Opera Scotland

Marcus Farnsworth Suggest updates

English baritone.

Marcus Farnsworth was a chorister at Southwell Minster before training at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. He studied Music at the University of Manchester and completed his training in London at the Royal Academy of Music. He was awarded first prize in the 2009 Wigmore Hall International Song Competition, and the Song Prize at the 2011 Kathleen Ferrier Competition.

While at the RAM his operatic roles included Guglielmo Così fan tutte, Sid Albert Herring, Oreste Giasone (Cavalli) and Meredith Kommilitonen! (Maxwell Davies). Since then, appearances include  Music Theatre Wales (Eddy Greek); English National Opera (Guglielmo, English Clerk Death in Venice, Novice's Friend Billy Budd); BBC Symphony Orchestra (Sid); Early Opera Company with Christian Curnyn (Aeneas Dido and Aeneas) and the LSO (Kilian Der Freischütz, conducted by Sir Colin Davis). In Germany he worked at the International Chamber Music Festival, Nuremberg (title role Owen Wingrave) and in France he has appeared in Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées), the Opéra de Lille and Opéra de Lausanne.

Concert work includes Britten's War Requiem (Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Truro Cathedral); Berlioz L'enfance du Christ (BBC SO) and Brahms Requiem (Aldeburgh Music). In Elgar's Apostles he sang Jesus at the 2014 Three Choirs Festival and Peter at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival. Other choral repertoire includes the St Matthew Passion (Christus and bass arias) with Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort in Poland; the Dvorak Te Deum with the RLPO and Haydn's Paukenmesse with the BBC SSO and Bernard Labadie. He has sung Bach with the Academy of Ancient Music and Peter Maxwell Davies' Eight Songs for a Mad King on a UK tour with the Hebrides Ensemble as well as with the Wermlands Opera Orchestra, Karlstad. With the BBC SO he created the part of the Son in the world premiere of David Sawer's Flesh and Blood; and he also sang in Thomas Larcher's Die Nacht der Verlorenen on a European tour.

He has an extensive career in recital, working with leading accompanists such as Simon Lepper, lain Burnside, Julius Drake, Malcolm Martineau, Graham Johnson and James Baillieu. He made debuts at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and La Monnaie, Brussels with Mark Padmore and Julius Drake. He has appeared at the Australian Chamber Music Festival, made a UK tour in Schubert's Winterreise with James Baillieu, and was in Salute to Venice with Graham Johnson for Leeds Lieder. Further recitals range from the Opéra de Lille with Simon Lepper to appearances at the Wigmore Hall with the Myrthen Ensemble and Joseph Middleton and in the hall's Britten Festival.

Sources - various programme notes.