Peter Volpe

Biography

Praised for his “stentorian” and “robust bass” by the New York Times, American bass Peter Volpe continually receives critical and popular acclaim across four continents for his powerful command and the rich texture of his timbre. Possessing a vast and ever-expanding repertoire of over 90 roles in six languages in a career encompassing more than 45 years, his captivating style and interpretive skill embraces the depth of every historical and fictional character he embodies. Of his recent portrayal of Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Opera News applauded his ability “to create in his single aria and scene an impressive dignity. His full-bodied bass and great candor of tone, together with his intelligent interpretation, won him a well-deserved ovation.”

In wide-ranging repertoire that spans from Mozart to Verdi and Rossini to Britten, he has graced the stages of great opera houses throughout the US and abroad, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Philadelphia, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Central City Opera, Florentine Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Arizona Opera, Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Kentucky Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Spoleto Festival USA, Palm Beach Opera, Portland Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Saratoga, Mobile Opera, Opera Omaha, Virginia Opera, New Orleans Opera, and the Bard Festival as well as the opera houses of Manitoba, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Tokyo, Kyoto, Shanghai, Beijing, Prague, Colmar, Mulhouse, Imola, Riccione, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Bremer Hafen and Saarbrücken.

Mr. Volpe has performed with some of the most celebrated conductors of his time: James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Sir John Pritchard, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Maurizio Arena, Semyon Bychkov, Joseph Rescigno, Vincent La Selva, Richard Buckley, Leon Botstein, Marco Armilliato, Marcello Viotti and Richard Hickox among others. Signature roles in Mr. Volpe’s expansive repertoire include the titular role in Don Giovanni, Mephistopheles in Faust, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Ramfis in Aïda, Padre Guardiano in La forza del destino, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Filippo II in Don Carlo, Zaccaria in Nabucco, Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Banquo in Macbeth, and Timur in Turandot.

Mr. Volpe made his memorable Metropolitan Opera debut in the company’s new production of Prokofiev’s War and Peace and has subsequently returned to the company for 13 seasons and counting. He has been invited to perform in several new productions, of Berlioz’ Les Troyens, Strauss’ Salome, Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, as well as Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi, Roméo et Juliette, Aïda, I vespri siciliani, Cyrano de Bergerac, Andrea Chenier, and Carmen, and most recently as Idraote in Armida, Angelotti in Tosca, and Dr. Grenvil in La traviata.

Notable performances for Mr. Volpe include a series of Live in HD broadcasts for the Metropolitan Opera and creating the role of Antoine Deguiche in the world premiere of Michigan Opera Theatre’s Cyrano. He took on the role of Judge Turpin in the Glimmerglass Festival’s production of Sweeney Todd, his performance prompting Operatoonity to say they had “never seen or heard a more believably tortured or chilling Turpin”, and he conquered the title role in Don Giovanni with Florentine Opera, which won him praise from several publications and prompted the Westfield Leader to characterized his performance as “top notch” and lauded his “dark, edgy voice” while the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praised his “relaxed, commanding singing and…easygoing verve.” Mr. Volpe sang the role of King Philip II in Don Carlo with Vancouver Opera and Austin Lyric Opera, for which the Austin Post hailed him as the “standout performer of the evening,” noting that his “stage presence and deep bass were captivating.” For his turn at Méphistophélès in Faust with Vancouver Opera and Palm Beach Opera, the America Record Guide proclaimed, “Bass Peter Volpe as Mephistopheles seemed in constant motion for each new manifestation of his trickery… his vocal resources are impressive.” OperaCanada declared him “comic and sinister in the right proportions, while his rich voice poured forth like molten brimstone,” and Opera News found him to be “a revelation” with a “powerful stage Presence.” Opera News also recognized Mr. Volpe for his “terrific performance as the querulous old soldier Marcel” in Les Huguenots at Bard SummerScape, calling it “incisive and endearing,” while The New York Times noted his “robust voice and charismatic presence.” Mr. Volpe’s Sparafucile in Rigoletto garnered him particular praise as “the Sparafucile of one’s dreams” from Austin360, and the Tuscon Citizen extolled his “earth-shaking” voice and “ominous aura.”

