Biography and Performing Venues:
Colenton Freeman continues to distinguish himself in an international career that began with his professional debut in the premiere of John Eaton's THE CRY OF CLYTEMNESTRA with the San Francisco Opera. His European debut was at the Hamburgische Staatsoper where, on short notice, he performed the role of Don Jose in CARMEN: A specialist in the Italian repertoire, his engagements have included the roles of Dick Johnson in Puccini's LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST with Opera der Stadt Bonn, the title role of Verdi's ERNANI with Stadttheater Trier , Riccardo in Verdi's UN BALLO IN MASCHERA with the Opera Theater of Annaberg-Buchholz in the former East Germany, and Lt. Pinkerton in MADAME BUTTERFLY with Stadttheater Giessen, where he had his first German "fest" contract. Mr. Freeman was engaged with the Welsh National Opera as the title role of Verdi's ERNANI and as Lt. Pinkerton in MADAME BUTTERFLY. He sang the role of Dick Johnson with the Niedersächsisches Staatstheater Hannover in Puccini's LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST. Also a staple of his repertoire is the title role of Gounod's FAUST, which he has sung with the Städtische Bühnen Augsburg, the Landestheater Coburg and the Stadttheater Giessen.
Other important early engagements have included a debut in Mexico City (Bellas Artes) as Calaf in TURANDOT and a subsequent engagement with Boston Concert Opera in the same role. He sang the role of Enzo in LA GIOCONDA with the Opera Orchestra of New York in their Young Artists' performance as well as with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in a public dress rehearsal. Mr. Freeman sang the role of Cavaradossi in TOSCA with the Boston Concert Opera and returned to the Opera Orchestra of New York to sing the role of Froh in DAS RHEINGOLD.
Colenton Freeman made his debut at the Royal Opera House/Covent Garden in London in Trevor Nunn's award winning production of PORGY AND BESS. This production was also filmed for television and was shown on PBS in America. A video recording made by BBC Television and Prime Television in London is available as well. This production was also recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra for EMI Records with Simon Rattle as conductor. He sang performances of PORGY AND BESS in the roles of Robbins and the Crabman in Berlin with the Theater des Westens. Again through the media of television and recording, Mr. Freeman performed the role of George in the BBC-TV production of the opera THE VAMPIRE by Heinrich Marschner and recorded this role on CD for Virgin Classics and can also be seen in the video production filmed by BBC Television in London.
As an orchestral and oratorio soloist, Mr. Freeman has distinguished himself in appearances with the Karlovy Vary Symphony (in the former Czechoslavakia), the Hamburg Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the New Orleans Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony and the San Diego Symphony in which he worked with such conductors as Simon Rattle, Eve Queler and Garcia Navarro. The 1995-96 season included concerts with the Puerto Rico Symphony as tenor soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 and as soloist with the Winterthur Stadtorchester in Switzerland. In the 1993-94 season, Mr. Freeman made his debut with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Belgium in Brussels and Antwerp. In one of the highlights of Mr. Freeman's career, he appeared as soloist in a Gala Concert in San Francisco with Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo, Birgit Nilsson and, as Master of Ceremonies, Merv Griffin.
Solo recital and concert appearances include Weill Recital Hall (formerly Carnegie Recital Hall), Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Concert Hall, all in New York City. His festival appearances include Glyndebourne, Santa Fe, Wolf Trap, Usedom, Echternach (Luxemburg) and the Cincinnati May Festival.
Mr. Freeman was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he received the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. He did further post-graduate study at the Indiana University School of Music. His teachers include Richard Miller and the Metropolitan Opera soprano Margaret Harshaw. He has engaged in private study with the world-renown tenor Nicolai Gedda, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Other performances included the title role in Schubert's FIERRABRAS at the opera in Dortmund, Germany; as tenor soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Stockton Symphony in Stockton, CA and concerts in Pesaro, Marcerata and Urbania (Italy).
The 1997-98 season began with performances as Riccardo in Verdi's UN BALLO IN MASCHERA at the Stadttheater Pforzheim and included concerts and recitals in Nürnberg, Freiburg, Frankfurt, Luxemburg, Flensburg, Berlin and at the Vaasa Music Festival in Finland. During the summer of 1998 Mr. Freeman made his debut at the Bregenz Opera Festival in the role of the Crabman in Gershwin's PORGY AND BESS. He was also the recipient of a Stipend from the Richard Wagner Society to attend the 1998 Bayreuth Opera Festival.
Mr. Freeman‘s 1998-1999 schedule included a concert performance of the title role in Wagner's PARSIFAL (Act III) with the ARTS Serveis de Cultura Palma de Mallorca (Spain).
In the 2000-2001 season Mr. Freeman sang the role of Rodolfo in 2 Concert Performances of Puccini's La Boheme with the world-renown Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. Other performances included the role of Sportin' Life in George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with the Freiburg Philharmonic.
In 2003 Mr. Freeman made his debut with the Guadaloupe International Music Festival with concert performances of the role of Herodes in Salome and Parsifal (Act II). The 2004 season included debuts at the opera houses in Lyon and Geneva as Le Valet in the world premiere of Michael Lévinas' opera Les Négres. With the Stadttheater Giessen he sang the travesty role of Arnalta in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea.
The season of October 2010 found Mr. Freeman making a debut with the Kammeroper Kassel in Erik Satie's Socrates. Subsequently in July 2011 he made another debut as the Witch in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel in a co-production between the Landestheater Detmold and the Hochschule für Musik Detmold.
Mr. Freeman is Guest Professor of Voice at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and Adjunct Professor of Voice at the University of Kassel, both in Germany.
Gilda Cruz Romo, Colenton Freeman Turandot Principessa di morte
Gilda Cruz Romo, Colenton Freeman Turandot In questa reggia
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