American bass Peter Volpe continually receives critical and popular acclaim on
four continents. Possessing a vast and ever-expanding repertoire of over 80
roles in 6 languages, he commands an impressive expanse of style and
interpretive skill. From Mozart's title role in Don Giovanni to
Gounod's Mephistopheles in Faust, and Verdi's Zaccaria in
Nabucco to Archbishop Thomas á Beckett in Pizzetti's
L'Assassinio Nella Cattedrale, Mr. Volpe embraces the depth of
historical and fictional characters, and the music of composers from the past
and present. Of a recent portrayal as Prince Gremin in Eugene
Onegin, Opera News said "he managed
to create in his single aria and scene an impressive dignity. His
full-bodied bass and great candor of tone, together with his
intelligent interpretation, won him a well-deserved ovation."
In the 2009-2010 season and beyond, engagements include Idraote in Rossini's Armida at the Metropolitan Opera, Commendatore in Don Giovanni at Palm Beach Opera, Timur in Turandot at Opera Lyra Ottawa and Arizona Opera, Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Mephistopheles in Faust at Opera New Jersey, reprise of the role of Deguiche in DiChiera's Cyrano at the Florida Grand Opera, Silva in Ernani and Mephistopheles in Faust covers at Lyric Opera of Chicago, bass soloist in Verdi's Requiem in Rome, and several productions at Arena di Verona in Italy including Aida, Turandot, Carmen and Il Trovatore.
In the 2008-2009 season, he performed Gremin in Eugene Onegin with Vancouver Opera and Opera Lyra Ottawa, Verdi's Requiem at the Oberlin Conservatory, Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Austin Lyric Opera, Arizona Opera and Portland Opera, and Marcel in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots at the Bard Festival. In the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Volpe created the role of Deguiche in world premiere of Cyrano with the Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Company of Philadelphia; Frere Laurent in Romeo et Juliette with the Baltimore Opera; Verdi's Requiem with Arizona State University; and returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Jacqueau in War and Peace and as Frere Laurent cover in Romeo et Juliette. Engagements from 2006-2007 season include Banquo in Macbeth with Arizona Opera; the title role in Don Giovanni with Florentine Opera of Milwaukee; Frere Laurent in Romeo et Juliette with Atlanta Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre; Verdi's Requiem at Carnegie Hall with the Manhattan Philharmonic; and Zuniga in Carmen with the Seiji Ozawa Opera Project in Japan.
Mr. Volpe made his notable Metropolitan Opera debut in their new production of Prokofiev's War and Peace, and has subsequently returned for new productions of Berlioz' Les Troyens, Strauss' Salome, Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, as well as Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi, Carmen, Aida, I Vespri Siciliani, Cyrano di Bergerac, and Andrea Chenier among others. In addition, he has appeared with San Francisco Opera in productions of Salome, Nabucco, and Romeo et Juliette, with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Falstaff, with Washington National Opera for Britten's Billy Budd and Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans, as well as Mephistopheles in Faust and Ramfis in Aida with Palm Beach Opera, Mephistopheles in Faust with Vancouver Opera, and a debut with Portland Opera as Banquo in Macbeth.
As a concert soloist, he has performed Verdi's Requiem with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London at the Chichester Festival, the Manhattan Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, L'Orchestra d'Imola in Italy, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Queens Symphony, and the Augusta Choral Society. He has also performed Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the New York Metropolitan Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony and Augusta Choral Society, Handel's Messiah with Edmonton and Louisville Symphonies, and Mozart's Requiem with the Choral Society of Philadelphia.