Malcolm Smith, bass
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.
Contact:
Malcolm Smith
University of Southern Maine School
of Music
37 College Avenue
Gorham, ME 04038
207-780-5265
music@usm.maine.edu