Arias in Paradise
Selections from L'Elisir D'Amore and Le Nozze di Figaro
Crested Butte Music Festival
Crested Butte, CO
July 8 @ 7:30 pm
Center for the Arts
Scenes in Paradise I
Selections from Faust, Tosca, Un ballo in maschera and Die Fledermaus
Crested Butte Music Festival
Crested Butte, CO
July 11 @ 7:30 pm
Center for the Arts
Scenes in Paradise II
Selections from Faust, Tosca, Un ballo in maschera and Die Fledermaus
Crested Butte, CO
July 16 @ 7:30 pm
Center for the Arts
La Bohème
Coro
Crested Butte Music Festival
Crested Butte, CO
July 25, August 3, and
August 5 @ 7:00 pm
Center for the Arts
Hansel and Gretel
Father
Crested Butte Music Festival
Crested Butte, CO
August 4 @ 11:00 am
Center for the Arts
American baritone Justin Birdsong returned to the regional operatic stage with gusto this year after a brief hiatus. In 2010, Mr. Birdsong debuted with the New York Lyric Opera Theatre at Symphony Space in New York City, performing back-to-back weekends of Die Zauberflöte, following a performance of the Sprecher with an acclaimed performance as Papageno.
Following the success of Die Zauberflöte, Mr. Birdsong made his Carnegie Hall debut as Marullo in NYLOT’s Rigoletto, performing in the Weill Recital Hall in March. In May he returns to the concert stage as a soloist for the Mozart Requiem with the Central Jersey Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Michael Avagliano at the Nash Theatre in Branchburg, New Jersey. In June, Mr. Birdsong again joins the New York Lyric Opera Theatre, singing his first Schaunard in Puccini's beloved La bohème at Symphony Space.
Justin Birdsong made his professional debut as Goro in Madama Butterfly with the Athena Grand Opera Company in Athens, Georgia, in 2003, followed by a successful run as Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia in 2004. Also in 2004, Mr. Birdsong participated in the Opera in the Ozarks Young Artists Program in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where he performed Morales in Carmen and the dual roles of Gregor and Rekku in the American premiere of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s ethereal House of the Sun, as well as scenes from L'enfant et les sortilèges (Le Fauteuil) and Les pêcheurs de perles (Zurga). At the conclusion of the season he was honored with two scholarship awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Most Improved.
While pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Georgia, Mr. Birdsong originated the role of Red Sam in David Volk’s haunting world premiere chamber opera A Good Man is Hard to Find, based on the Southern Gothic short story by Flannery O’Connor, which was performed at multiple locations in Georgia under the auspices of the University’s Ideas for Creative Exploration initiative. Other roles with the UGA Opera Theatre include Bunthorne in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience and Dr. Heidegger in Jack Beeson’s Dr. Heidegger’s Fountain of Youth. During his undergraduate study he also sang with the Atlanta Opera Chorus in productions of Fidelio and Der Fliegende Holländer.
Mr. Birdsong also holds a degree in Theatre from the University of Georgia. Having trained extensively as an actor since his youth, his areas of expertise include musical theatre, Shakespeare, contact improvisation, and commedia dell'arte. Having performed such roles as Creon (Anouilh's Antigone), Gloucester (King Lear), and even Wilde's incomparable Lady Bracknell (The Importance of Being Earnest), Mr. Birdsong consistently brings to his performances a caliber of acting exceptional in its range and maturity. After participating in the Lab Company young artists training program at the Hangar Theatre (Ithaca, NY) in 2006, Mr. Birdsong honed his acting skills in New York working with such Off-Off-Broadway ensembles as the Astoria Performing Arts Center, Jollyship the Whiz-Bang, the Gallery Players, and the celebrated Pearl Theatre Company, also studying Shakespeare under Pearl co-founder Joanne Camp.
Mr. Birdsong’s extensive concert repertoire includes symphonic performances of Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Vaughan-Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols, and the Fauré Requiem. With the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Birdsong was a featured soloist for selections from Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd and A Little Night Music as part of their celebrated Pops series. He has worked with such conductors and coaches as Steven Crawford, John Yaffé, William Fred Scott, Thomas Cockrell, Kostis Protopapas, Mark Cedel, Allen Crowell, Donna Gill, Walter Huff, and Pedro Jañez. He currently lives in New York City with his partner, Christopher, and studies with Gerald Martin Moore.
