Lee Poulis
Recently named “Best Young Singer” for the second year in a row by Die Welt’s annual survey of German music critics, young American baritone Lee Poulis has already established himself as a fast-rising talent in both North America and Europe. Recently, after Mr. Poulis stepped in at the last minute to perform the role of Renato in Un ballo in maschera at Teatro Municipal de Santiago, critics praised his “beautiful lyric baritone timbre” and “dark, robust voice” adding “with his promising future, it would be advisable to have him in other productions in Chile.”
In the 2010–2011 season Lee Poulis makes his debut with both Minnesota Opera as Heathcliff in Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights and with Sarasota Opera in the title role of Don Giovanni. He also returns to Theater Bonn as a member of the ensemble to perform the roles of Escamillo in Carmen, Pantalone in The Love for Three Oranges, Ping in Turandot and the Father in Hänsel und Gretel. He returned to the ensemble at Theater Bonn in the roles of Wolfram in Tannhäuser, Father in Hänsel und Gretel, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore and Pantalone in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges and performed the role of Robert Oppenheimer in Doctor Atomic with Saarländisches Staatstheater in Saarbrücken.
Mr. Poulis’ 2008–2009 season included the role of Valentin in Faust with Theater Chemnitz, appearing as soloist in Hanns Eissler’s Deutsche Sinfonie with Beethovenfest Bonn in Germany, and several principal roles as a member of the ensemble at Theater Bonn, including Germont in La traviata, Yeletsky in Pique Dame, Renato in Un ballo in maschera, Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte.
Mr. Poulis’ frequent appearances at Washington National Opera have included Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Senator Raitcliffe in the world premiere of Scott Wheeler’s Democracy, Masetto in Don Giovanni and De Siriex in Fedora for the company’s Trilogy Gala. As a member of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Program he performed the roles of Charlot in Ibert’s Angelique and Mr. Gobineau in The Medium, and added the roles of Count in Le nozze di Figaro and Germont in La traviata to his repertoire while at Los Angeles Opera. Mr. Poulis also performed four roles in Shostakovich’s The Nose at the Bard Summerscape Festival and Marcello in La bohème in a concert performance with the Newton Symphony Orchestra.
Other international credits on the operatic stage include the roles of Marcello in La bohème with Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Teatro Real in Madrid, Masetto in Don Giovanni with both Opera Bilbao and Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin and sang as Wanderer in a scene with Erda from Siegfried for La Fura dels Baus at the British Museum.
Mr. Poulis’ concert repertoire engagements include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the American Youth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem with the Masterworks Chorale, Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem with the Waltham Philharmonic and the Masterworks Chorale, Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis with the Reston Chorale, Lord Nelson Mass at the Beijing Concert Hall, Fauré’s Requiem with both the Atlantic Union College and the Gemini Youth Orchestra and Handel’s Messiah with Commonwealth Opera. Mr. Poulis has also appeared in recital recently with the Marilyn Horne Foundation at Carnegie’s Weill Hall as well as in Washington D.C. with the Washington Vocal Arts Society.
Lee Poulis is the first prize winner in the 2008 Liederkranz Foundation Vocal Competition, top prize winner in the 2008 Francisco Viñas International Voice Competition and first prize winner in the 2007 Chester Ludgin International Verdi Baritone Competition, as well as an Encouragement Award recipient in the 2008 George London Foundation Awards competition. In addition to San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, he is an alumnus of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, as well as Music Academy of the West. Mr. Poulis is a graduate of Harvard University.
