American bass-baritone David Pittsinger is renowned as a stage performer of the greatest distinction for his dramatic portrayals in the world’s major opera houses. Of his Helen Hayes Award-nominated performance as Emile de Becque in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific at the Kennedy Center, the Washington Times wrote: “His brilliant, knife-clean bass-baritone voice, impeccable enunciation—even with a French accent—and his authoritative, passionate delivery provide the perfect mix of romance, passion, and traditional masculine bravado. And his vocal delivery of ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ as well as the sorrowing ‘This Nearly Was Mine’ registers extraordinarily high on the three-hanky scale. His Emile is perhaps the definitive interpretation of this role in our time.”
In the current and recent seasons, David Pittsinger will return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover The Captain in Florencia en el Amazonas conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Mr. Pittsinger performed Tiresirus in Oedipus Rex with the Houston Symphony conducted by Juraj Valcuha. He debuted with Maryland Lyric Opera as Lodovico in Otello. Mr. Pittsinger debuted with Opera Omaha in Yergeny Onegin in the role of Prince Gremin. He also returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Seneca in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. He made his role debut as Captain Von Trapp in the Sound of Music at the Ivorytown Playhouse.
In recent seasons, Mr. Pittsinger performed the Speaker in The Magic Flute at Dallas Opera. He made his debut at Houston Grand Opera as El Capitán in Francesca Zambello’s production of Florencia en el Amazonas. Operatic highlights of recent seasons include appearances at the Metropolitan Opera as Palémon in Thaïs, Le Bret in Cyrano de Bergerac, Luther and Crespel in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and the Marquis de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites. Additionally, He appeared as Robert E. Lee and Edgar Ray Killen in a new production of Philip Glass’s Appomattox at Washington National Opera, and as Father Trulove in The Rake’s Progress with the Dutch National Opera and at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. He returned to Portland Opera as Jochanaan in Salome; appeared in Florencia en el Amazonas at LA Opera and Washington National Opera, where he also sang the Speaker in a new production of The Magic Flute; sang he title role of Man of La Mancha at Utah Opera and the Ivoryton Playhouse; reprised his celebrated assumption of Fred Graham in Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Lee Blakely at the Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; gave summer performances at the Glimmerglass Festival as King Arthur in Camelot; and reprised his Helen Hayes Award-nominated performance as Emile de Becque in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific at the Riverside Theater in Vero Beach. His performance as Roy Disney in the world premiere of Philip Glass’s The Perfect American at the Teatro Real directed by Phelim McDermott was released on DVD by Opus Arte.
Born in Connecticut, David Pittsinger holds a Master’s degree in vocal performance from the Yale School of Music and was a recipient of the “Outstanding Alumnus Award” at his undergraduate alma mater, the University of Connecticut. Upon graduation, he became a member of the Merola Program at the San Francisco Opera. Mr. Pittsinger can be heard on the Grammy Award-winning Virgin Classics recording of Carlysle Floyd’s Susannah and in La Calisto by Cavalli on the Harmonia Mundi label. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children.