Baritone David Pershall is a graduate of the Yale Opera Program where he recently performed Escamillo in La Tragédie de Carmen, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Grigory Smirnov in The Bear, and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte.  In addition to his operatic performances he presented recitals of Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder, Brahms’ Die Schöne Magelone, and was the Baritone Sololist in the East Coast Premier of Aaron Jay Kernis’ Symphony of Meditations.

In 2010, David won First Place at the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition, the Encouragement Award at the George London Foundation, Fifth Prize at the Licia Albenese-Puccini Foundation, and the prestigious Presser Music Award at Yale University. His other awards include: the David L. Kasdon Memorial Prize for the Outstanding Singer in the Yale School of Music 2009, National Semi-finalist and 1st place winner in the Southwest Region of the 2008 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the 2007 Thomas Stewart Award for Vocal Excellence, and an Artist Grant Award through the National Bel Canto Vocal Scholarship Foundation in 2006.

During the summer of 2009, David performed with tenor Francisco Araiza in the concert entitled “5th Classic Night: Nuit Blanche” in Zurich, Switzerland. Following his time in Zurich, he performed a recital of Victor Hugo poems by Camille Saint-Saëns, and revived his interpretation of Grigory Smirnov in The Bear for the William Walton Estate at La Mortella in Ischia, Italy.

In 2008, David was a participant in San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program where he performed Dr. Malatesta in Act 2 of Don Pasquale for the Schwabacher Summer Concert, Zurga in scenes from Les Pêcheurs de Perles, and Falke in scenes from Die Fledermaus for the Grand Finale Concert. David also covered and performed Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor for Virginia Opera as a part of their Spectrum Resident Artist program in 2008.

Throughout his studies David has appeared in Master Classes with artists such as Thomas Hampson, Alan Held, Francesca Zambello, Christopher Alden, Carol Vaness, Evelyn Lear, Vinson Cole, Martin Katz, and Jane Eaglen.  

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