Mark Calvert Biography

With a voice praised as “exceptionally supple and flexible” (Mannheimer Morgen), American tenor Mark Calvert is steadily earning acclaim for his performances in Europe. He has been an ensemble member of the Landestheater Linz since 2006, where, under the baton of conductor Dennis Russell Davies, he has added a number of roles to his repertoire, including Damon in “Acis and Galatea”, Mopsa in “The Fairy Queen”, Scaramuccio in “Ariadne auf Naxos”, Jan in “Der Bettelstudent”, Cégeste in Philip Glass’ “Orphée”, and Freddy in “My Fair Lady”.

Mark Calvert’s European performances in past seasons have included productions with the Stadttheater Gießen, the Schlossfestspiele Heidelberg, the Theater der Stadt Heidelberg, and the Kammeroper Konstanz. In 2008 Mark Calvert made his Italian debut with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi in Kurt Weill’s “Die sieben Todsünden”, and as Dr. Blind in “Die Fledermaus”. In addition to his 2007/08 performances with the Landestheater Linz, he made his debut with the Richard Wagner Festival Wels under conductor Ralf Weikert as the Third Knappe in “Parsifal”, and as Gastone in “La traviata” with the Philharmonie Südwestfalen.

Upcoming performances for 2008 and 2009 include his debut in Switzerland with the Aargauer Symphonie Orchester and Oper Schloss Hallwyl as Vašek in “The Bartered Bride”, and a return to the Richard Wagner Festival Wels for further performances of “Parsifal”. At the Landestheater Linz, he will be heard as Don Basilio in a new Olivier Tambosi production of “Le nozze di Figaro”, as well as Pane/Natura in “La Calisto”, Graf Stanislaus in “Der Vogelhändler”, and Guillot-Morfontaine in “Manon”. In December 2008, he joins Vienna's Baroque Orchestra J.J.Fux and Cappella Albertina Vienna as the Evangelist in J.S. Bach's "Weihnachtsoratorium".

Sought after for his performances on the concert stage, Mark Calvert has performed many works, such as Haydn’s “Die Schöpfung”, J.S. Bach’s “Johannes-Passion”, Brahms’ “Liebeslieder-Walzer”, and Britten’s “Cantata Misericordium” and “Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings”. His 2007 performances of Händel’s “Messiah” with the L’Arpa Festante Baroque Orchestra Munich were recorded for Spektral Records. He has also been seen throughout Europe and America in television broadcasts of the documentary “Renata Scotto - L’île opera”. Additional recordings include Robert Kurka’s “The Good Soldier Schweik” for Cedille Records and Chicago Opera Theater, as well as songs of Franck and Gounod for Ambassador Records.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Mark Calvert earned his degrees from Yale University School of Music and Lawrence University in Wisconsin. He received his early training with The Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Seattle Opera, Aspen Music Festival, and Pittsburgh Opera. His performances with Pittsburgh Opera earned him the 2000 Richard F. Gold Career Grant from The Shoshana Foundation.