 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
John Maynard Burton
Bass-Baritone John Maynard Burton, described recently in the Boston Globe as possessing an "abundance of lyricism and adroit comic energy," is steadily gaining a reputation as a talented singer with strong acting ability.
Equally at home in comic roles and serious roles, Mr. Burton has been pursuing some of the most difficult roles in Bel Canto "buffo" repertoire such as Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Mustafà in L'Italiana in Algeri. He is very excited to be singing Bartolo with San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program in the summer of 201. Devoting equal energy to some of the dramatic villains of opera such as Zuniga in Carmen and Geronte di Ravoir in Puccini's Manon Lescaut, he is quickly gaining a reputation for his impressive versatility as a singer-actor.
Mr. Burton has also put strong emphasis on interpreting the great concert works and oratorios. He has performed Handel's Messiah on numerous occasions, and in 2010, Mr. Burton performed the title role in Mendelssohn's Elijah, the bass solos of Bach's Mass in B-Minor and the bass solos of Mozart's Requiem. A personal favorite of his includes a performance of the solos in the stunningly beautiful Musikalische Exequien by Heinrich Schutz performed with the California Bach Society under the baton of Paul Flight.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he earned his undergraduate degree in English Literature from U.C. Berkeley. Since finding his voice, he has performed all over Northern California in productions with North Bay Opera, West Bay Opera, and Trinity Lyric Opera, among others, in roles such as Geronte in Manon Lescaut and Fiorello in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. A highlight includes a concert version of Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina in the role of Shaklovity under the baton of Kent Nagano. While studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston, he performed the roles of Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro and Sam in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti.
In 2009 he was a finalist in the New England Region of the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions. As a principle young artist with Opera North in 2009, he performed the roles of Zuniga in Carmen and Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. In 2010 he returned to the New England Conservatory Opera Theater as a guest artist performing the role of Leporello in Don Giovanni.