Marcus Haddock
Tenor
New England First Place Winner 1984
National Council Winner 1984

American Marcus Haddock is one of the most sought-after tenors of the new generation. His seemingly limitless repertoire from Rossini and Donizetti to Bizet, Verdi and Puccini has been heard in opera houses from his native Texas to the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, from Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and the New York Metropolitan Opera to Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, the Bastille in Paris and the Royal Opera House in London. He is requested by top directors and conductors in Europe and America, among them Bychkov, Sawallisch, Soltesz, Slatkin, Metzmacher and Davies.

The reviews, ranging from "an exquisite timbre and an easy top," "compact and well-focused in the attack, sensual in the lyrical moments," "he is a revelation as Hoffmann" to "Marcus Haddock's Don José is ... a knock-out performance... The voice is as virile and as secure as they come, but the underlying tenderness is always there as well" reflect the enthusiastic reception of his performances by audiences and critics alike.

Recent role debut: Gabriele Adorno in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico in July 2004 (review).

Upcoming engagements: Ballo in Maschera is scheduled for the fall season 2005 in Philadelphia, followed by Hoffmann in Dallas and Madama Butterfly at the Los Angeles Opera. The 2006-2007 season will see Marcus back in Munich with Carmen. There's a company debut at the San Francisco Opera (Un Ballo in Maschera) and several engagements at the Vienna Staatsoper (Werther, Rigoletto, Les Contes d'Hoffmann).

In 1984 Marcus was a winner in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in New York and took part in a radio-broadcast concert at the Met. This led to debuts with opera houses and symphony orchestras throughout the United States in such roles as Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Lindoro in L'Italiana in Algeri, and Tonio in Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment. His concert appearances included performances of Händel and J.S. Bach with the New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall.

The European circuit beckoned in 1987, and Marcus has spent much of his time since then on that side of the Atlantic. Bordeaux was the first port of call, with Ford in Salieri's Falstaff at the May Festival. His success there resulted in his return the following year as Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore.

In 1988 he joined the ensemble at Aachen, Germany, where he debuted as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème and Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, and sang a variety of other roles: Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Don Narciso in Il Turco in Italia, the Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos and Cassio in Verdi's Otello.

In 1990 he became a member of the ensemble at the Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Germany, adding Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata to his ever-growing repertoire, and at that house he portrayed, among others, Rodolfo (La Bohème), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) and Narraboth in Salome.

Guest appearances at the Vienna Staatsoper, La Scala and the Opéra Bastille in Paris followed, as well as assignments back in the United States.

Bonn called in 1992 and Marcus debuted in several important roles there as a member of the ensemble under Giancarlo Del Monaco: Hoffmann, Werther, and Roberto in Puccini's Le Villi, as well as Ruggero in La Rondine, a 1995 coproduction with Washington and Los Angeles directed by Marta Domingo.

When Bonn toured to Reggio Emilia in 1992 he was Cassio to Placido Domingo's Otello, and this winning combination was repeated in June 1993 back on the stage of the (then) German capital. In June 1994 both tenors took part in Werner Herzog's production of Gomes' Il Guarany; the performances resulted in a recording of this seldom played opera set in the Brazilian jungle.

1994 saw more company debuts: Lausanne (as Lenski in Eugen Onegin), Geneva (Rodolfo in La Bohème), Los Angeles (Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly), and De Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp (the title role in Verdi's Don Carlo).

The Deutsche Oper Berlin invited him to sing Faust at the start of the 1996-97 season. He returned to the Opéra Bastille in Paris as Tebaldo in Bellini's I Caputeli e i Montecchi, and debuted at De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam (again as Lenski). This was followed by yet another highly successful role debut as Gustavo in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera with De Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp.

The 1997-98 season began with a return to De Nederlandse Opera as Alfredo in La Traviata, and De Vlaamse Opera again asked him to Antwerp and Ghent, this time to sing the Duca in their new production of Rigoletto.

After taking over as Artistic Director at The Washington Opera, Domingo was eager to bring Marcus to Washington, where he sang Ruggero in March 1998 (these performances of La Rondine were videotaped and telecast on PBS on December 13, 1999). A couple of months later he took part in an operatic concert at the White House on the occasion of Italian Prime Minister Prodi's visit, organized by TWO and showcasing 'the next generation of American opera singers'.

