Highlights for Dramatic Baritone Gary Simpson are – Der Fliegende Holaender and Scarpia in the Statni Opera in Prague, joining the roster of the Metropolitan Opera, Scarpia with Seattle Opera, Brahms’ German Requiem in South Dakota,, Iago in “The Otello Project” and Sweeney Todd with Augusta Opera. Mr. Simpson sang the title role in Der Fliegende Hollaender with the Menaus Opera Festival in Brazil, directed by the renowned director Christoph Schlingensief. Gary sang the live radio broadcast of Amfortas in Parsifal with the Seattle Opera, Donner in Das Rheingold with L’opera Montreal, Kurvenal in Tristan und Isolde and Hollaender in Der Fliegende Hollaender with Hawaii Opera Theater. Gary was also heard as both Tonio and Alfio in the Stephen Lawless acclaimed Pagliacci/Cavalleria Rusticana with the Palm Beach Opera. Gary also sang Falstaff with the Stadt Theater Hagen in Hagen, Germany.
Mr. Simpson made his debut with the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Scarpia in Tosca: the Goetz Friedrich 300th performance of the production. He has performed the role with such Opera Divas as Diana Soviero, Deborah Voigt and Mara Zampieri.
Other career highlites include:
Nabucco with the Opera of Pretoria, South Africa and the Hong Kong Cultural Arts in Hong Kong, China. Posa in Don Carlos, Shanghai, China as well as Iago with Minnesota and Hawaii Operas. Gary has sung Rigoletto with Lyric Opera of Ottawa, Canada, Tulsa Opera, Guadalajara Opera, Hawaii Opera , State Theater Prague and even in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Macbeth in Hong Kong and also with Kansas City Lyric Opera. Gary has sung Amonasro with Orlando Opera, Hawaii Opera, State Theater Prague. Scarpia with Toledo Opera, Opernair Festival, Gars Austria, as well as Deutsche Oper Berlin. Germont with Fresno Opera, Opernair festival, Gars, Austria.
Gary sang Roger in Verdi’s Jerusalem with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall, Carmina Burana with the West Virginia Symphony and the tittle character Sweeney in Sweeney Todd with the Toledo Opera.
Gary is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.