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The German bass-baritone, Shadi Torbey, completed his studies in Romance languages and literature as well as in cultural management at the University of Brussels. He then studied voice at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he earned the highest degrees in Opera and Concert. His vocal training was completed at the Opéra Studio of La Monnaie in Brussels and with José Van Dam at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth. In 1999 he was prize-winner of the "prix de la vocation" of the Verviers singing competition, in 2001 he was awarded the "Voix d'or" of the Voix d'Or competition and in 2004 the 3rd Prize at the renowned Concours Musical Reine Elisabeth.
Shadi Torbey has sung under renowned conductors such as William Christie, Bruno Bartoletti, Marcello Viotti, Patrick Davin, Eduardo Lopez-Banzo, Marcus Bosch, Paul McCreesh, Enoch zu Guttenberg, Evelino Pidò, Philip Pickett, Roy Goodman, Laurence Equilbey and worked with directors such as Stéphane Braunschweig, Robert Carsen, Antonio Latella, Gérard Corbiau, Pier-Luigi Pizzi, Karl-Ernst and Ursel Herrmann.
Shadi Torbey was to experience in opera productions as Nick Shadow in Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress in Brussels, as Leporello in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni in Rouen, as Tambour Major in Le Caïd in Metz and as Lord Rochefort in Anna Bolena in Lyon, Paris and Dortmund. He sang the role of Ministre Boréen and was the cover for Laurent Naouri in the role of Borée in Rameau's Les Boréades with the Ensemble Les Arts Florissants under William Christie at the Opéra de Paris as well as in London and New York. He sang the role of Caronte in Monteverdi's Orfeo under Philip Pickett at the Opéra de Lyon and the title role in Johann Mattheson's Boris Goudenov with the Ensemble Early Music Russia under Andrej Reshetin in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Hamburg. Furthermore, from 2008 to 2010 he appeared as Lord Sidney in Rossini's Il Viaggio à Reims in a CFPL co-production for talented young singers at the Opéra National de Montpellier, Théâtre Du Capitole de Toulouse, Grand Théâtre de Reims, Opéra National Lorraine Nancy, Opéra de Marseille, Opéra National de Bordeaux and others under the patronage of Alberto Zedda. In the 2010-2011 season he appeared as the Speaker in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte in a co-production of the Teatro Sociale di Como and the Teatro Fraschini di Pavia. In addition, he sang the role of Carrasco in Felix Mendelssohn's Die Hochzeit des Camacho with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (CD production, could be heard as Alidor in concert performances of the opera Don Sanche by Franz Liszt in London and at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with the European Union Youth Orchestra under Laurent Pillot and made his role debut as Isménor in Rameau's opera Dardanus (first performance in historical new edition) with the European Opera Center and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Opera productions in 2011 and 2012-2013 included his role debut as Figaro in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Aachen Theater under the musical direction of Marcus Bosch as well as the roles Cold Genius, Aeolus and Pan in Purcell's King Arthur also in Aachen. In 2013-2014 Shadi Torbey sang both the role of Colline in La bohème and the bass arias in scenic performances of J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) at the Osnabrück Theater. In 2014-2015 he returned to Osnabrück for the title roles in the new productions of Le nozze di Figaro and Germanicus by Georg Philipp Telemann. In 2016 he sang Leporello in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni in Brussels, and appeared in 2017 at the Wiesbaden May Festival as Amanzio and at the Handel Festival in Halle as Polidarte in George Frideric Handel's Il Giustino (CD recording) with the Lautten Compagney Berlin under Wolfgang Katschner. As part of the Midsummer Festival "Mozartiade" 2018 in Brussels, he made his role debut as Don Alfonso in W.A. Mozart's Cosi fan tutte under the baton of David Miller, staged by Eric Gobin. In 2019 he returned to the Midsummer Festival "Mozartiade" in Brussels, this time for his role debut as Osmin in W.A. Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The 2018-2019 season also includes his role debut as Mephistopheles in the rarely performed opera Faust by Louis Spohr in Koblenz, conducted by Daniel Spogis. Plans for 2020-2021 include concert performances of La Traviata and the role of the Ghost of the late King Hamlet in the opera Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège.
In the concert field Shadi Torbey sang the bass solos in works such as J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion (BWV 245), Haydn's The Creation and Stabat Mater, W.A. Mozart's Requiem, G.F. Handel's The Messiah and Judas Maccabaeus; Petite Messe Solennelle and Das Paradise and the Peri. He was Abner in G.F. Handel's Athalia under Paul McCreesh at the Acadèmie d'Ambronnay and in concerts in Toulouse, Saint-Etienne and Tours. He could be heard as Abramo in Alessandro Scarlatti's Cantata per la Notte di Natale with El Ayre Español under Eduardo Lopez Banzo in Zaragoza and as bass soloist in G.F. Handel's Messiah under Roy Goodman with the pro musica Graz choir. Other concert engagements have included F. Mendelssohn's "Elijah" with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra at the Bozar Hall and the world premiere of the multi-media creation Theseus by Chris Christoffels. He also sang both the bass solos in Charles Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass at the Herrenchiemsee Festival and in the Verdi Requiem at the European Festival in Passau under Enoch zu Guttenberg. In December 2011 he also had the honor of performing as bass soloist in the Christmas Concert for the Belgian royal family under the baton of Philippe Herreweghe at the Palais Royal in Brussels. Further concert engagements include J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion (BWV 245)" at St. Martin in the Fields in London, the Gabriel Fauré-Requiem with Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège under Christian Arming at the "À la française" festival in Brussels, the rarely performed Requiem by Giovanni Bottesini at the Center of Fine Arts in Brussels and the also rarely performed Messe des morts by François-Joseph Gossec under of Frank Braley. In December 2015 he was invited again to the Palais Royal, thitime for G.F. Handel's Messiah under the musical direction of Bart Van Reyn. In 2017 he performed with the Belgian ensemble Camerata Vocale and its conductor Phillipe de Clerck in Verdi's Requiem. He also performed "Stabat Mater" by Antonin Dvořák with this ensemble.
Shadi Torbey has given numerous recitals with pianists such as Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Fritz Schwinghammer and Eugene Asti. For the Lable Cypres he recorded a CD with Mélodies Françaises from Séverac, Meyerbeer and Saint-Saëns. |
