Lawrence Harris
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Baritone LAWRENCE HARRIS was hailed by The New York Times critic Bernard Holland as a “major voice”, and has been praised as “an important Verdi baritone with incredible dramatic intensity and enormous versatility”. Harris captured First Prize in the 2008 Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition and “held the audience spellbound” as he performed the Te Deum from Puccini’s TOSCA under the baton of Maestro Anton Coppola. Jon Vickers has praised Mr. Harris as having one of the most beautiful voices in the world; Metropolitan Opera soprano Phyllis Curtin has endorsed him as a significant singer of the Verdi repertoire. Mr. Harris has been featured on www.OperaOnline.us and in an exclusive story in The New York Times.
Harris’ performances include the High Priest in SAMSON & DELILA with Hawaii Opera; the title role in RIGOLETTO with Connecticut Grand Opera, Opera Company of Brooklyn, New Rochelle Opera, Garden State Symphony and Sherman Symphony Orchestra; Germont in LA TRAVIATA with San Antonio Opera and Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center; Scarpia in TOSCA with Opera North, Opera East Texas, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center; King Melchior in AMAHL & THE NIGHT VISITORS with Lincoln Center’s Little Orchestra Society, Fort Worth Opera and Opera East Texas; the Burgomaster in THE RED MILL with Lincoln Center’s Little Orchestra Society; Tonio in I PAGLIACCI with Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. Harris recently performed as soloist in BEETHOVEN’S 9TH SYMPHONY with Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and the South Shore Symphony and was soloist for the Richard Tucker Foundation.
Last summer he made his debut as Count di Luna in IL TROVATORE “and brought passion and a commanding voice to his performance” with the San Antonio Opera, under the baton of Maestro Enrique Patron Rueda. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in Weill Recital Hall in 2009 in a Puccini Birthday Celebration performing Act II from TOSCA. He made his debut in Mexico in November 2009 in the title role of RIGOLETTO at both the Teatro Pablo de Villavicencio and the Teatro Angela Peralta.
The baritone plans to release a CD of Tosti Songs, produced by the Italian Academy Foundation, scheduled for the 2010/11 season, a repertoire he presented in his 2010 Weill Hall recital. Last month, Lawrence was featured in a gala concert sponsored by the Italian Academy Foundation at NYC’s Merkin Hall/Lincoln Center.
His portrayal in the title role of Connecticut Grand Opera’s RIGOLETTO earned him an Opera Online nomination for 2005 Best Leading Male Performance, and he is the recipient of awards and grants from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the American League of Orchestras and Manhattan School of Music. Lawrence is sponsored by the world famous Lucchese Boot Company, The Italian Academy Foundation and Douglass Distributers.
