Michael Colvin, Tenor

Pacific Opera Victoria
The Italian Singer in Capriccio
February - March, 2010

Hailed in Opera News as possessing one of the most beautiful young lyric tenor instruments around and as a perfect model of the 'bel canto' style of singing (Sun Newspaper), Irish-Canadian tenor Michael Colvin has appeared to critical acclaim on opera and concert stages throughout Canada, the USA, UK and Europe.

His 2009-2010 Season at English National Opera includes the role of Peter Quint in Britten's The Turn of the Screw and Flute in the same composer's A Midsummer Night's Dream. In Canada, he appears as Arbace in the Canadian Opera Company's production of Idomeneo and as the Italian Singer in Pacific Opera Victoria's Capriccio by R. Strauss. On the concert stage he sings Verdi's Requiem for the Richard Eaton Singers of Calgary, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 for Vancouver Symphony and Messiah for the New Mexico Symphony, Vancouver Cantata Singers and Toronto's Elmer Iseler Singers.

Michael's 2008-2009 season featured his Minnesota Opera debut as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and a season at English National Opera as Bob Boles in David Alden's production of Peter Grimes conducted by Edward Gardner and Goro in the Minghella production of Madama Butterfly. Concert highlights included Haydn's Creation with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Calgary Philharmonic and Kingston Symphony, Messiah with the Winnipeg Symphony and Chorus Niagara, Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus for the National Ballet of Canada and a recital with Toronto's Aldeburgh Connection.

Recent operatic roles include Ferrando in Così fan tutte for the Canadian Opera Company, Ramiro in La Cenerentola for Portland Opera, Don Ottavio in Chicago Opera Theater's Don Giovanni, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor with ENO and his critically acclaimed UK opera debut as Rodrigo in La Donna del Lago for Garsington Opera. Other engagements include Almaviva in The Barber of Seville for Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Opera Lyra Ottawa, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, The Rape of Lucretia and Semele for Chicago Opera Theater, the COC's Rodelinda conducted by Harry Bicket, Argirio opposite Ewa Podles in the Canadian Opera Company's Tancredi, Shepherd in Oedipus Rex for the Edinburgh International Festival, Belfiore in Il Viaggio a Reims with Portland Opera, Tamino in Manitoba Opera's The Magic Flute and L'Italiana in Algeri for Opera Festival of New Jersey. For the COC he has sung in L'Italiana in Algeri, Il Viaggio a Reims (Belfiore), Don Giovanni, and The Barber of Seville. Other credits include a recording project of the works of Lysenko, a big-screen debut as Don Ottavio in the film Don Giovanni Unmasked alongside baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky and recordings on the NAXOS, CBC and Warner Music labels.

On the concert platform Michael has sung Mozart's Requiem for Chicago's Grant Park Festival and Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Handel's Messiah and Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium with Nicholas McGegan and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra / Glover, National Arts Centre Orchestra / Pinnock and Rochester Philharmonic, Schubert's Mass in A Flat with Helmut Rilling and Festival Vancouver, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, l'Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Elora Festival and Festival de Lanuadière, Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Haydn's Die Schöpfung and Verdi's Requiem for the Elora Festival, Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with Richard Bradshaw and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Dvorák's Stabat Mater with Andrey Boreyko and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde for the National Ballet of Canada. Recital highlights include Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge and Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer for CBC Radio, Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin at Toronto's Glenn Gould Studio and regular appearances with Toronto's Aldeburgh Connection and Off Centre Music Salon.

Born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, and raised in Toronto, Canada, Michael began his musical studies at St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto and returned to music after attaining his Bachelor of Science in Immunology from the University of Toronto. A graduate of the University of Toronto Opera Division, Michael has also trained with the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio, the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh, England and Canada's Banff Centre for the Arts. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, most notably the Canadian Opera Foundation Award and a Chalmers Performing Arts Award. Michael makes his home in Toronto, Canada.

The brightest light of the evening was tenor Michael Colvin in the role of Count Almaviva. Colvin's voice seemed a perfect model of the 'bel canto' style of singing that Rossini's music employed. Supple and pliant, it moved beautifully and with precision through the rapidly decorated vocal runs supplied by the composer.
The Sun Newspaper on Rossini's The Barber of Seville (Lyric Opera of Kansas City, 2000)

January 2010