Anthony Michaels-Moore

Anthony Michaels-Moore (born 8 April 1957) is an English operatic baritone and the first British winner of the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition (Philadelphia, 1985).^[1] Michaels-Moore has since performed in many of the world's major opera houses across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. He has distinguished himself as a specialist in Verdi and Puccini roles, most renowned for his portrayals of Falstaff, Nabucco, Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra, Iago in Otello, Germont in La traviata, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Scarpia in Tosca. In addition to the standard repertoire, he has sung and recorded the baritone roles of some of the less-known 19th Century Italian operas, as well as the popular English art song cycles by Stanford and Vaughan Williams.^[2]

Michaels-Moore currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.^[3] He is the first opera singer to provide the voice of Zozobra when he performed the role of old man gloom for the 96th Burning of Zozobra on 4 September 2020.^[4]

Michaels-Moore was born in Essex. Between 1975 and 1978, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the British Army's Royal Tank Regiment^[5] while studying music and history at Newcastle University upon Tyne, and, after a year at Fenham teacher training college, he became a primary school teacher. From 1981 onward he studied singing privately, became a member of the chorus at the English Bach Festival from 1982 to 1984. He attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama from 1984 to 1985, earning a MMus/MA in Opera. In 1985 Michaels-Moore was named the first British winner of the Luciano Pavarotti Competition and sang the roles of Messenger (Oedipus rex) for Opera North and Scarpia in Tosca for Scottish Opera Go Round.^[6][7]

His career has been centered on the Italian repertoire, starting with lyric roles, but now focused on the great Verdi baritone roles. A review of his 2009 performances of Rigoletto with English National Opera noted his ability to be both "gloriously lyrical and terrifyingly baleful at the same time", combining beautiful Italianate legato with "monstrous power".^[8] Another reviewer of that production opined that "he is [Britain's] leading Verdi baritone".^[9] Performances in Canada as Rigoletto ("performing with amazing presence, his dark voice suited the character perfectly… brought a remarkable breadth of expression to the role") and in Europe as Scarpia ("he is obsequiously, sadistically, loathsomely mellifluous") as well as Falstaff in 2010 have also drawn high praise.^[10]

Michaels-Moore made his debut at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1987 and has subsequently appeared in many productions there including La Bohème, Pagliacci, The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro (1998), Andrea Chénier (1998), Tosca (2000), Macbeth (1997 & 2002), Falstaff (2003), Lucia di Lammermoor (2004), La traviata (2006), Il trovatore (2007), L’elisir d'amore (2009), and Madama Butterfly (2011). He has also appeared with all the other major British companies: English and Welsh National Operas, Opera North, Scottish Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera.^[11]

In Europe he has appeared at major houses such as the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, Milan, the Opéra National de Paris, Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper, the Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Barcelona's Liceu, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Madrid's Teatro Real, Zurich Opera House (Falstaff, Otello), Oper Köln (Tosca, La Forza del Destino), and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Curlew River).^{[citation needed]}

In North America Michaels-Moore has appeared at all of the major houses and some of the regional ones including New York's Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago (Attila), Pittsburgh Opera (Otello), Opera Colorado, Florida Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera (Billy Budd), Lyric Opera of Kansas City (La traviata), Opera Philadelphia (Cold Mountain),^[12] and Opéra de Montréal (Rigoletto).^[13]

In the US, Michaels-Moore has a particularly strong relationship with the Santa Fe Opera; in their summer festivals he has appeared in classic Verdi parts such as Simon Boccanegra (2004), Falstaff (2008), and Germont pere (2009). Anthony has also appeared at the festival in less familiar roles and new works; singing the title role in Mozart's The Impresario and the Emperor in Stravinsky's The Nightingale in 2014, and creating the role of Robert Crosbie in the world premiere of Paul Moravec's The Letter in 2009, as well as the roles of Father Monroe and Pangle in the world premiere of Cold Mountain in 2015. Anthony's 2009 appearances as Robert Crosbie in The Letter brought him particular critical approval.^[14][15]

In South America the baritone has appeared in Andrea Chénier at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and in Aida at the Theatro Municipal in São Paulo.^{[16] [17]}

2017: Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording – Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain recorded live at The Santa Fe Opera ^[18]

2004: Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album recording – LSO Live: Britten: Peter Grimes with Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra ^[19]

1995: Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, the highest recognition for live classical music-making in the United Kingdom ^[20]

1985: First British winner of the Luciano Pavarotti Competition in Philadelphia, USA ^[21]

• Anthony Michaels-Moore Official Website
• What's On Stage: Interview with Anthony Michaels-Moore, June 2011
• Rigoletto: Verdi's First Operatic Masterpiece at Opéra de Montréal, starring Anthony Michaels-Moore October 2010
• Opera Today: Anthony Michaels-Moore — from the army to the world stage, May 2009
• Musical Criticism: Interview with Anthony Michaels-Moore, January 2007
• The Guardian: Verdi's Warrior — Anthony Michaels-Moore, June 2002
• Anthony Michaels-Moore at IMDb