The Drunken Tenor Teams Up with Seattle Opera for Tongue-in-Cheek Performance
By Chris RuelMetropolitan Opera tenor Robert McPherson, in collaboration with Seattle Opera, will showcase the singer’s soused alter-ego The Drunken Tenor in “The Drunken Tenor: Quarantini Edition.”
The program is set to stream on the company’s website, YouTube, and Facebook June 26th at 7:00 p.m. PDT (4:00 p.m. EDT). Head of Coach-Accompanists pianist David McDade and soprano Jennifer Bromagen join McPherson’s tongue-in-cheek performance in the vein of Victor Borge, P.D.Q. Bach, and Beverly Sills’ appearance on “The Muppet Show.”
Seattle-native and Grammy Award-winning McPherson performed his irreverent persona live prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The joint effort with Seattle Opera takes the show on the virtual road, demystifying classical music, and providing much-needed laughter during this challenging time.
McPherson’s character, described on the show’s website as “the world’s most irresponsible tenor” and “an adorable man-child,” will sing opera favorites by Bizet and Verdi, along with a few surprises. The McPherson/Seattle Opera collaboration provides an opportunity to expose non-opera goers to the art form, using comedy to educate, while also inviting the audience to find the humor in our shared experience of social distancing, and laugh at the pitfalls of virtual meeting spaces.
In addition to his appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, McPherson performs regularly at leading opera houses and festivals in the United States and abroad. His discography comprises ten albums, including the 2018 Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony Orchestra recording of Berg’s “Wozzeck” on which he sings the role of Andres.
Categories
News