Steven Cole (born 1949) is an American opera singer. He is particularly known for his portrayal of tenor character roles in an international career spanning more than 30 years. He sang in the world premieres of Jean Prodromides's La Noche Triste, Gavin Bryars's Medea, and the revised version of György Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre.
Life and career
Cole was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied sociology and anthropology at Union College and singing at the Peabody Conservatory and at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm. [1] After graduating from Union College in 1971, he was awarded a Watson Fellowship and pursued further vocal training in England. [2] He made his professional debut as Monsieur Triquet in Eugene Onegin at the Tanglewood Festival in 1974 in a Boston Symphony Orchestra performance conducted by Seiji Ozawa. [3] [4] Cole went on to sing in major opera houses and festivals across North America and Europe, including the Metropolitan Opera, [5] San Francisco Opera, [6] Paris Opera, [7] Gran Teatre del Liceu, [8] and the Salzburg Festival. [9] His discography includes Orphée aux enfers conducted by Marc Minkowski, Le Grand Macabre conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, The Magic Flute conducted by William Christie, and The Rake's Progress conducted by Kent Nagano.
Repertoire
Cole's wide-ranging repertoire spans operas from the Baroque era to the 20th century. His roles from 1974 to the present have included:
- Absalom Kumalo in Lost in the Stars [6]
- Aguilar in Jean Prodromidès's La noche triste (world premiere, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, 1989) [10]
- Alceo in Antonio Cesti's L'Argia [11]
- Andrès, Frantz, Pitichinaccio, and Spalanzani in The Tales of Hoffmann [6] [12]
- Antonio in Les brigands [13]
- Creon in Gavin Bryars's Medea (world premiere, Opéra de Lyon, 1984). [14]
- Dancing Master in Ariadne auf Naxos [5]
- Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro [15]
- Elder Gleaton in Susannah [16]
- Flute in A Midsummer Night's Dream [6]
- Fool in Wozzeck [8]
- Goro in Madama Butterfly [6]
- John Styx in Orphée aux enfers [17]
- Lilaque, père in Boulevard Solitude [18]
- Linfea in La Calisto [9]
- Ménélas in La belle Hélène [19]
- Monostatos in The Magic Flute [6]
- Monsieur Triquet in Eugene Onegin [3]
- Nick in La fanciulla del West [6]
- Oberon in Oberon [20]
- Osmin in L'incontro improvviso [21]
- Pedrillo in The Abduction From the Seraglio. [22]
- Pisandro in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria [23]
- Remendado in Carmen [15]
- Rodisbe in Antonio Sartorio's Giulio Cesare in Egitto [24]
- Scrivener in Khovanshchina [6]
- Sellem in The Rake's Progress [6]
- Simpleton in Boris Godunov [6]
- Sobrinin in A Life for the Tsar [7]
- Spoletta in Tosca [25]
- Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess [26]
- Squeak in Billy Budd [27]
- Teapot, Frog, and Little Old Man in L'enfant et les sortilèges. [28]
- White Minister in Le Grand Macabre (world premiere of the revised version, Salzburg Festival, 1997) [29]
- Witch in Hansel and Gretel [30]
References
- ^ Schenectady Gazette (15 July 1970). "Cole ends studies in Stockholm". Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ Yount, Dan (23 July 2011). "Opera artist Steven Cole makes himself at home when in Cincinnati". Cincinnati Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ a b Snyder, Louis (21 August 1974). "Tchaikovsky's turn at Tanglewood's game", p. 16. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 29 June 2013 (subscription required).
- ^ St. Joseph Gazette (8 April 1982). "Tenor Steven Cole Residency Feature". Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ a b Metropolitan Opera Archives. Ariadne auf Naxos {43} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/23/1987. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j San Francisco Opera Archives. "Steven Cole". Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ a b Opéra National de Paris. Vol. 38: Saison 1984-1985 Archived 2014-11-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 June 2013 (in French).
- ^ a b Benarroch, Eduardo (13 January 2006). "Cuando la obra dice no". Mundo Classico. Retrieved 30 June 2013 (in Spanish).
- ^ a b Salzburg Festival Archives. La Calisto 1998. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ Boisteau, Claire (2011). "Jean Prodromidès La Noche triste". Musique française d'aujourd'hui. Retrieved 30 June 2013 (in French).
- ^ Stevens, David (27 October 1999). "Rene Jacobs Turns Up a Gem In the Caverns of Baroque Opera: A Rich 'Argia' Unfolds in Paris". New York Times. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ Seattle Opera. "Puppets Onstage In Hoffmann". Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ Revue des deux Mondes (1994) "Les Brigands", p. 196
- ^ GavinBryars.com. Operas: Medea. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ a b Cincinnati Opera (19 May 2009). "Cincinnati Opera Goes to Spain for 89th Summer Festival". Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ Raeburn, Michael (2007). The Chronicle of Opera, 2nd edition, p. 244. Thames & Hudson
- ^ Opera (February 1999) "Review: Orphée aux enfers", pp. 234-235
- ^ Ploski, Harry A. and Williams, James De Bois (1989). "Steve Cole, versatile singer-actor.*, The Negro Almanac: A Reference Work on the African American, p. 1177. Gale Research Incorporated
- ^ Angers-Nantes Opéra (2008). Programme: La belle Hélène, p. 3. Retrieved 30 June 2013 (in French).
- ^ Radio Canada. "Calendrier de Diffusion 1998–1999". Retrieved 30 June 2013 (in French).
- ^ haydnphil.org. Performances: Tuesday September 12, 2000. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ Ericson, Raymond (13 May 1979). " 'Abduction' by Bronx Troupe", p. 41. New York Times. Retrieved 1 July 2013 (subscription required)
- ^ Opernwelt (1989), "Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria". Vol. 30, p. 39
- ^ Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik Archives. Giulio Cesare in Egitto. Retrieved 30 June 2013 (in German).
- ^ Seattle Opera. Tosca 2007/2008. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ Westphal, Matthew (9 February 2007). "Photo Journal: Porgy and Bess at Opera Company of Philadelphia". Playbill. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ Page, Tim (20 September 2004). "'Billy Budd' Is One Taut Ship". Washington Post. Retrieved 30 June 2013
- ^ Théâtre de Caen (2012). Trouble in Tahiti / L'Enfant et les Sortilèges. Retrieved 1 July 2013 (in French).
- ^ Schott Music. Le Grand Macabre. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ Dyer, Richard (30 November 2002). "BSO Delivers a Heartwarming 'Hansel'". Boston Globe. Retrieved 30 June 2013 (subscription required).
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1949 births
- Living people
- Singers from Baltimore
- Classical musicians from Maryland
- American operatic tenors
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century American male opera singers
- African-American male opera singers
- 21st-century African-American male singers
- 21st-century American male singers