Chris Merritt
Encyclopedia
Chris Merritt is an opera
singer. He studied piano, singing, dance and drama at Oklahoma City University where he made his first stage appearance in Jacques Offenbach
's Les contes d'Hoffmann
in a university production. At age 21, he was accepted into the summer season Apprentice Program for Singers at the Santa Fe Opera
. His principle voice teachers in Oklahoma were Jack Harrold
and Florence Birdwell
.
His high-lyrical tenor
voice makes him well-suited to the bel canto
roles, such as those by Rossini.
He made his official debut in 1975, as Caius in Verdi's Falstaff
. Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera
won him a part in I Puritani
in 1981, and that was the performance which brought him international attention and marked the beginning of a very successful career.
His Met debut took place on November 30, 1990, when he sang the role of Idreno in Rossini's Semiramide
which was not very successful, however. He much improved the next year when he sang there the role of Arturo in I puritani
along with Edita Gruberova
. Successively he performed at the Met also in principal roles in Rusalka
(in 1997), and Káťa Kabanová
(in 2005, being, so far, his last appearance at the Met).
In other places, he debuted at the Royal Opera House
in La donna del lago
on June 27, 1985, and sang there also the role of Arnold in Guillaume Tell (in 1990). At the San Francisco Opera
he sang in Maometto II
(debut in 1988), and also in the role of Arnold in Guillaume Tell in 1992 and 1997/98 season. On August 6, 1993, he sang the title role in Sigurd
at the sole performance of that rarely performed opera at the Festival Montpellier
. He opened twice (1988 and 1989) the opera season in La Scala
, with Guillaume Tell and I Vespri Siciliani, both conducted by Riccardo Muti
.
Most recently in 2006, Merritt has appeared in the American premiere production of Thomas Adès
' The Tempest
at the Santa Fe Opera
.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer. He studied piano, singing, dance and drama at Oklahoma City University where he made his first stage appearance in Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann is an opéra by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on short stories by E. T. A...
in a university production. At age 21, he was accepted into the summer season Apprentice Program for Singers at the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
. His principle voice teachers in Oklahoma were Jack Harrold
Jack Harrold
Jack Harrold was an American operatic tenor and voice teacher. Admired for his comedic skills, he specialized in the tenor buffo repertoire. He had a particularly long association with the New York City Opera from the 1940s through the 1980s. He also appeared in several Broadway musicals...
and Florence Birdwell
Florence Birdwell
Florence Gillam Birdwell is an American educator, musician, and singer, who has taught musical theater and opera singing to thousands of voice students over a six-decade career, continuing today as professor of voice at the Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University.Born in Arizona, Birdwell...
.
His high-lyrical tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
voice makes him well-suited to the bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
roles, such as those by Rossini.
He made his official debut in 1975, as Caius in Verdi's Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
. Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
won him a part in I Puritani
I puritani
I puritani is an opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. It was his last opera. Its libretto is by Count Carlo Pepoli, based on Têtes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine, which is in turn based on Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality. It was first produced at...
in 1981, and that was the performance which brought him international attention and marked the beginning of a very successful career.
His Met debut took place on November 30, 1990, when he sang the role of Idreno in Rossini's Semiramide
Semiramide
Semiramide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon...
which was not very successful, however. He much improved the next year when he sang there the role of Arturo in I puritani
I puritani
I puritani is an opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. It was his last opera. Its libretto is by Count Carlo Pepoli, based on Têtes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine, which is in turn based on Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality. It was first produced at...
along with Edita Gruberova
Edita Gruberová
Edita Gruberová , is a Slovak soprano who is one of the most acclaimed coloraturas of recent decades. She is noted for her great tonal clarity, agility, dramatic interpretation, and ability to sing high notes with great power, which made her an ideal Queen of the Night in her early years...
. Successively he performed at the Met also in principal roles in Rusalka
Rusalka
In Slavic mythology, a rusalka was a female ghost, water nymph, succubus, or mermaid-like demon that dwelled in a waterway....
(in 1997), and Káťa Kabanová
Káta Kabanová
Káťa Kabanová is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by Vincenc Červinka, based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. The opera was also largely inspired by Janáček's love for Kamila Stösslová...
(in 2005, being, so far, his last appearance at the Met).
In other places, he debuted at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in La donna del lago
La donna del lago
La donna del lago is an opera by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on The Lady of the Lake, a poem by Sir Walter Scott.This opera was the first to be based on Scott's romantic works...
on June 27, 1985, and sang there also the role of Arnold in Guillaume Tell (in 1990). At the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
he sang in Maometto II
Maometto II
Maometto II is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, to an Italian libretto by Cesare della Valle, set in the 1470s during the time of the war between the Turks and Venetians. Della Valle based his libretto on his earlier play Anna Erizo...
(debut in 1988), and also in the role of Arnold in Guillaume Tell in 1992 and 1997/98 season. On August 6, 1993, he sang the title role in Sigurd
Sigurd (opera)
Sigurd is an opera in four acts and nine scenes by the French composer Ernest Reyer on a libretto by Camille du Locle and Alfred Blau. Like Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung, the story is based on the Niebelungenlied and the Eddas, with some crucial differences from the better known Wagnerian version...
at the sole performance of that rarely performed opera at the Festival Montpellier
Festival de Radio France et Montpellier
The Festival de Radio France et Montpellier is a summer festival of opera and music held in Montpellier, France created in 1985. The music festival concentrates on classical music and jazz with about 100 events, including opera, concerts, films, and talks, most of which are free and located in the...
. He opened twice (1988 and 1989) the opera season in La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
, with Guillaume Tell and I Vespri Siciliani, both conducted by Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor and music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.-Childhood and education:...
.
Most recently in 2006, Merritt has appeared in the American premiere production of Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès is a British composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:Adès studied piano with Paul Berkowitz and later composition with Robert Saxton at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London...
' The Tempest
The Tempest (Adès)
The Tempest is an opera by English composer Thomas Adès with a libretto in English by Meredith Oakes based on the play, The Tempest by William Shakespeare.-Background and premiere performances:...
at the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
.