About this Artist
American bass DAVID PITTSINGER is renowned as a stage performer of the greatest distinction for his portrayals in the world's major opera houses. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Truelove in a new production of The Rake's Progress conducted by James Levine. Later that season, he sang the Friar in Verdi's Don Carlo under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung.
In the 2005/06 season, Pittsinger made his role debut as Escamillo in Carmen with the Opéra de Montpellier and repeated the role opposite Denyce Graves at Opera Colorado under Stephen Lord. He returned to the Opéra de Montreal in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and to Los Angeles Opera as Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. He sung his much-acclaimed Don Giovanni for his debut at Portland Opera and in a return to the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. He also toured Europe and recorded Handel's Messiah under René Jacobs.
Following highly successful performances of the challenging role of Zoroastro in Handel's Orlando at Glimmerglass Opera conducted by Bernard Labadie, Pittsinger began the 2003/04 season as Olin Blitch in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah at the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He also made his debut with the Vienna Philharmonic in performances of Frank Martin's Golgotha as well as singing his acclaimed Figaro there. He made returns to the Teatro Colón as Massenet's Don Quichotte and to Glimmerglass for a new production of Britten's Death in Venice. He also debuted with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra under Nicholas McGegan in Handel's Samson.
Pittsinger's widely ranging repertoire includes a special affinity for the virtuosic music of the Baroque. He has been lauded for his performances as Cadmus and Somnus in a new David McVicar production of Semele at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris; as Atamante in Piero Cesti's L'Argia at the Champs-Élysées and Lausanne conducted by René Jacobs; and as Melisso in Alcina at San Francisco Opera. His elegant musicianship also puts him in high demand for challenging 20th-century scores, including the title role of Massenet's Don Quichotte at the Klangbogen Festival in Vienna and the Teatro Colón; as Stravinsky's Nick Shadow in The Rake's Progress, which has been seen in Paris (Champs-Élysées), Hamburg (a new production by Jürgen Flimm conducted by Ingo Metzmacher), Bordeaux, Lausanne, Cologne, Brussels, and at the Wiener Festspiele. Equally at home in the repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries, he has performed Don Giovanni at the Opera Company of Philadelphia, New York City Opera, and Opera Colorado, as well as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte at the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Pittsinger has appeared as Rodolfo in La Sonnambula for his debut at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and made his debut at English National Opera in a staged production of the Verdi Requiem. He sang all four Villains in Les contes d'Hoffmann and Don Giovanni for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Colline in La bohème.
Other career highlights include a recording of Alfonso in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia for Naxos. Pittsinger also can be heard on the Grammy-winning Virgin Classics recording of Carlysle Floyd's Susannah and in La Calisto by Cavalli on the Harmonia Mundi label.
Orchestral engagements have included the Verdi Requiem with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony under Leonard Slatkin with the National Symphony Orchestra (including Carnegie Hall). He has performed at major American summer festivals, including Grant Park (Verdi Requiem) and Tanglewood (Stravinsky's Pulcinella conducted by Robert Spano).
Born in Connecticut, David Pittsinger holds a master's degree in vocal performance from Yale University. Upon graduation, he became a member of the Merola Program at the San Francisco Opera. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, soprano Patricia Schuman, and their two children.
06/06