A consummate concert artist, Mr. Volpe has performed Verdi’s Requiem with, among others, the Philharmonia Orchestra of London at The Chichester Festival, the Manhattan Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, The Chattanooga Symphony, L’Orchestra di Imola in Italy, the New Jersey Symphony, Oberlin Conservatory, Arizona State University, Indianapolis Symphony, Queens Symphony, and Augusta Choral Society. In addition, he has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Chattanooga Symphony, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the New York Metropolitan Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony, and Augusta Choral Society, Händel’s Messiah with the Edmonton and Louisville Symphonies, Mozart’s Requiem with the Choral Society of Philadelphia, and an all-Verdi concert with the The Washington Chorus at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Mr. Volpe has also made commercial audio and DVD recordings of Verdi’s Requiem and La Traviata, Rossini’s Armida, DiChiera’s Cyrano, and Puccini’s Gianni Schicci.

Mr. Volpe continues to be in-demand as a performer and concert soloist. In 2017, he was invited to join the faculty at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, where he has taught voice and music performance since 2017 as a Full Professor. He frequently gives master classes and voice lessons both in his role at the Jacobs School of Music and in conjunction with his various engagements. A few such venues include Yonsei University, Dankook University, Sookmyung Women’s University, Keimyung University, Seoul National University, and Kookmin University in South Korea, Arizona State University, Opera Omaha, Arizona Opera, Portland Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Austin Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Indianapolis Opera. Mr. Volpe is often invited to teach in New York City, Chicago, DC, Miami, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, Pittsburgh, Philly, and is periodically requested to judge competitions and serve in an advisory capacity for opera companies and opera agencies. He teaches in Italy at international music festival La Musica Lirica, and as the artistic director and head voice teacher at the young artist program Opera Lucca, which. A talented educator, Mr. Volpe’s students have gone on to sing with the Austin Opera, Carnegie Hall, Opera Omaha, American Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Portland Opera, Seattle Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of St Louis, Wolftrap Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Michigan Opera Theatre, Long Island Opera, Opera Colorado, Minnesota Opera, Opera du Montreal in Canada, Royal Opera at Covent Garden in England, and Theatre des Champs Elyses, Opera Capitole Toulouse, and Musique en Fete in France, as well as at the Glimmerglass Festival, Festival Six Fours in France, Grafenegg Festival in Austria, and the Rossini Festival, Castel Arts Festival, and KKL in Switzerland.

Mr. Volpe recent performances include 2017 roles as Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd at the New Orleans Opera, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Florentine Opera and Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin at the Spoletto Festival. In 2018 he was King Filippo II in Don Carlo at the Washington Nation Opera. 2020 saw him perform in the roles of the Commendatore in Don Giovanni with the Washington National Opera, and the Old Hebrew in Samson and Delilah with the Washington National Opera and the Virginia Opera, and Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Kansas City Opera in 2022. In 2023, he performed as Sparafucile in Pacific Symphony’s production of Rigoletto, Zaccaria in Washington Concert Opera’s Nabucco, Daland in the Pittsburgh Opera’s Der Fliegender Hollander, and Don Basilio in Il Bariere di Siviglia at the Wichita Grand Opera. Upcoming engagements in 2025 include performing the role of Zaccaria in Nabucco with the Connecticut Grand Opera and Sparafucile in Rigoletto with the Indianapolis Opera.

Mr. Volpe was born and raised on Long Island, NY. A second-generation Italian-American, he was exposed to opera early in life and quickly developed a passion for the art form. He completed his studies at Indiana University under the tutelage of the great Italian basso, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni who took Volpe on as his protegèe and to whom Mr. Volpe attributes his technique and expertise in bass repertoire. Shortly after the completion of his studies, Mr. Volpe was accepted into the prestigious Merola Program at San Francisco Opera and subsequently made his San Francisco Opera main stage debut at 26 years of age. He has received awards and mentions from the MacAllister Vocal Awards Competition, the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, and the Sylvia Getzky Competition. Other accolades include the Commack Alumni of Distinction award (2002), Riccione Grande Musica (1996), and the Internationalen Koloraturgesangswettbewerb (Stuttgart – 1992). In 2024, Mr. Volpe was inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who in America.