PETER VOLPE
Bass
Biography
Praised for his “stentorian” and “robust bass” by the New York
Times, American bass Peter Volpe continually receives critical and popular
acclaim across four continents for his powerful command and the rich texture of
his timbre. Possessing a vast and ever-expanding repertoire of over 90 roles in
six languages in a career encompassing more than 35 years, his captivating
style and interpretive skill embraces the depth of every historical and fictional
character he embodies. Of his recent portrayal of Prince Gremin
in Eugene Onegin, Opera News applauded his
ability “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 wide-ranging repertoire that spans from Mozart to Verdi and Rossini
to Britten, he has graced the stages of many of the great opera houses
throughout the US and abroad, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of
Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Oper
Stuttgart, Vancouver Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Philadelphia, New
York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Central City Opera, Florentine Opera,
Austin Lyric Opera, Arizona Opera, Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Sarasota
Opera, Nashville Opera, Kentucky Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Hawaii
Opera Theatre, Spoleto Festival USA, Palm Beach Opera, Portland Opera, Michigan
Opera Theatre, Opera Saratoga, Mobile Opera, Opera Omaha, Virginia Opera, New
Orleans Opera, and the Bard Festival as well as the opera houses of Manitoba,
Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Tokyo, Kyoto, Shanghai, Beijing, Prague, Colmar,
Mulhouse, Imola, Riccione, Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Bremen, Dusseldorf, and
Saarbrucken.
Mr. Volpe has performed with some of the most celebrated conductors of
his time: James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Sir John Pritchard,
Maurizio Arena, Marcello Viotti, Semyon Bychkov, Joseph Rescigno, Vincent La
Selva, Richard Buckley, Leon Botstein, and Richard Hickox among others.
Mr. Volpe made his memorable Metropolitan Opera debut in the company’s new production of Prokofiev’s War
and Peace, and subsequently returned for 13 seasons with the company for new productions of Berlioz’ Les
Troyens, Strauss’ Salome,
Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, as well
as Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi, Roméo
et Juliette, Aïda, I vespri siciliani, Cyrano
de Bergerac, Andrea Chenier, and Carmen,
and most recently as Idraote in Armida, Angelotti in Tosca,
and Dr. Grenvil in La traviata.
Recent highlights of Mr. Volpe’s career include three broadcasts for the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series: Puccini's Triptych, Rossini’s Armida, and Verdi’s La Traviata as well as the Verdi Requiem at the Chichester Festival in Chichester, England, and Marcel in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots with Leon Botstein at Bard SummerScape for which Opera News Hailed “Peter Volpe gave a terrific performance as the querulous old soldier Marcel, incisive and endearing; the decibels he produced were impressive” and the New York Times declared “the bass Peter Volpe brought a robust voice and charismatic presence to Marcel, the count’s stalwart protector.” In 2007, Mr. Volpe created the role of Antoine Deguiche in the world premiere of David DiChiera and Bernard Uzan’s Cyrano for Michigan Opera Theatre. Recordings of the Bard SummerScape Les Huguenots and Michigan Opera Theatre’s Cyrano, as well as a DVD of the MET’s Armida, were subsequently released and well-received.
Mr. Volpe made a recent foray into the Wagnerian repertoire, having performed Hunding in Die Walküre with the American Symphony Orchestra at Bard College under Leon Botstein, an All-Wagner concert with North Carolina Opera, and Daland in Der fliegende Holländer at the Glimmerglass Festival in a new production by Francesca Zambello for which Opera News extolled “Peter Volpe, in firm, resonant voice, played Daland not as an old buffoon but as a virile commander in early middle-age.” In addition, has performed Daland to great acclaim with Virginia Opera, Florentine Opera, and Washington National Opera.
Notable performances for Mr. Volpe include the title role in Don
Giovanni with Florentine Opera for which Opera News praised “Peter
Volpe's handsome figure and aristocratic bearing made for good casting as
Giovanni. His virile bass caressed “Deh vieni alla finestra” sensuously…”, King Philip II in Don Carlo with Vancouver Opera
and Austin Lyric Opera to which the Austin
Post hailed “The standout performer of the evening was Peter Volpe as King
Phillip. His stage presence and deep bass were captivating”, and Méphistophélès
in Faust with Vancouver Opera and Palm Beach Opera to
which the America Record Guide proclaimed,
“Bass Peter Volpe as Mephistopheles
seemed in constant motion for each new manifestation of his trickery... his
vocal resources are impressive.”
Other notable roles in Mr. Volpe’s expansive repertoire include Ramfis
in Aïda (Palm Beach Opera, Austin Opera, Michigan Opera
Theatre, Arizona Opera), Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni (Arizona
Opera), Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Portland Opera), Frère
Laurent in Roméo et Juliette (Vancouver Opera, Austin Opera,
Michigan Opera Theatre), Sparafucile in Rigoletto (Arizona
Opera, Austin Opera), Gremin in Eugene Onegin (Washington
National Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa), König Ludwig in Euryanthe
(Bard SummerScape), Marquis of Calatrava and the cover of Guardiano in La
forza del destino (Washington National Opera), Basilio in Il barbiere
di Siviglia (Opera Omaha), Zuniga in Carmen (Seiji
Ozawa Opera Project in Japan, Arizona Opera), Banquo in Macbeth (Portland
Opera, Arizona Opera), Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Austin
Opera), Timur in Turandot (Opera Lyra Ottawa, Portland Opera,
Manitoba Opera, Florentine Opera), and Ferrando in Il trovatore (Arizona Opera)
as well as productions of Britten’s Billy Budd and
Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans (Washington National Opera), Salome, Nabucco, and Roméo
et Juliette (San Francisco Opera), and covers of Pistola in Falstaff,
Silva in Ernani, and Méphistophélès
in Faust (Lyric Opera of Chicago).
A consummate concert artist,
Mr. Volpe has performed Verdi’s Requiem with the
Philharmonia Orchestra of London at The Chichester Festival, the Manhattan
Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, The Chattanooga Symphony, L’Orchestra di Imola
in Italy, the New Jersey Symphony, Oberlin Conservatory, Arizona State
University, Indianapolis Symphony, Queens Symphony, and Augusta Choral Society.
In addition, he has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with
the Chattanooga Symphony, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with
the New York Metropolitan Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony, and Augusta Choral
Society, Händel’s Messiah with the Edmonton and
Louisville Symphonies, Mozart’s Requiem with the Choral
Society of Philadelphia, and an all-Verdi concert with the The Washington
Chorus at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
While consistently in demand, Mr. Volpe remains a focused performer, concert
soloist, and talented educator who feels an affinity for mentoring developing
singers. In this vein, he frequently gives master classes and voice lessons in
conjunction with his engagements. A few such venues include Arizona State
University, Opera Omaha, Arizona Opera, Portland Opera, the Glimmerglass
Festival, Austin Opera, and Florida Grand Opera. Additionally, he maintains a
voice studio in New York City and has frequently been called upon to judge
competitions and serve in an advisory capacity for opera companies and opera
agencies.
Mr. Volpe was born and raised in Long Island, NY. A second-generation Italian-American, he was exposed to opera early in life and quickly developed a passion for the art form. He completed his studies at Indiana University under the tutelage of the great Italian basso, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni who took Volpe on as his protegèe and to whom Mr. Volpe attributes his technique and knowledge of the bass repertoire. Shortly after the completion of his studies, Mr. Volpe was accepted into the prestigious Merola Program at San Francisco Opera and subsequently made his San Francisco Opera main stage debut at 26 years of age. He has received awards and mentions from the MacAllister Vocal Awards Competition, the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, and the Sylvia Getzky Competition.