Steven Powell

The dynamic American baritone Stephen Powell brings his "rich, lyric baritone, commanding presence, and thoughtful musicianship" (Wall Street Journal) to a wide range of music, from Monteverdi and Handel through Verdi and Puccini to Sondheim and John Adams. Opera magazine has hailed him, writing "the big news was Stephen Powell's gorgeously-sung Onegin: rock solid, with creamy legato from top to bottom and dynamics smoothly tapered but never exaggerated."

In 2011-12 Stephen Powell returns to Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra as soloist in Bach's Mass in B Minor, to Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Bach's St. Matthew Passion, to Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Messiah, to Pittsburgh Opera as Germont in La traviata, to Music of the Baroque as soloist in Bach's Mass in B Minor, makes his debut with Atlanta Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and with Fort Worth Symphony as soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. His 2010-11 season included re-engagements: with San Francisco Opera as De Guiche in Cyrano de Bergerac; with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Rachmaninoff's Spring Cantata; and with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in Fauré's Requiem. He debuted with Cincinnati Opera as the title role in Rigoletto, with Montreux Festival in Schoenberg's Gurrelieder; with Minnesota Opera as Germont in La traviata; with Palm Beach Opera as Scarpia in Tosca; and with Singapore Symphony Orchestra in Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, sang as soloist in Brahms' Requiem with Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, returned to the Philadelphia Orchestra as soloist in Carmina Burana, and sang as soloist in Messiah with San Francisco Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recent highlights include his appearance as Ford in Falstaff with Pittsburgh Opera; as Uncle John in The Grapes of Wrath with Collegiate Chorale, under Ted Sperling; soloist in Szymanowski's Stabat Mater with Rome's Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Christoph Eschenbach conducting; in Messiah with Huddersfield Choral Society in England; in Brahms' Requiem with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop conducting; and in Carmina Burana with Cincinnati Symphony, Paavo Jarvi conducting. He also sang the role of Scarpia in Tosca with Minnesota Orchestra; appeared in recital with his wife, soprano Barbara Shirvis, through Highland Park United Methodist Church; sang as soloist in an opera gala concert with North Carolina Symphony Orchestra; in selections from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Aspen Music Festival; and in performance with Madison Opera in "Opera in the Park."In addition he has sung as Germont in La traviata and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, both with Los Angeles Opera, also as Germont with San Francisco Opera and New Orleans Opera; and as Miller in Luisa Miller at the Cincinnati May Festival, James Conlon conducting.

On concert stages he has sung as soloist in Carmina Burana with both the Phoenix Symphony and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; Messiah with Baltimore Symphony; in Brahms' Requiem and Dvorák's Te Deum, both with Cathedral Choral Society; Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich (recorded for the RCA label); Mahler's Das klagende Lied with the Philadelphia Orchestra; Brahms' Requiem with San Diego Symphony; Haydn's The Creation with the Rochester Philharmonic; Verdi's Requiem with the Mendelssohn Club at Verizon Hall in Philadelphia; and as soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in a return to Baltimore Symphony. He also performed in recital with his wife in a program entitled "American Celebration."

Mr. Powell's other successes include his San Francisco Opera debut as Sharpless; Ford in Falstaff with New York City Opera; Riccardo in I puritani with Washington Concert Opera; Germont with Arizona Opera; Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Hawaii Opera Theatre; singing as soloist in Carmina Burana with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and at the Aspen Music Festival; and in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Rossen Milanov at the Mann Music Center and at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

Following his last-minute substitution debut with New York City Opera as the title role in Hindemith's Mathis der Maler, he has returned to the company to perform the title role in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Enrico in a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor, and Zurga in a new production of Les Pêcheurs de perles. He has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as Ping in Turandot and Shchelkalov in Boris Godunov, and with Glimmerglass Opera as Ford in Falstaff and Malatesta in Don Pasquale. Other roles which have earned Mr. Powell critical acclaim include the title role in Eugene Onegin, Escamillo in Carmen, Count in Le nozze di Figaro, Marcello in La bohème, the title role in Sweeney Todd, Valentin in Faust, the title role in Don Giovanni, and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with such companies as Lyric Opera of Chicago, L'Opéra de Montréal, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Florida Grand Opera, Utah Opera, Opera Cleveland, Florentine Opera, Arizona Opera, San Diego Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Portland Opera, among others.

Stephen Powell's prolific career on the concert stage has seen him perform as soloist in Carmina Burana, Messiah, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Missa Solemnis, Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, Frank Martin's In Terra Pax, Szymanowski's Stabat Mater, Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, Copland's Old American Songs and Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with such notable organizations as the San Francisco, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Houston, Milwaukee, Detroit, Nashville, Philadelphia, Dallas, Ottawa, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Rochester, and Phoenix symphony orchestras, Brooklyn and Rochester philharmonics, North Carolina Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Handel and Haydn Society; Cathedral Choral Society of Washington; and the Minnesota and Boston Baroque orchestras, among others. He toured as Christus in Quebec, Montreal, and Toronto with Les Violons du Roy and can be heard on Boston Baroque's recording of Bach's Magnificat.

Mr. Powell has sung under the distinguished batons of Andrew Litton, Robert Spano, Charles Dutoit, Leonard Slatkin, Edo de Waart, Grant Llewellyn, Antony Walker, Carlos Kalmar, David Zinman, Rossen Milanov and Michael Tilson Thomas. He created the role of Felipe Nuñez in the world premiere of The Conquistador with San Diego Opera, and performed and recorded Bach's Magnificat with Boston Baroque.

An avid recitalist, Stephen Powell made his first recital appearance with New York Festival of Song, with Steven Blier at the piano. He subsequently performed at Weill Recital Hall singing Lee Hoiby's song cycle I Was There: Five Poems of Walt Whitman, with the composer at the piano. He now performs frequently with his wife, soprano Barbara Shirvis, in three recital programs they created together: "Hearts Afire: Love Songs Through the Ages", "Bellissimo Broadway!", and "American Celebration." They also give master classes at universities across the USA. Mr. Powell is an alumnus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Center for American Artists.