David Pershall
Hailed as “passionate and resonant” in the New York Times, American baritone David Pershall is quickly making a name for himself on stages around the world. He recently joined the Vienna State Opera where his 2014–2015 performances include Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Sebastian in The Tempest. This summer David will make his role debut as Rodrigo in Don Carlo with Opera Burg Gars. David will spend several months in the 2015–2016 season performing at the Metropolitan Opera where he will make his house debut in the title role of Il barbiere di Siviglia followed by performances of Schaunard in La bohème and Lord Cecil in Maria Stuarda.
David has appeared at Carnegie Hall as Lord Nottingham in Roberto Devereux with Opera Orchestra of New York, Washington National Opera as Papageno in The Magic Flute, Sarasota Opera as Count di Luna in ll trovatore, Vero Beach Opera as Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana, Virginia Opera as Papageno in The Magic Flute, Amarillo Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor which was broadcast on PBS, El Paso Opera as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Virginia Opera as Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles, and with the Norwegian National Opera as Schaunard in La bohème.
Mr. Pershall is proud of his partnership with the Beethoven Easter Festival and the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Together they have produced three live performance albums in which he headlined as Don Pedro in Maria Padilla, Manfredo in L’amore dei tre re, and Orestes in Iphigénie en Tauride. He has also appeared with the Dallas Opera in an aria concert, Opera Orchestra New York as Roucher in Andrea Chénier at Avery Fisher Hall, American Symphony Orchestra as Offizier in Notre Dame at Carnegie Hall, Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra di Milano as Robert Baker in Bernstein’s Wonderful Town, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra as the baritone soloist in Vaughn Williams’ A Sea Symphony, and with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra as the baritone soloist in Carmina burana.
He has won many prestigious vocal competitions including First Prize in the Marcello Giordani Foundation International Vocal Competition, First Prize in the New Jersey Verismo Competition, First Prize in the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation Competition, First Prize in the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, First Prize in the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition, First Prize in the Hugo Kauder Competition for Voice, the Presser Music Foundation Award, and the Thomas Stewart Award for Vocal Excellence. His other awards include prizes in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Giulio Gari Foundation Competition, the Opera Index Competition, the George London Foundation, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, the David L. Kasdon Memorial Prize for the Outstanding Singer in the Yale School of Music, and an Artist Grant Award from the National Bel Canto Vocal Competition.
David is a graduate of the Merola Opera program at San Francisco Opera and the Virginia Opera Resident Artist program. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Baylor University, as well as a Master of Music and an Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music.
