Artist Roster

Biography

Bass-baritone Tyler Simpson is a compelling artist who has proven capable of transporting audiences with an easy command of sensitive musicianship and committed dramatic portrayals.  A native of the small town of Sabetha, Kansas, Tyler is a dedicated interpreter of musical drama, having performed in over 70 different productions of opera, musical theater, and classical concert repertoire.  He joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in the 2010-2011 season, making his debut in Verdi’s Don Carlo. For the company, he also performed in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory, and covered roles in Simon Boccanegra, La Traviata, and The Magic Flute.  He then made his debut at Fort Worth Opera in May of 2011, appearing as Ferrando in Verdi’s Il Trovatore, and was a participant at the Castelton Festival, under the tutelage of Lorin Maazel, where he appeared as Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Mother in Kurt Weil’s Seven Deadly Sins and Benoit in La bohème.  Tyler returns to the Metropolitan Opera in the 2011-2012 season for  productions of Anna Bolena, La traviata, Macbeth, The Enchanted Island,  and Billy Budd.   He also appears in concert with the New Choral Society as a soloist in Haydn’s Great Organ Mass and Mozart’s Little Organ Mass.  Additional upcoming engagements include Benoit in La bohème with Mo. Maazel in Munich, Zuniga in Carmen with the Atlanta Opera and a return to the Metropolitan Opera in the 2012-2013 season.

Mr. Simpson received his Master of Music degree in Opera Performance from the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Prof. Richard Cross.  There he appeared as Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Escamillo in Peter Brook’s adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen, and The Emperor of China in Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol. The summer following his graduation he joined the Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival for the summer of 2010 to revisit the role of Escamillo.

Mr. Simpson eagerly continues his exploration of symphonic repertoire later this season, singing the Fauré Requiem with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, and Strauss’ Notturno with the Yale Philharmonia. He has previously performed on the concert stage in the Dvořák Stabat Mater with Capella Cantorum, in Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 with the Waterbury Symphony, and as Raphael in Haydn’s The Creation.

Tyler was selected to participate as an Apprentice Artist at Santa Fe Opera for two consecutive seasons, during which time he covered the roles of Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro, and Sailing Master Flint and Lieutenant Ratcliffe in Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd.  In previous seasons, he performed as an Apprentice Artist with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, where appeared in ten productions over five seasons during his tenure.  Tyler received his Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Kansas, where he studied with Dr. John Stephens. He resides in New Haven, Connecticut.