Since the time of his professional debut in 2001 at the Seattle Opera singing the role of Donald in Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd, baritone Morgan Smith has established himself as one of the most exciting young baritones in the Opera World today. He is known in particular for the musical versatility, athleticism and dramatic intensity that he brings to his performances. Smith has performed with numerous opera companies and symphonies across North America, and has been heard in a number of roles at the Seattle Opera, including the title role in Don Giovanni, Silvio in I Pagliacci, Riccardo in I Puritani, and Peter Niles in Mourning Becomes Electra. Opera News said the following about his portrayal of Silvio in Seattle: "Nuccia Focile's duet with the Silvio of Morgan Smith was riveting. Smith has a delightfully easy-sounding baritone that on this occasion was charged with passion: Silvio's ardor provided extraordinary relief amid the rest of the opera's meanness and misery. He almost stole the show."

In 2009-2010 Mr. Smith will make his European debut at the Berlin Staatsoper as Marcello in La bohème and Oper Leipzig singing Rossini’s Figaro, Papageno, Marcello and Leandre in Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges. He will create the role of Starbuck in the World Premiere of Jake Heggie’s Moby Dick with Dallas Opera in 2010 and he will reprise the role at the San Diego Opera in 2012. In 2010-2011 Mr. Smith will make his Opera Colorado debut as Marcello in La bohème. He will return to Oper Leipzig for 2010-2011 season where he will sing in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro, the role of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and the role Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. This past season he was heard as Escamillo in Ft. Worth, Morales and Zuniga at LA Opera, and Germont and Papageno in Spokane and Skagit. In 2007-2008 Mr. Smith was heard as Escamillo in Carmen with Tacoma Opera, and Dandini in La Cenerentola with the Portland Opera.

The young baritone has also performed with the San Francisco Opera, Portland Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Sarasota Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Florentine Opera, El Paso Opera, the Pine Mountain Music Festival, Sun Valley Center for the Performing Arts, and the Bellingham Music Festival in the roles of Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro,  Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Marcello in La bohème,  Don  Alvaro in Il Viaggio a Reims, Slook in La Cambiale di Matrimonio,Top  in The Tenderland, Belcore in L'elisir d'amore,  Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni.  The Bellingham Herald had the following to say about his performance as Don Giovanni "Morgan Smith of the Seattle Opera gave an electrifying performance as Don Giovanni, radiating saturnine power, dark magnetism and cruel charm.  His ample, cognac-smooth voice has just enough snarl to give it bite. This young singer already inhabits the role the way James Bond fills a tux.”

Mr. Smith has had the opportunity to appear with numerous North American orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Portland Symphony, Seattle Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Ottawa Symphony, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Smith is also gaining a reputation for his interpretation of modern chamber, orchestral and operatic repertoire. Most recent accomplishments include the World Premiere and recording (NAXOS records) of the groundbreaking dramatic chamber work, For a Look or a Touch, by American composer Jake Heggie. Smith premiered the work in May of 2007 with Music of Remembrance in Seattle, WA, and an encore performance followed at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in December of 2008. He also recently created the role of Ted Steinert in the World Premiere of Frau Margot (recording available through Albany records) by Thomas Pasetieri and Frank Corsaro at the Fort Worth Opera. Credits also include covering Gerald Finley as Robert Oppenheimer, in the World Premiere production of John Adams' Dr. Atomic for the San Francisco Opera, the World Premiere of a work by Richard Cumming with the Hartford Symphony, entitled, Aspects of Hippolytus, and the title role in the Tony Kushner/Maurice Sendak adaptation of Hans Krasa's children's opera, Brundibar (recording available through NAXOS records), with Seattle's Music of Remembrance under the baton of Gerard Schwarz.

 

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