Will Liverman
Will Liverman is an American operatic baritone, described by NPR as 'a new, exciting voice in the opera world'.[1] He has performed in several roles at the Metropolitan Opera.
Education[]
Liverman holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Wheaton College in Illinois.
He is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center.[2]
Career[]
Opera[]
Liverman's major operatic appearances to date include playing the lead in the Metropolitan Opera's 2021 production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones. The production, which opened the 2021–2022 season, featured an all-black cast, and was the first opera by a black composer to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera.[3][4]
Composing[]
Liverman collaborated with DJ and recording artist K-Rico to create a non-traditional opera The Factotum. Inspired by Rossini's The Barber of Seville, it takes place in a barbershop in present-day Chicago. As well as operatic singing, The Factotum features gospel, R&B and hip hop music, among other genres. Liverman described the work as 'a celebration of being black'. [5][6]
Other work[]
Liverman's 2021 album, Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers, a collaboration with pianist Paul Sanchez, made it to number one on Billboard's Traditional Classical Albums chart. It has also been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.[7][8]
Norman Lebrecht, writing in The Critic, described his 'pleasure and affirmation' in listening to the album, and wrote: 'Liverman summons up a gamut of emotions and colours'.[9]
References[]
- ^ King, Noel. "Will Liverman 'Dreams Of A New Day' For Black Composers". npr.org. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Will Liverman". www.lyricopera.org. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Ross, Alex. "The Tense, Turbulent Sounds of "Fire Shut Up in My Bones"". newyorker.com. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Salazar, David. "Metropolitan Opera 2021-22 Review: Fire Shut Up in My Bones". operawire.com. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Creating The Factotum". lyricopera.org. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Siler, Brenda. "Baritone Will Liverman Returns to Area Stage After Met Triumph". washingtoninformer.com/. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Cohn, Gabe. "Grammy Awards 2022: The Full List of Nominees". nytimes.com. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Winn, Steve. "Baritone Will Liverman's Dreams of a New Day Delivers Protest and Grace". sfcv.org. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Lebrecht, Norman. "Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers (Cedille)". thecritic.co.uk/. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
 | This article about an opera singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- 20th-century American male opera singers
- 21st-century African-American male singers
- African-American male opera singers
- American operatic baritones
- Living people
- Opera singer stubs