ROD GILFRY

UNITED STATES

BARITONE   

About the Artist

American baritone Rod Gilfry, two-time Grammy award nominee, singer, and actor, has performed in all of the world’s music capitals. Previously at HGO, he performed the roles of the Marquis de la Force in last season’s Dialogues of the Carmelites and Mr. Gower/Mr. Potter in the 2016 world premiere of Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life. His most recent Grammy Award nomination was for his performance in the title role of Messiaen’s monumental opera Saint François d'Assise in Amsterdam. His discography of 28 audio and video recordings includes the DVD and CD of his one-man show My Heart is So Full of You. With a 77-role repertoire, Gilfry sings music from the Baroque to that composed expressly for him. In recent reasons, he has originated the role of Walt Whitman in Matthew Aucoin’s Crossing in Boston, The Father in Aucoin’s Eurydice at Los Angeles Opera, Alfred Stieglitz in Kevin Puts’s The Brightness of Light, opposite Renée Fleming, Claudius in Brett Dean’s Hamlet with Glyndebourne Festival, and David Lang’s solo opera the loser in New York City. He recently returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Claudius in Brett Dean’s Hamlet and originated the role of Robert McNamara in the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s and David Henry Hwang’s Written in Stone at Washington National Opera. In addition, he and Renée Fleming reprised The Brightness of Light with Los Angeles Opera, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He also sang Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the San Francisco Symphony. Gilfry is an Associate Professor of Vocal Arts at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.