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The American tewnor, Brian Thorsett, studied at Half Moon Bay High School in California. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance and his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Santa Clara University in California (1996-2000); his Master of Music degree and in Artist Certificate in Voice from San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2001-2004). He is a graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Glimmerglass Opera’s Young American Artist program, American Bach Soloists' Academy, the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at Aldeburgh, England and spent two summers at the Music Academy of the West.
Hailed as “a strikingly gifted tenor, with a deeply moving, unblemished voice” (sfmusicjournal.com), Brian Thorsett is excelling in opera, oratorio and recital across the world. Since taking to the operatic stage, he has been seen and heard in over 100 diverse operatic roles, ranging from Monteverdi to Benjamin Britten, back to Rameau and ahead again to works composed specifically for his talents.
As a concert singer Brian Thorsett fosters has been seen and heard in to concert halls across the USA and Europe in over 100 roles, as well as a stylistically diversified oratorio repertoire of 250-plus works. a stylistically diversified repertoire of over 250 works. Future engagements include Evangelist and soloist in J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244), St. John Passion (BWV 245), Mass in B minor (BWV 232), Mass in G minor (BWV 235) and several cantatas, Orff's Carmina Burana, George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, B. Britten's War Requiem and Cantata Misericrodium, the Requiems of W.A. Mozart and Verdi, Haydn’s Creation, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah, a rare performance of Blitzstein's Airborne Symphony and the world premiere of Stacey Garrop's Terra Nostra.
Closely associated with expanding the vocal-chamber genre, Brian Thorsett has been involved in premieres and commissions of over 100 works by Ian Venables, Peter Josheff, David Conte, Shinji Eshima, Scott Gendel, Gordon Getty, Michel Bosc, Noah Luna, Laurence Lowe, Brian Holmes, Eric Choate, Eric Davis, Michael Scherperel, Robert Conrad and Nicholas Carlozzi. His recordings include "Transpire" (works of Daron Hagen), two song cycles on David Conte’s forthcoming vocal album "Remembering the Voice of Firestone", and several as a member of the award-winning Philharmonia Baroque Chorale. His voice has been featured in film and commercials, being the artist for Soundiron studio's Voice of Rapture: The Tenor. He also makes many concert appearances with SF Opera & Ballet Principal horn Kevin Rivard. Their interpretations of B. Britten's Serenade and Cancticle III have been called “impressive, captivating, transporting” (repeatperformances.org), “lifted to greatness” (sfcv.org), “arresting, fervent and eerie” (nffo.org), “so striking it managed to efface the original recording... a great rendition, sad and poetic” (sfciviccenter.blogspot.org). The duo will be seen in future concerts premiering Bourne to Shelley (Eshima), The Jolly Hunter (Holmes), Perceval (Bosc) and unearthing forgotten works for this combination of instruments.
Other projects include working with Theatre Comique, which specializes in historically informed performances of early Broadway music. Brian Thorsett's first solo album was released spring 2016, featuring works of Frank Tours, Idabelle Firestone, Guy d'Hardelot and their contemporaries arranged for salon orchestra.
Brian Thorsett served on the Voice Faculty at Santa Clara University (September 2011-June 2014), also taught at University of California at Berkeley (August 2013-May 2014). Since August 2014, he is Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech Polytechnic University. He currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia. |
