Theodore Baerg
Baritone Theodore Baerg has laid claim to a career of major proportion,
with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera and Glyndebourne Festival
just three of his international destinations. Kurt Masur conducted him
in his New York Philharmonic debut as Count Homonay in Strauss' ZIGEUNERBARON
in the Summer At Lincoln Center Series and he has since been invited back
to the Lincoln Center Festival for FIDELIO, again with Masur conducting.
He first appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival as Ramiro in Ravel's L'HEURE
ESPAGNOLE and for the San Francisco Opera, he was Der Musiklehrer in ARIADNE
AUF NAXOS. Other roles for the San Francisco Opera include Sharpless in
MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Ned Keene in PETER GRIMES, Danilo in DIE LUSTIGE WITWE
and Ping in TURANDOT. He was in Calgary and Edmonton for Malatesta in
DON PASQUALE and starred in the title role of WOZZECK for Pacific Opera
Victoria. The busy baritone was featured in Tampa, Thunder Bay, Québec
City and Hamilton (Brott Summer Music) in CARMINA BURANA while concerts
devoted to Cole Porter and Viennese light classics took him to Vancouver
and Edmonton.
Mr. Baerg's 2003-2004 season was filled with roles new to his repertoire.
These included the Father in Britten’s THE PRODIGAL SON for the
Britten Festival in Canada, Emile in SOUTH PACIFIC for Edmonton Opera,
Count di Luna in IL TROVATORE for Orchestra London and des Grieux in performances
of Massenet’s LE PORTRAIT DE MANON for Opera Ontario. He returned
to the roles of Malatesta in DON PASQUALE for Opera Lyra and Ping in TURANDOT
for L’Opéra de Québec, and especially cherished his
first WAR REQUIEM for the Britten Festival in London, Ontario.
During the 2004-2005 season, Baerg will be at the San Francisco Opera
for Mr. Redburn in BILLY BUDD and debuts at Glimmerglass as des Grieux
in LE PORTRAIT DE MANON. On the concert stage, he will be heard in Duruflé’s
REQUIEM with the Richard Eaton Singers of Edmonton, a ‘Pops’
evening with the Toronto Symphony, Brahms’ DEUTSCHES REQUIEM for
the Thunder Bay Symphony and BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST for Orchestra London.
Mainstream repertoire for Mr. Baerg
includes FALSTAFF (Ford), the title roles in RIGOLETTO, EUGENE ONEGIN
and DON GIOVANNI, IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA (Figaro) and HÄNSEL UND
GRETEL (Peter). Other roles include Sharpless in MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Count
Almaviva in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Dandini in LA CENERENTOLA, Lescaut in
MANON LESCAUT, Silvio in I PAGLIACCI, Valentin in FAUST, George in OF
MICE AND MEN and the Fabulist in Peter’s THE GOLDEN ASS.
New York City Opera audiences have hailed Mr. Baerg as the Haji in KISMET,
Fontaine in THE DESERT SONG and as THE MERRY WIDOW'S Danilo. Saraste introduced
Mr. Baerg to Toronto Symphony audiences in CARMINA BURANA and Dutoit was
his conductor for the Schubert Masses No. 2 and 6 with L’Orchestre
Symphonique de Montréal. Davies' REVELATION, Rossini's LE PETITE
MESSE SOLENNELLE and STABAT MATER, Barber's DOVER BEACH, CARMINA BURANA
and SHOWBOAT also make regular appearances on his schedule for such organizations
as the Lanaudiere and Elora festivals, L’Orchestre Symphonique de
Québec, Chorus Niagara, the Kitchener Waterloo and Mendelssohn
choirs and the Kingston Symphony. In addition, the dashing baritone is
a popular star for orchestra evenings devoted to the works of Strauss,
Lehár, and "The Best of Broadway". Mr. Baerg is Associate
Professor of Voice, Opera and Music Theatre at the University of Western Ontario.
