Dominic Armstrong
has quickly established
himself internationally
THE FLORIDA OR 56 CHESTRA | 2018-2019
as an artist
of superb and distinguished
musicality
and characterization.
He is a winner
of the 2013 George
London Foundation
Vocal Competition.
This season, Armstrong
essays the
role of Macduff
in Macbeth with Syracuse Opera. On the concert
stage, he appears with the Kaohsiung Symphony
for a New Year’s concert, Portland Symphony for
Rachmaninoff’s The Bells, and New York Opera
Society for a concert at the National Gallery in
Washington, D.C.
Last season, he joined the Milwaukee Symphony for
Bach’s Magnificat, Curtis on Tour for their annual
touring initiative, Hudson Hall as Jo the Loiterer
in The Mother of us All, and appeared with both Los
Angeles Opera and the Center for Contemporary
Opera in a double bill of two Gordon Getty one-act
operas, Usher House and The Canterville Ghost, as
Edgar Allen Poe and Duke Cecil of Yorkshire. Additionally,
he joined Opera Omaha for their inaugural
ONE festival, as Lurcanio in Ariodante, and performed
in a concert tour of Russia celebrating Leonard
Bernstein under the baton of Mark Mandarano.
An avid recitalist, Armstrong has maintained frequent
performances of recital repertoire. Recent
recitals have included the collected songs of Duparc
with soprano Susanna Phillips, as well as performances
of Brahms’ Die Schöne Magelone. Armstrong’s
numerous prizes and awards include being
one of the Grand Finalists in the 2008 National
Council Auditions with the Metropolitan Opera, a
2013 George London Foundation Winner, and the
2009 winner of the Liederkranz Art Song Competition.
He holds degrees from Truman State University,
The Juilliard School, and the Curtis Institute.
Kevin Deas has
gained international
renown as one of
America’s leading
bass-baritones. He
is perhaps most acclaimed
for his signature
portrayal of
the title role in Porgy
and Bess, having performed
it with the
New York Philharmonic,
Philadelphia
Orchestra, National
Symphony, St. Paul
Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, and at the
Ravinia, Vail and Saratoga festivals. Season highlights
include performances of Beethoven’s Symphony
No. 9 with Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria
and the Buffalo Philharmonic, Elgar’s Dream of
Gerontius with the National Symphony Orchestra
of Mexico, performances of Handel’s Messiah with
the National Cathedral and Virginia Symphony,
Bach’s St. John Passion with the Louisiana
Philharmonic, Joe Horowitz’s “Dvorak in America”
project with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and
Verdi’s Requiem with the National Philharmonic.
A strong proponent of contemporary music, Deas
was heard at Italy’s Spoleto Festival in a new production
of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors in
honor of the composer›s eighty-fifth birthday. He
also performed the world premieres of Derek Bermel’s
The Good Life with the Pittsburgh Symphony and
Hannibal Lokumbe’s Dear Mrs. Parks with the Detroit
Symphony. His twenty-year collaboration with the
late jazz legend Dave Brubeck has taken him to
Salzburg, Vienna and Moscow in performances of To
Hope! He performed Brubeck’s Gates of Justice in a
gala performance in New York.
Deas recorded Wagner’s Die Meistersinger with the
Chicago Symphony under the late Sir Georg Solti,
and Varèse’s Ecuatorial with the ASKO Ensemble under
the baton of Riccardo Chailly. Other releases include
Bach’s Mass in B Minor and Handel›s Acis and
Galatea, Dave Brubeck’s To Hope! with the Cathedral
Choral Society, and Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with
the Virginia Symphony and Boston Baroque.
DOMINIC ARMSTRONG
Tenor
KEVIN DEAS
Bass-Baritone