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Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi opens the 2012/2013 season with a role debut of Fra Melitone (La Forza del Destino) at Oper Köln. He then travels to open Houston Grand Opera’s season as Mustafà in the company’s new production of L'italiana in Algeri. Following his HGO appearances, Carfizzi makes his way to Seattle Opera for performances as Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola. February 2013 finds Mr. Carfizzi in Kansas for a performance of Figaro in Wichita Grand Opera’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro. He travels to Washington DC for a concert performance of Maria Stuarda with Washington Concert Opera before returning to the Metropolitan Opera for performances in the much-anticipated revival of John Dexter’s production of Dialogues des Carmélites. Mr. Carfizzi rounds out his season as Bartolo in Central City Opera’s performances of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Notable past engagements include Henry Kissinger in the San Francisco Opera premiere of John Adams’s Nixon in China, Paolo in Simon Boccanegra (San Francisco Opera and Metropolitan Opera), Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Santa Fe Opera), Dr. Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Seattle Opera,
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Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi opens the 2012/2013 season with a role debut of Fra Melitone (La Forza del Destino) at Oper Köln. He then travels to open Houston Grand Opera’s season as Mustafà in the company’s new production of L'italiana in Algeri. Following his HGO appearances, Carfizzi makes his way to Seattle Opera for performances as Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola. February 2013 finds Mr. Carfizzi in Kansas for a performance of Figaro in Wichita Grand Opera’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro. He travels to Washington DC for a concert performance of Maria Stuarda with Washington Concert Opera before returning to the Metropolitan Opera for performances in the much-anticipated revival of John Dexter’s production of Dialogues des Carmélites. Mr. Carfizzi rounds out his season as Bartolo in Central City Opera’s performances of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Notable past engagements include Henry Kissinger in the San Francisco Opera premiere of John Adams’s Nixon in China, Paolo in Simon Boccanegra (San Francisco Opera and Metropolitan Opera), Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Santa Fe Opera), Dr. Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Canadian Opera Company), Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri (Dallas Opera), Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera). A favorite artist of Oper Köln, Mr. Carfizzi made his European debut with the company as Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Mr. Carfizzi made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1999 and has since performed over 275 times with the company in a variety of roles including Schaunard in Zeffirelli’s iconic production of La Bohème , Masetto in Don Giovanni, Haly in L’italiana in Algeri, Brander in Berlioz’ La damnation de Faust, and Peter Quince in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Further Met productions include Le nozze di Figaro, Turandot, and Gianni Schicchi.
Mr. Carfizzi’s concert work includes performances of Handel’s Messiah with San Francisco Symphony, Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass with Seattle Symphony. He has sung further performances under the auspices of Orchestra of New York, Washington Concert Opera, and Mostly Mozart Festival. Notable conductors with whom the artist has worked include James Levine, Louis Langrée, Marco Armiliato, Vladimir Jurowski, Placido Domingo, Philippe Jordan.
Mr. Carfizzi is a graduate of the Yale University School of Music and the winner of several prestigious awards including the Richard Tucker Career Grant Award, the George London Award, the Sullivan Foundation Award, The Richard F. Gold Career Grant from The Shoshana Foundation, and the Sergio Franchi Memorial Scholarship from the National Italian American Foundation. He also participated in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions where he was the Connecticut District Winner.
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Reviews
"Patrick Carfizzi, the warm bass who sang the role of Mary's friend and adviser Talbot, sang with a rich sound and complete emotional involvement so that his character sprang to life. "
Washington Post
"As Figaro, Patrick Carfizzi displayed a robust and rich voice with the ability to produce powerful and delicately sweet sounds, along with the dramatic skill to convincingly portray Figaro’s complex character."
The Wichita Eagle
"With impeccable comic timing and richly nuanced bass-baritone voice, Patrick Carfizzi set the gold standard as the malevolent buffoon of a father Don Magnifico."
Oregon Music News
"The magical scene stealer, Patrick Carfizzi as the lovesick Papageno, keeps the audience laughing. Carfizzi’s comic genius includes spontaneous interactions with the audience and delivering perfectly timed comic phrases."
Marilee Vergati, examiner.com
"In the role of Papageno…bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi nearly steals the evening with not only his voice, but his onstage shtick that adds to the comic nature of the role and gets the biggest laughs in the piece."
John Norine, Jr., TheaterJones
"Patrick Carfizzi created a delightfully pompous Dr. Bartolo, who boiled with frustration in his vain attempts to stop Rosina from meeting Almaviva. During the singing lesson in Act II, Carfizzi used his incredible falsetto and an incredibly silly impromptu dance to cause laughter to cascade from all corners of the hall."
James Bash, Oregon Music News
"Grand, perfect singing came from bass-baritones Patrick Carfizzi and Kyle Ketelsen, respectively as Dr. Bartolo and Don Basilio."
Theodore Bale, Culturemap Houston
"Patrick Carfizzi (HGO fans will remember his stunning performance as Swallow in Peter Grimes), a Figaro who is simultaneously animated and confident. There has to be sex appeal in this part, and Carfizzi most certainly possesses it."
Theodore Bale, CultureMap Houston
"Patrick Carfizzi brought a sonorous bass-baritone to the role of Kissinger and lascivious relish to his alter ego."
Lawrence A. Johnson, South Florida Classical Review