Gary Simpson

Guest of Prague State Opera

Gary Simpson debuted as Baron Scarpia in Tosca by Puccini at Deutsche Oper Berlin (2003) in the breakthrough three hundredth performance of the opera directed by Goetz Friedrich, to quickly become one of the most striking singers in his field. He then sang Scarpia in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Gars Festival, Austria, including the Gala Night with Mara Zampieri and Peter Dvorský, then in the concert performance of Tosca with Deborah Voigt and during the gala performance marking the new opera building opening in Toledo, Ohio with the Toledo Opera and Diane Soviero in the role of Tosca. During the 2007/2008 season Gary Simpson guest-sang Scarpia at the Seattle Opera. When in the 2006/2007 season the name of Gary Simpson appeared on the list of Metropolitan Opera soloists, Opera News Magazine described him as “a true Verdian baritone”. Simpson rendered a number of roles from Verdi’s operas, such as the grand part of Rigoletto whom he sang more that one hundred times (e.g. in Ottawa, Guadalajara, Tulsa, Hawaii), Macbeth (Hong Kong, Kansas City), Nabucco (Pretoria), Iago in Otello (Minnesota, Hawaii), Amonasro (Orlando Opera), and Falstaff at Stadt Theater Hagen, Germany. Simpson appeared as Posa in Shanghai where he sang with John Nelson in the very first performance of Verdi’s Don Carlos in China. Gary Simpson co-operates with opera houses in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, Palm Beach, Montreal, Kansas City, Ottawa, Nashville, etc. He also gives concerts, the keynote titles being especially Carmina Burana with the West Virginia Symphony (Shanghai). Concerning the Wagnerian repertory, Gary Simpson sang Amfortas in live radio broadcast of Parsifal rendered by the Seattle Opera, Donner in Das Rhinegold with the Montreal Opera and Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde as well as the main part in Der fliegende Holländer with the Opera of Hawaii. His co-operation with Prague State Opera at the current Wagnerian premiere is the third in a row – in the previous seasons Gary Simpson guest-sang Amonasro (Aida) and Rigoletto.