Peter Barrett, baritone

Peter Barrett, baritone
Recipient of the Ian Rosenblatt Bursary at the Wexford Festival in Ireland and a top prize winner in the Montreal International Music Competition, baritone Peter Barrett is one of Canada’s most important new faces on the opera and concert stage. He began this past season with the Canadian Opera Company in the title role of Stravinsky’s Renard. He then returns to the role of Marcello in La bohème for Minnesota Opera, Opera Hamilton and the Newfoundland Symphony. Last season he was heard as Marcello in La bohème and Denisov/Rayevsky in War and Peace for the Canadian Opera Company and Dancairo in Carmen for Vancouver Opera. As a concert artist he was heard in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, a special programme with Toronto’s Aldeburgh Connection and Carmina Burana for the Elora Festival. Highlights of his 2007-2008 season included performances of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the Bach Elgar Choir, Carmina Burana with the Regina Philharmonic, Janacek’s From the House of the Dead for the COC and a recital tour of Newfoundland under the aegis of Debut Atlantic. Of special interest were concerts in London (UK) and Toronto with the Associates of the Royal Conservatory focused on the music of German and Austrian émigré composers in England during the Second World War. Mr. Barrett appeared for Opera Lyra Ottawa as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, for the Wexford Festival as the King in Transformations by Conrad Susa and Canada’s National Ballet as soloist in Footsteps of Air singing music of Beethoven. Emerging as a recitalist of note, he also made debuts with Music Toronto, the Mountain View Festival in Alberta, the ‘New Discovery Winner’s Showcase’ Recital in Ottawa and, in addition to his opera performances at Wexford was presented in recital. As a soloist with symphonic and choral organizations, he sang Carmina Burana for the Windsor Symphony, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Ottawa Choral Society, Die tote stadt for Toronto’s Opera in Concert, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem for Hamilton’s Bach Elgar Choir and he made a special guest appearance as soloist in the ‘Luminato’ gala concert at Roy Thomson Hall. Further credits include the “Galaxy Rising Star” prize for most promising young artist at the 32nd edition of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s National Competition for Young Performers. From Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Barrett is an Alumnus of the prestigious Ensemble Studio of the Canadian Opera Company where his assignments included the Mandarin in Turandot, Marullo in Rigoletto, Ned Keene in Peter Grimes, Dancaïro in Carmen and Ping in Turandot. Mr. Barrett has sung across Canada in major concert halls, including the North York Performing Arts Centre and the Rosza Centre in Calgary. He studied at Hartwick College in the United States, attended Tanglewood’s Music Institute and is a graduate of the Glenn Gould Professional School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto where he studied under Roxolana Roslak and Peter Tiefenbach. Peter Barrett is also generously supported by the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation.

Recipient of the Ian Rosenblatt Bursary at the Wexford Festival in Ireland and a top prize winner in the Montreal International Music Competition, baritone Peter Barrett is one of Canada’s most important new faces on the opera and concert stage.

He began this past season with the Canadian Opera Company in the title role of Stravinsky’s Renard. He then returns to the role of Marcello in La bohème for Minnesota Opera, Opera Hamilton and the Newfoundland Symphony. Last season he was heard as Marcello in La bohème and Denisov/Rayevsky in War and Peace for the Canadian Opera Company and Dancairo in Carmen for Vancouver Opera. As a concert artist he was heard in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, a special programme with Toronto’s Aldeburgh Connection and Carmina Burana for the Elora Festival.

Highlights of his 2007-2008 season included performances of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the Bach Elgar Choir, Carmina Burana with the Regina Philharmonic, Janacek’s From the House of the Dead for the COC and a recital tour of Newfoundland under the aegis of Debut Atlantic. Of special interest were concerts in London (UK) and Toronto with the Associates of the Royal Conservatory focused on the music of German and Austrian émigré composers in England during the Second World War. Mr. Barrett appeared for Opera Lyra Ottawa as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, for the Wexford Festival as the King in Transformations by Conrad Susa and Canada’s National Ballet as soloist in Footsteps of Air singing music of Beethoven. Emerging as a recitalist of note, he also made debuts with Music Toronto, the Mountain View Festival in Alberta, the ‘New Discovery Winner’s Showcase’ Recital in Ottawa and, in addition to his opera performances at Wexford was presented in recital. As a soloist with symphonic and choral organizations, he sang Carmina Burana for the Windsor Symphony, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Ottawa Choral Society, Die tote stadt for Toronto’s Opera in Concert, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem for Hamilton’s Bach Elgar Choir and he made a special guest appearance as soloist in the ‘Luminato’ gala concert at Roy Thomson Hall.

Further credits include the “Galaxy Rising Star” prize for most promising young artist at the 32nd edition of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s National Competition for Young Performers. From Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Barrett is an Alumnus of the prestigious Ensemble Studio of the Canadian Opera Company where his assignments included the Mandarin in Turandot, Marullo in Rigoletto, Ned Keene in Peter Grimes, Dancaïro in Carmen and Ping in Turandot.

Mr. Barrett has sung across Canada in major concert halls, including the North York Performing Arts Centre and the Rosza Centre in Calgary. He studied at Hartwick College in the United States, attended Tanglewood’s Music Institute and is a graduate of the Glenn Gould Professional School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto where he studied under Roxolana Roslak and Peter Tiefenbach. Peter Barrett is also generously supported by the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation.