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The American bass-baritone, Brian Mextorf, is an alumnus of The Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Music degree, 2012), Westminster Choir College (Master of Music degree, 2014), the Opera Theatre of St. Louis Gerdine Young Artist Program (2012), The CoOPERAtive Program (Fellow 2012-2013), Opera Saratoga (Fest Artist 2015), and a 2014 winner of the Schuyler Career Bridges competition.
In January 2014, Brian sang Lesbo in Operamission’s production of George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina, and was previously featured in the creation and first complete performances of two new operas in 2013: Clint Borzoni’s Antinuous and Hadrian and Edward Ficklin’s Flash of Recognition. As a 2012 Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, he performed three roles in the North American Premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland, in which he “excelled” (Opera News). Additional performed roles include Don Alfonso in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte, Speaker in W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute, Keçal in The Bartered Bride and Publio in W.A. Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito with Oberlin Opera Theatre; Demetrius in Benjamin Britten A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lindorf/Coppelius/Dr. Miracle/Dapertutto in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi with Westminster Choir College; and Masetto, Giovanni/Leporello cover in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni with The CoOPERAtive Program in 2013.
Praised for his “bright and powerful baritone” as well as the use of “the more muted, gentler colors of his palette”, recent operatic seasons have seen Brian Mextorf perform John Styx in Virginia Opera’s Orpheus in the Underworld, for which he was given “comic honors” (Richmond Times-Dispatch) and garnered praise for his “standout” performance (DC Metro Theater Arts), Aeneas in Opera Saratoga's innovative and acclaimed outdoor production of Dido and Aeneas, Marcello in an exciting abridged production of La bohème performed in various non-traditional venues around the Hampton Roads, Virginia area, and the title role in a staged production of G.F. Handel’s Saul in Russell, Kansas. Other highlights include a New York City recital debut under the auspices of the Operamission Artist Recital Series and a debut concert with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, as well as being named a 2015 winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, North Carolina District and the 2nd place winner of the Southeast Region. Having completed a two year residency with Virginia Opera, he has also sung performances of Bill Bobstay and Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore, Paris in Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, and Anthony Hope (cover) in Sweeney Todd. In the spring of 2016, he was a guest Artist in Residence at Bucknell University, teaching lessons and master-classes while singing the role of Sam in their production of Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, conducted by Jennifer Peterson of Operamission.
Brian Mextorf’s recent seasons have included Raphael in Creation, recitals with the Brooklyn Art Song Society singing Samuel Barber's Despite and Still, Op. 41, and Wolf’s Michelangelo-Lieder, bass soloist in W.A. Mozart's Requiem at Alice Tully Hall, a return to Carnegie Hall as bass soloist in Haydn's Missa in Tempore Belli, and ensemble performances with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, among others. Earlier seasons have featured solo debuts at Carnegie Hall (Schubert’s Mass No. 2), Lincoln Center (La traviata) and National Sawdust (AIDS Quilt Songbook). Following his Aids Quilt Songbook performance, Culture Vulture praised Brian’s “strong stage presence, direct and easy rapport with an audience, clear enunciation, and a firm understanding of the text and how to project it. Additional engagements have included baritone soloist in Johannes Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, recitals with pianists Seymour Bernstein and Brent Funderburk, and performances with the Brooklyn Art Song Society, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and New York City Ballet. He currently lives in Huntington Station, New York with his wife and son. |
