Canadian bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch has performed in some of the most prestigious opera companies and orchestras throughout Europe and North America, including Paris, La Scala, Dallas, Washington, and Los Angeles. He is lauded as much for his powerful stage presence and dramatic abilities as for his "focused, resonant bass-baritone that he wields with power and sensitivity" (NJ Star-Ledger). His signature roles show a dedication to both old and new works, including the title role in Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro, Joseph DeRocher in Dead Man Walking and Olin Blitch in Susannah. "Okulitch was a dynamic and effective stage presence; he almost stopped the show the first time he strode on stage and sang his opening notes (...) by far the most developed and projecting singer in the cast." ( NewJersey Star-Ledger).

Engagements in the 2008-2009 season include his debut at Los Angeles Opera as Seth Brundle in The Fly, his Teatro alla Scala debut as Theseus in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the title role in Le nozze di Figaro for the Dallas Opera, Escamillo in Carmen at Vancouver Opera, Swallow in Peter Grimes for his debut at the Washington National Opera, and the title role of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking in Ft. Worth. In the 2009-2010 season he will make his New York City Opera debut and his Palm Beach Opera debut in the title role of Don Giovanni.  In the spring 2010, he will make his Opera Theatre of St. Louis debut as Willy Wonka in the world premiere of The Golden Ticket. Also this season he will return to the Vancouver Opera as Mozart’s Figaro and Calgary Opera as Frederick Bhaer in Little Women.  He finishes the season as Don Giovanni at the Teatro Colón.   In the 2010-2011 season, he will return to the Los Angeles Opera as Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, he return to Opera Theatre of St. Louis in the title role of Don Giovanni, and he will return to Opera Hamilton for their Opera Gala.

In the 2007-2008 season, Daniel made his role debut at the Michigan Opera Theater in Detroit in the title role of Le Nozze di Figaro, as Colline in La bohème in Vancouver, the world premiere of David Dichiera’s Cyrano de Bergerac in Detroit, and sang the title role in the world premiere of The Fly at the Opéra du Châtelet in Paris in a co-production with the LA Opera.  He opened the 2006-2007 season in the title role of Don Giovanni for Opera Ontario, which he repeated for the Hawaii Opera Theater.  He was also heard in a gala concert with Manitoba Opera and performances as Inspector Gert Osterland in the world-premiere of Thomas Pasatieri’s opera Frau Margot at Fort Worth Opera. His 2005-2006 season began with Schaunard in La bohème with Manitoba Opera, immediately followed by Schlemil in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at Dallas Opera, the critically acclaimed title role debut of Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking at the Calgary Opera, Masetto with Vancouver Opera, and Blitch in Susannah with the Boheme Opera in New Jersey.   He closed the season with his long-awaited role debut as Don Giovanni at the French festival Lyrique-en-Mer.

Daniel's 2004-2005 season began with his return to San Francisco Opera as The Bosun' in Billy Budd, followed by a recording of Chausson’s Le Roi Arthus with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London, and by the roles of Fredrich Baeher in Little Women at Fort Worth Opera, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Utah Opera, Masetto in Don Giovanni with Opera de Marseille, and Laski in Chabrier’s Le Roi Malgre Lui at Avery Fisher Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra.  He opened the 2003-2004 season at San Francisco Opera as Donald Gallup in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of Us All and sang a season opening Gala for the Connecticut Grand Opera alongside international opera diva Veronica Villaroel. For his Carnegie Hall debut in April of 2004, he performed Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, and was lauded for his performance of Lev Nikolaivich in the World Premiere of Guest from the Future by Mel Marvin at the Bard Festival this summer. 

Daniel was a member of the San Francisco Opera Merola Program, also trained with the Cincinnati Opera as a Young Artist for two seasons, and apprenticed with the Des Moines Metro Opera. His recent professional operatic experience includes Masetto in Don Giovanni with Dayton Opera, Morales in Carmen and Benoit/Alcindoro in La Bohème with Calgary Opera and the Shepherd in Pelléas et Melisande and the Nazarene in Salome with Cincinnati Opera. In his young career, Mr. Okulitch has worked with many prominent conductors, including Eduardo Müller, Donald Runnicles, Tyrone Patterson, Steven Lord and Robert Shaw among them. Additional roles Mr. Okulitch has performed include Don Cassandro in Mozart’s La Finta Semplice, Junius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Baron di Trombonok in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims and Gendarme/Directeur in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Teresias. He has also sung Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, Bob in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, Top in The Tenderland and Starveling in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Daniel is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes, including the Singers Development Foundation, First Prize from the George London Foundation in 2004, The Sullivan Foundation 2004, 2nd Prize from the Licia Albanese/Puccini Foundation Competition, First Prize from the Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation in 2004, a Grant from the Singers Development Fund in 2003, 5th Prize in the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition in 2002, and was a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 2000&2001. He is a 2006 recipient of a Canada Council Grant for Professional Musicians and received the Andrew White Memorial Award and a Corbett Award while a student at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he received an Artist Diploma in Opera, after completing his BM and MM degrees in Voice and Opera respectively, from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

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INTERMEZZO ARTISTS MANAGEMENT For more information contact Filippo Anselmi at 212-531-1514, filippo@intermezzofoundation.org