Marcus repeated Ruggero in Marta Domingo's production of La Rondine at Los Angeles Opera in April/May 2000. The Washington Opera saw him again in February and March 2000, as Cavaradossi - one of his favorite roles - in Puccini's Tosca. Marcus returned to Washington in the 2001-2002 season as Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

In the summer of 1998 Marcus debuted at the Bregenz Festival, as Avito in Montemezzi's L'Amore dei tre Re (released on CD in 1999), and both this production and a performance of Madama Butterfly in Geneva that June were telecast in many European countries.

Rave reviews and enormous public enthusiasm greeted his debut at the Hamburg Staatsoper in January 1999 - as Hoffmann in a new production based on the Michael Kaye edition of Les Contes d'Hoffmann, where Marcus found himself 'role creator' in the never before performed grand finale of the Giulietta act.

In May 1999 Marcus went to Tel Aviv, Israel, for a series of Edgardos in Lucia di Lammermoor. In June he sang two concert performances of Werther in Lille, France, which were recorded for the Naxos label. Later that year he was engaged for three concerts with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas.

The 1999-2000 opera season opened for Marcus with a series of Werther in the new Willy Decker production in Geneva, followed by a revival of Les Contes d'Hoffmann in Hamburg which continued into January 2000. That year was a busy one for him, and with several role and company debuts it was also a very interesting one.

Marcus debuted as Julien in Charpentier's Louise at the Toulouse Opéra in May 2000. Company debuts at the Orange Festival in France with Les Contes d'Hoffmann in July 2000 (review), the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires with Madama Butterfly in July 2000, Tanglewood with Beethoven's 9th Symphony under Frühbeck de Burgos in August 2000, the Teatro Maestranza in Seville with La Traviata in December 2000, meant that Marcus had little time to spend on his favorite pastime - sailing.

December 2001 saw yet another company debut, at the Teatre Liceu, Barcelona (with La Traviata). Highlights for 2002: the role and house debuts as Carmen's Don José at Glyndebourne in the summer (reviews, available on DVD), and numerous performances as Don Carlo in Cologne and Hoffmann in Los Angeles (review).

The 2002-2003 season was marked by an important company debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York (Faust, March 2003 - review, and La Traviata, April 2003).

The 2003-2004 season brought more company debuts: at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London (Madama Butterfly, September 2003 - review) and at the Lyric Opera, Chicago (Faust, November 2003). The season continued with La Traviata in Munich and Les Contes d'Hoffmann in Paris.

The 2004-2005 season opened with Roméo et Juliette in Munich, Tosca in Tel Aviv (in concert form, with Zubin Mehta) and Don Carlo in Florence. March 2005 saw several performances of Carmen in Rome (in concert form at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, under Georges Prêtre), and a series of Verdi Requiems with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. In May 2005 Marcus appeared in Tosca in Florence (with Zubin Mehta) and in July 2005 he returned to the Orange Festival in France as Hoffmann.

Marcus Haddock's concert repertoire includes such works as the Verdi Requiem (which he sang to great acclaim in 1996 with the Orchestre de Paris and in 1998 at the Cologne Philharmonie, both times under the direction of Semyon Bychkov), Janacek's Glagolitic Mass, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, and Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle and Stabat Mater.

Although Marcus feels drawn to the French repertoire, he is equally at home in the lirico to lirico-spinto Italian tenor territory, where his Verdi roles are particularly close to his heart. In fact he's at home in anything that offers him the opportunity to get his teeth into a meaty part both as a singer and as an actor.

Recordings: Carmen with Anne Sofie von Otter (Glyndebourne 2002 - reviews) is available on DVD.

Marcus can be heard on CD recordings of Massenet's Werther for Naxos (recorded in Lille, June 1999), released January 2003 (review), Montemezzi's L'Amore dei tre Re (Koch/Schwann), Mercadante's Orazi e Curiazi (Opera Rara) with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Il Guarany (Gomes) with the Oper der Stadt Bonn, produced by Sony.

Mr. Haddock is represented by Columbia Artists Management Inc. You can read more about Mr. Haddock on his personal web page.

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