Brian Mulligan

Baritone

Biography

Baritone Brian Mulligan is equally renowned as an interpreter of classic works by Verdi, Wagner, and Strauss as of the most challenging 20th and 21st century operas. His striking stage portrayals have taken him to leading opera houses throughout Europe and North America. He makes regular appearances with the leading American orchestras and in recital.

Brian Mulligan begins the 2021-2022 season with his role debut as Wotan in Das Rheingold with the Wiener Symphoniker and Andres Orozco-Estrada at the Bregenzer Festspiele. He then sings Créon in Enescu’s Oedipe for his house debut with Opéra National de Paris, in a new production by Wajdi Mouwad with Ingo Metzmacher conducting, and makes a house debut with Irish National Opera in Dublin as Don Pizzaro in Fidelio, with Fergus Sheil conducting. Mulligan begins the New Year in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Antonello Manacorda and the Munich Philharmonic. He then returns to Dutch National Opera for his role debut as Jochanaan in Ivo van Hove’s production of Salome, conducted by Lahav Shani. Mulligan will also make his role debut as Wotan in Die Walküre in a new production at Opernhaus Stuttgart, with Cornelius Meister conducting. He finishes his season with a return to Bregenz, as Sharpless in Andreas Homoki’s new production of Madama Butterfly with Enrique Mazzola conducting. In addition, early 2022 will see the release of Brian Mulligan’s third solo record, titled Alburnum. The disc will consist of songs and cycles from the 21st century, with pianist Timothy Long and music by Mason Bates, Missy Mazzoli, and Greg Spears.

Read more

Reviews

“Mulligan is a big man with a big voice. His baritone is almost embarrassingly rich in its low and middle registers, with a high range and head voice of bell-like purity. His diction is flawless. Most importantly, he imbues every syllable with unmistakable meaning and purpose.” 

Patrick Rucker

Washington Post

“A third newcomer to the production was baritone Brian Mulligan as Marguerite’s unforgiving brother, Valentin. He brought burnished tone and deep feeling to his famous aria, “Avant de quitter ces lieux”; then came close to stealing the entire show with a death scene that was riveting in its raw intensity”

MusicalAmerica.com

“Brian Mulligan offers a wonderful baritone as Enrico, Lucia’s controlling brother.”

Betty Mohr

Chicago Sun Times

More Reviews

“Baritone Brian Mulligan was a forceful Enrico; singing with dark-hued authority, he played Lucia’s manipulative brother as a kind of blunt, iron-fisted CEO. Mulligan has had repeated successes in San Francisco this year — he sang the role of Chorebe in the company’s “The Trojans” this summer, then returned last month to sing the title role in “Sweeney Todd.” With this role, he delivered once again.”

Mercury News, Georgia Rowe 

“Mulligan necessarily adopted a weightier approach to the title role, striding about the stage with terrifying vigor, and fulminating with power and precision. His characterization made room for some of the saturnine charisma that draws in Mrs. Lovett, but primarily this was a growling, gut-churning account.”

SF Gate, Joshua Kosman 

“As Jack Torrance, Brian Mulligan does the seemingly impossible—he actually makes you forget Jack Nicholson. Possessed of an imposing build and a rugged, perfectly articulated baritone, Mulligan lets us see that Jack is fighting forces beyond his control.”

Opera News, Joshua Rosenblum 

“Baritone Brian Mulligan … commanded the stage with [an] exceptional account of the wronged barber. Mulligan delivered an arresting performance as Sweeney Todd, dispatching his arias such as ‘The Barber and His Wife’ and ‘My Friends’ as effortlessly as he did his barber chair victims. He was as chilling while going through the motions of slitting throats as he was warmly moving vocally.”

San Francisco Examiner, James Ambroff-Tahan 

“Brian Mulligan’s Nixon was vocally, dramatically, and comically ideal.”

San Francisco Examiner 

“But the real dramatic power on stage emanated, however, from Brian Mulligan’s Enrico, Lucia’s brother who hates Edgardo, and sets up her eventually disastrous marriage to Arturo who he thinks will solidify the Lammermoor fortunes. Mulligan was ferocious, angry, intense and captivating all night.”

The Globe and Mail 

“Brian Mulligan is riveting…a fine, strong, open baritone.”

The Financial Times of London