Robert Crowe

Robert Crowe, described by the New York Times as “a male soprano of staggering gifts“, is a member of perhaps the world’s smallest vocal category. His education was completed at the Manhattan School of Music, after receiving a master of music from Boston University School for the Arts and a bachelor of music, magna cum laude from Millsaps College. In 1995 he was only the second countertenor (and first male soprano) to be a National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Competition—having his professional debut as „Cherubino“ at the Des Moines Metro Opera in summer of that year. Mr. Crowe has sung on many opera stages in the US and in Europe: „Goffredo“ in Handel’s Rinaldo at the Bayerische Staatsoper, „Acomate“ in Hasse’s Solimano at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the title role in Scarlatti’s Massimo Puppieno with the Theatro Massimo in Palermo. He has also performed leading roles at the Handel Festival of Halle, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Handel Festival of Göttingen, Handel Festival of Karlsruhe, Early Music Festival of Utrecht, Mozart Festival of Warsaw, Early Music Festival of Connecticut, Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, Sans Souci Festival in Potsdam, Stadtstheater Basel, Landestheater Eisenach, Virginia Opera, Lake George Opera Festival, Millenial Arts Productions in NYC, among others. He has worked with such conductors as René Jacobs, Ivor Bolton, Fabio Biondi, Andreas Spering, Michael Hoffsteter, Julius Rudel, Rheinhard Goebel, Marcus Creed, and stage directors, Nicholas Broadhurst, David Alden, Peer Boysen, and Axel Köhler and many more. Robert performed in the 250th anniversary production of G.B. Ferrandini’s Catone in Utica as “Giulio Cesare” in the Cuvillies Theater in Munich with Christoph Hammer, a critically acclaimed recording of which was released by Oehms Classics. He can also be heard as “Sesto” in Handel’s Giulio Cesare on Koch International Classics, as well as “La Victoire” in an ORF recording of Pietro Torri’s La Triumph de la Paix. In March 2006 he sang the title role in the world premiere fully-staged production of Nikolaus Schapfl’s Der Kleine Prinz, based upon Antione de Saint-Exupery’s beloved tale Le Petit Prince at the Badische Staatstheater in Karlsruhe. In 2007 he entered for the first time the world of romantic Grand Opera in as the young “Sièbel” in the Staatstheater Darmstadt’s production of Gounod’s Faust, garnering critical and popular acclaim for his singing as well as his acting. In March of 2009, together with choreographer-stage director Adrian Navarro-Both, Robert developed a solo opera-ballet Tirsi, using the solo cantatas and solo harpsichord works of G.F. Händel. He performed this together with solo dancers of the Swedish Royal Ballet at the Early Music Festival of Stockholm. In May, 2008, Robert released his first solo CD, the Virtuoso Soprano Motets of Giacomo Carissimi, to international critical acclaim. The four motets, performed fromeditions prepared by the singer himself, were recorded by the Bavarian Radio, and released on the label Hänssler Profile Editions. Because of the success of this debut recording, Bavarian Radio and Hänssler Editions have agreed to a further solo recording of the Marian Motets of Claudio Monteverdi, Alessandro Grandi, Carissimi and others from the early 17th century for a fall 2010 release. Robert is also an active concert singer, having performed in scores of performances of Handel’s Messiah, both as alto and soprano soloist, and Bach’s b-minor mass, recently as 1st and 2nd soprano soloist as well as many other oratorii from the baroque period to the modern. He made his professional solo debut as the countertenor soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, the work with which he also made his Avery Fischer Hall and Kennedy Center debuts. Mr. Crowe has also performed numerous extended solo works written for the soprano voice and organ, harpsichord, fortepiano, or orchestra and chorus. Among these are: Handel’s Laudate Pueri Domini and Ah! Che pur troppo è vero ,Haydn’s Arianna a Naxos, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate ,Alessandro Melani’s All’armi, Mentre di Tete in Segno, and Quai Bellicci Accenti, Barbara Strozzi’s Or che Apollo, J.S. Bach’s Jauchzett Gott in allen Landen, and Domenico Scarlatti’s Salve Regina. In addition he has performed several extended works from the more standard repertoire, including Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Ludwig van Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte, Johannes Brahms’ Alt Rhapsodie, and Benjamin Britten’s Abraham and Issac. He finished a successful tour in the United States singing Mozart and Haydn with fortepiano, and Carissimi with pipe organ in September of 2009. He also successfully conducted his first masterclass at his alma mater, Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. In the fall of 2009, Robert looks forward to his Berlin Philharmonic Hall debut with the Berlin Classic Players in a Birthday Concert for Henry Purcell (350 years), and his first performance of Händel’s 9 Deutsche Arien in Darmstadt, Germany.