Malcolm Smith

One of America's leading basses, MALCOLM SMITH has appeared with the world's major operatic and symphonic organizations. He has performed with such renowned companies as the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg Opera Munich Opera Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera Bastille, among many others. He has been heard in concert repertoire with such leading orchestras as the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, and the Baltimore, Montreal, and National Symphonies.

In 1996, the honorary title of "Kammersaenger" was bestowed on Mr. Smith by the Opera in Duesseldorf, where he had been Principal Bass since 1971. Their production of Boris Godunov was staged for Mr. Smith, which he has since sung throughout Western Europe. He was King Henry in Lohengrin, a role he has also performed at Dresden's Semperoper and at La Scala. He has performed countless operas with Düsseldorf, such asTannhauser, Das Rheingold, Rosenkavalier, Siegfried, Lohengrin, Der Freischuetz, Barbiere, Parsifal, and Aida. Mr. Smith presented the role of Inquisitor in Duesseldorf‚ Opera's new production of Verdi's Don Carlos, which was followed by King Mark in Wagner's Tristan and Daland in Wagner's Der fliegende Hollaender. Last season he was Pimen in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, the Grand Inquisitor in Verdi's Don Carlos, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte.

In the 2002/2003 season Mr. Smith performs Beethoven's Symphony #9 with Portland Symphony and Berlioz‚ Romeo and Juliet with Midland Symphony. He is scheduled to perform both Philip and the Inquisitor in Don Carlo at the Schwerin Festival in Germany.

Other performances include Britten's Noyes Fludde with Grand Rapids Opera and Arkel in Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande with the Cincinnati Opera He sang in Britten's Peter Grimes with Barcelona's Gran Teatro del Liceu and the Teatro Real Madrid and in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette with Hawaii Opera. Mr. Smith appeared in Beethoven's Fidelio with Maazel and the Pittsburgh Symphony at Carnegie Hall and at the Bregenz Festival. In Brussels in the Teatro de la Monnaie's production of Peter Grimes, With Teatro Regio di Turino, Italy. Mr. Smith presented Strauss‚ Arabella and Der Rosenkavalier, Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, Rossini's Barber of Seville, and Das Rheingold

Mr. Smith recorded Liszt's Grande Messe and Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex with the French Radio Orchestra in Paris. He appeared in the World Premiere of Penderecki's The Black Mask at the Salzburg Festival. He sang Fafner in Das Rheingold with Solti and Chicago Symphony both in Chicago and in New York. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 he performed with Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Bach's St. John Passion with Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, and Mozart's Requiem with the San Antonio Symphony,.

Malcolm Smith made his European debut at the Spoleto Festival in Tristan und Isolde and his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1975 in La Gioconda. He toured Japan with the Metropolitan Opera and appeared in the world premiere of Robert Ward's Abelard and Heloise at the Charlotte Opera. Malcolm Smith made his New York City Opera debut in Prokofiev's Flaming Angel, which he also performed at the Opera Bastille in Paris. Subsequent performances and recordings of Handel's Samson and Mahler's Symphony No. 8 firmly established him on the American scene as an artist fluent in both opera and oratorio repertoire. A native New Yorker, Mr. Smith holds degrees from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and Columbia University, has studied at Indiana University, and is currently listed in Who's Who in America.