| Biography | Michael Pearce, bass-baritone, was a choral scholar at St Johns College, Cambridge; he subsequently joined Westminster Abbey Choir, whilst studying singing technique with Otakar Kraus. His concert and opera carer has now encompassed travels to China, Canada, Brazil, Israel and the Philippines. He was the winner of the first English Song Award at the Brighton Festival, rewarded with a critically acclaimed debut recital at the Wigmore Hall.
He has given solo performances at many of the major festival venues throughout Europe, including Bruges, Maastricht, Turin, Edinburgh, Windsor, Lille and Brighton. His frequent appearances at the main London concert venues include Handels Messiah and Haydns Creation at the Barbican, Verdis Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall, Brahms Requiem and Mahlers 8th Symphony at the Royal Festival Hall,, and numerous concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Michaels recordings include Handels Coronation Anthems (with Westminster Abbey Choir under Simon Preston) and Bachs B minor Mass from the Edinburgh Festival. He has recorded the part of Bam in Hollingers short opera What Where. He has given numerous radio broadcasts and recitals, both on the BBC and abroad.
At the Royal Opera House he has covered roles in Gawain, Tales of Hoffman, and Die Frau ohne Schatten and has given solo performances in Thérèse, Capriccio, Die Meistersinger, and Salome. He has worked with Scottish Opera in Fidelio (Rocco) and he was Dr P in The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat (Music Theatre Wales), Claudius in Handels Agrippina with Midsummer Opera, the Herald in Brittens The Burning Fiery Furnace, and Balstrode in Peter Grimes with Kent Opera, Tonio in I Pagliacci with Pimlico Opera and Lysiart in Webers Euryanthe with New Sussex Opera. Recently he sang Seneca in LIncoronazione di Poppea in Cambridge and currently performs Germont in La Traviata with Opera Brava.
Michaels recent concert performances last year included Elgars Dream of Gerontius in Southend, Orffs Carmina Burana in Bristol, Duruflés Requiem in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Verdis Requiem in Nottingham and Philip Glasss Satyagraha at the Royal Festival Hall. Plans for 1998 include a visit to Norway for Beethovens Mass in C. He will perform Mendelssohns Elijah in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Mozarts Requiem in the Barbican and give performances of Mendelssohns Elijah, Dvoraks Stabat Mater, Haydns Creation and Beethovens Choral Fantasia around the country. |