Rodney Gilfry

Born: 1959-03-11

Rodney Gilfry is a leading American operatic baritone. After launching his career at Frankfurt Opera in 1987, Gilfry quickly established a reputation for stylish singing and acting. A renowned Mozart specialist, he has given acclaimed performances as Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva, Guglielmo, and Papageno, and is also known for his work in roles from the standard baritone repertoire (Pelléas, Valentin, Orestes, Belcore, Billy Budd). Rod Gilfry was born 11 March 1959 in Covina, California, and grew up in West Covina and Claremont. He received a bachelor's degree in music education from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in voice from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He studied at the Music Academy of the West with Martial Singher with whom he also studied privately for six years. In 1999 he sought further refinement of his technique and studied in Manhattan with Armen Boyajian, teacher of Samuel Ramey and Gerald Finley. Gilfry made his opera debut as a comprimario in Otello at Los Angeles Opera in 1986. After seven years as a principal baritone at Frankfurt Opera and Zurich Opera, he returned to the U.S. and originated roles at major houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. On November 25, 1996, Gilfry made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera as Demetrius in the company's premiere of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, a role he sang eight times that season. He returned in the 2000-2001 season for six performances each as Marcello in Puccini's La bohème and as Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte. Gilfry went on to specialize in new music, introducing rôles in many new operas. He is probably best known for his portrayal of Stanley Kowalski in André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire at San Francisco Opera which premiered in 1998. He also created the role of Nathan in Sophie's Choice at Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2002, a role he will reprise at Washington National Opera in September 2006. He originated the role of Tsar Nicholas in Drattell's Nicholas and Alexandra at Los Angeles Opera in 2003. During the 2005–2006 season he played plantation owner Edward Gaines in the opera, Margaret Garner, at Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre. During August 2006 he portrayed Prospero in Thomas Ades' The Tempest with the Santa Fe Opera, one of the few rôles in new opera that he did not originate. In November 2006 he created the role of Jack London in Libby Larsen's Every Man Jack for Sonoma City Opera. In 2008 he sang the principal role of Falke in a Japanese tour of Die Fledermaus and the title role in the Dutch/British production of Olivier Messiaen's opera Saint François d'Assise. At the Zürich Opera he performed the part of the composer in the "domestic comedy" Intermezzo of Richard Strauss, conducted by Peter Schneider and staged by Jens-Daniel Herzog, with Christiane Kohl as Christine. In February 2020 he created the role of Eurydice's father in the world premiere of Eurydice, written by Matthew Aucoin with a libretto by Sarah Ruhl, at the Los Angeles Opera. ... Source: Article "Rod Gilfry" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.


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The Metropolitan Opera: The Exterminating Angel

as Alberto Roc
Released: 2017-11-18

After the acclaimed Met premiere of Thomas Adès's "The Tempest" in 2012, the composer returned...

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Così fan tutte

as Guglielmo
Released: 1992-12-31

Mozart and Da Ponte use the theme of "fiancée swapping", which dates back to the 13th century;...

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Saint François d'Assise

as Saint François
Released: 2009-04-28

Messiaen's breathtakingly intense opera on the life of St Francis of Assisi stars Rod Gilfry as...

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The Metropolitan Opera: Hamlet

as Claudius
Released: 2022-06-04

When Australian composer Brett Dean’s Hamlet had its world premiere at the Glyndebourne Festival...

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A Streetcar Named Desire - The San Francisco Opera World Premiere

as Stanley Kowalski
Released: 1998-12-30

Recorded live with the San Francisco Opera, the world premiere production of Andre Previn's A...

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Alfano - Cyrano de Bergerac

as De Guiche
Released: 2007-05-31

While best known today for having composed the ending to Puccini's unfinished Turandot, Franco...

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Glyndebourne: Hamlet

as Claudius
Released: 2018-06-29

Brett Dean's multi-award-winning opera received its world premiere at Glyndebourne Festival...

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Mozart: Don Giovanni (Zurich Opera House)

as Don Giovanni
Released: 2001-12-01

Live 2001 production from the Zurich Opera House of the classic Mozart/Da Ponte opera, with...

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The Merry Widow

as Count Danilo Danilovitch
Released: 2005-01-01

Zurich Opera House production of Franz Léhar's operetta, with Dagmar Schellenberger, Rodney...

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Pelléas et Mélisande

as Pelléas
Released: 2004-11-16

Claude Debussy's fairy tale-based opera Pelléas et Mélisande is by now well known; at once a...

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The Marriage of Figaro

as El conde de Almaviva
Released: 1993-12-01

This is a good video of "Figaro", but there are a couple of better ones available. The Bohm and...

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Maw: Sophie's Choice

as Nathan
Released: 2010-02-01

In 2002, Nicholas Maw's opera Sophie's Choice, based on the novel by William Styron, was given...

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Iphigénie en Tauride

as Oreste
Released: 2001-04-24

The eighteenth century German composer Christoph Willibald Gluck strove for the ideal of pairing...

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Le monde est à vous

as Self
First aired: 1987-09-13

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