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Chester Patton
Bass |
| American bass Chester Patton has just performed Mephistopheles in Gounod's Faust to rave reviews: "Chester Patton's Mephistopheles - Gounod's incarnation of the devil, who drives the whole story - was a towering figure, both vocally and physically. The sheer sound of his voice summoned the blackness of the underworld". Prior, he sang Henry VIII in Bilbao's Anna Bolena last season preceeded by his first Zaruzeula in Madrid to open 2007-08. In 2006-07 he was Sarastro for Opera North in the U.K. and also performed in their summer tour, again as Sarastro in The Magic Flute. During this season he also performed concerts at La Monnaie, Brussels and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, as the Old Hebrew in Samson et Dalila with Borodina and Tanner, reprised his Capulet with Pittsburgh Opera in their new production of Roméo et Julliette and also reprised his Nick Shadow in La Corunia, Spain. In 2006 he debuted at the Casals Festival in the Beethoven Ninth Symphony, followed by the Verdi Requiem. |
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| In fall 2005 he brought his Mephisto to Nashville Opera to begin 2005-06. Last spring saw his debut in the Canary Islands as Nick Shadow in their new Rake's Progress, which was preceeded by his triumph as Trieste's Mephisto in their new Faust, and he has been invited to return during the next two seasons! Last fall he returned to the New National Theater, Tokyo as Orest in a newElektra and last summer portrayed Lorenzo, the bass lead in Capuleti, in his return to the Salzburg Festival. Just prior he made his Tokyo debut at the New National Theater as Escamillo in Carmen. The previous summer he made his Salzburg Festival debut as Carlo V in Don Carlo and as the "old Hebrew" in a concert Samson et Dalila (Domingo, Borodina, Gergiev) and recently debuted in Firenze in La Sonnambula. A highlight of the past season was his return to VARA in Amsterdam in Maid of Orleans. He also recently performed his first "wonderfully sung and acted" Leporello for Tulsa Opera and was also with the Rotterdam Philharmonic in his debut as Mephistopheles in a concert performance of Faust. He also appeared in a concert in New York City sponsored by the Richard Tucker Music Foundation and debuted with the Rome Opera in Romanza, a world premiere that opened their 2002-03 season. He also performed a "superior Don Basilio" in Barbiere for Boston Lyric for their opening. Last spring he debuted as Baldassare in Bologna's new Favorite and had a major success! He also had a triumphant debut with VARA RADIO in Amsterdam as Nilakantha in Lakme. Earlier last fall, he appeared with the Boston Lyric Opera as a "menacing and almost demonic Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlos. In the spring he was with Portland Opera as a "deep true bass" Colline in La Boheme. He performed the Beethoven Ninth Symphony and the Missa Solemnis with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (under Mo Hugh Wolff) last spring. Just prior he was Sarastro in Toledo Opera's Magic Flute. He portrayed Ramfis with the Boston Lyric Opera to begin 1999-2000. Last spring he performed the Verdi Requiem with the Mendelssohn Club at Philadelphia's Academy of Music and was also seen as Oroveso in Hawaii Opera's Norma and Capulet in Cleveland Opera's Roméo et Juliette. His Seattle Opera debut was as Masetto in Don Giovanni in 1998-99. In spring 1998 he performed the Old Hebrew in Toledo Opera's Samson and Sarastro for Opera San Jose. He had returned to the San Francisco Opera in early 1998 as Don Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro. A former Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera Center, Mr. Patton made his San Francisco Opera debut in 1993 in Salome and has since performed numerous roles for the company including Raimondo in Lucia, Alidoro in La Cenerentola, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Colline in La Boheme and the King in Aida. |
| Other notable engagements have included Pizarro in Fidelio for Opera de Lyon, Don Basilio for Opera Pacific, Timur in the Vancouver Opera's Turandot, the Gran Sacerdote in the Opera de Paris, Bastille production of Nabucco and productions of Rigoletto, Trovatore and Boheme for Hawaii Opera Theater. |
| Mr. Patton has an extensive orchestral repertoire and has performed often with orchestras in the San Francisco Bay area, as well in other venues in the United States. |
| UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Mr. Patton continues the 2008-09 season by returning to Spain, this time to Oviedo, to reprise his Nick Shadow and then to Las Palmas for the Villains in Hoffmann. | .
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