 2016.
- ↑ Rote Latern: Christian Jost Opernhaus Zürich, accessed on May 10, 2019
- ^ BAM, The Loser
- ↑ It's a Wonderful Life (2016)
- ^ Glyndebourne, Events 2017
- ↑ The Musichall
- ↑ Talkin 'Broadway, Regional Reviews, Los Angeles , accessed October 21, 2016.
- ^ Glimmerglass Festival, 2011 Guest Artists , accessed October 21, 2016.
- ^ Playbill , accessed October 24, 2016.
- ↑ Kismet, 2016
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gilfry, Rod |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gilfry, Rodney (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American opera singer (baritone) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 11, 1959 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Covina , California |