|
The American baritone, Christopher Burchett, studied at the University of Louisville and the Indiana University. He is winner of the American Bach Society / Bethlehem Bach Festival Vocal Competition 2002.
Christopher Burchett’s rich, no-holds-barred baritone voice and committed stagecraft have earned him success with a wide range of opera companies throughout the USA including New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, Virginia Opera, Opera Omaha, Eugene Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Kentucky Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Amarillo Opera, The Evansville Philharmonic, Indiana University Opera Theater, Intermountain Opera Association, Union Avenue Opera Theatre, and Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. Some of his roles include Bello in La Fanciulla del West, Bill Bobstay in H.M.S. Pinafore, Leporello, Palivec and General von Schwarzberg in The Good Soldier Schweik, The Four Villans in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Marchese D'Obigny, Elder Ott in Susannah, Reverend Olin Blitch, Count Ceprano, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dr. Dulcamara, Orsen in the world premier of Edwin Penhorwood's opera Too Many Sopranos, Nick Shadow, Uberto in Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona, the Wolf in Semore Barab's Little Red Ridding Hood, Jake Wallace in La Fanciulla del West, Don Alfonso. Most recently, Opera News described Christopher as a “fearlessly vulnerable” performer “who gave an unflinchingly, heroically human performance that will linger long in the memory.
A champion of new music, Christopher Burchett has been a part of several world premieres, creating the roles of Orsen in Edwin Penhorwood’s opera Too Many Sopranos with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, M. Carré-Lamadon in Stephen Hartke's The Greater Good with Glimmerglass Opera and Justin in Anthony Davis’ opera Wakonda’s Dream and Baritone Soloist in Paul Moravec's Blizzard Voices, both with Opera Omaha. He has also participated in the revival of several 21st century works: the oratorio Restless Mourning by Anthony Davis and the roles of Braxton and Sherrin in Sir Richard Rodney Bennett’s opera The Mines of Sulphur.
Widely sought after for his concert work, Christopher Burchett's repertoire ranges from the Baroque works of Charpentier's Le Reniement de S. Pierre, J.S. Bach's B Minor Mass (BWV 232), Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) and George Frideric Handel's Messiah to later works such as L.v. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Bruckner's Te Deum, Gabriel Fauré's Requiem and Schubert's Mass in G to great 20th century works such as Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. He has appeared with many of the USA’s finest Bach festivals including the Carmel Bach Festival, Boulder Bach Festival, Louisville Bach Society and Bethlehem Bach Festival. He has also appeared with many orchestras and festivals including the New Hampshire Music Festival, Choral Arts Society of Louisville, Bloomington Choral Arts Society, Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Choral Arts Society of Louisville, Louisville Orchestra, and the Louisville Chorus. Christopher's performance of J.S. Bach's B Minor Mass (BWV 232)with the Bethlehem Bach Festival was recently part of an Emmy winning nation wide PBS broadcast entitled "Make a Joyful Noise". Other concert highlights include L.v. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the New Hampshire Music Festival, R. Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, B. Britten’s War Requiem with the Louisville Orchestra, R. Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with Princeton Pro Musica and "So in Love With Broadway", a concert of musical standards and selections of hits from the music of Frank Loesser with the Omaha Symphony.
Christopher Burchett’s engagements in 2005-2006 include Leuthold in Guillaume Tell with Opera Orchestra of New York, Prince Yamadori with Opera Omaha as well as returning engagements with New York City Opera, the Boulder Bach Festival and Glimmerglass Opera in 2006.
Christopher Burchett began the 2013 season in New York with the one man opera Soldier Songs by David T. Little as part of the PROTOTYPE New Music Festival produced by Beth Morrison Projects and HERE. Following this, Christopher was in Boston to take part in Boston Lyric Opera's "Signature Series" recitals and then made a return engagement with The York Symphony Orchestra for L.v. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. In May, he traveled to London for the European premiere of Oceanic Verses with the BBC Orchestra at the Barbican Centre and then returned to New York to perform in a workshop reading of the new opera La Reina by Jorge Sosa with American Lyric Theatre, singing the role of El Gringo. In the summer, he sang the role of Captain Corcoran in H.M.S Pinafore with Opera Saratoga (formerly Lake George Opera). Last fall he sang the role of Sandro in the world premiere of Paul Richards' opera Biennale with the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia followed by B. Britten's War Requiem with the Washington National Chorus at the Kennedy Center, Carmina Burana with the Omaha Symphony, Beth Morrison Projects' Liederabend in New York and finished 2013 with the Portland Baroque Orchestra in performances of G.F. Handel's Messiah.
The 2014 season has Christopher Burchett singing the Harlequin in Ariadne auf Naxos with Virginia Opera and performing his 10th world premiere creating the roles of Victor and the Producer in the double bill of Embedded and Buried Alive with Fargo Moorhead Opera. He then sings Father Palmer in Kevin Put's Silent Night with Fort Worth Opera and reprises the Soldier in Soldier Songs with The Holland Festival and Beth Morrison Projects in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In the fall, he returns to Virginia Opera to once again sing Captain Cocoran in H.M.S. Pinafore. Future engagements include the title role in Sweeney Todd with Eugene Opera and a return to Fort Worth Opera for the world premiere of Libby Larsen's A Wrinkle in Time.
Christopher Burchett has recorded with the Naxos record label on the The Greater Good by Stephen Hartke and later this year on the world premiere recordings of Come My Dark Eyed One by Julian Wachner and song selections by Mohammed Fairouz and can soon be heard on the VIA label in Paola Prestini's Oceanic Verses. He can also be heard on the I-tunes label as part of the "Opera America Songbook", a recorded collection of 47 songs commissioned by Opera America to celebrate the opening of the National Opera Center. |
