Markus Beam baritone

 

 

Biography

 

American baritone Markus Beam is rapidly establishing himself as an up and coming force on the international operatic scene.

In 2010-2011, Mr. Beam returns to Theater St. Gallen for performances of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, and Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, and also sings the Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos with Toledo Opera.

In the summer of 2009, he made his debut as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore at the Caramoor International Music Festival, followed by an equally important appearance at Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland for performances of Guglielmo in a new production of Così fan tutte. In the spring of 2010, he performed Orff's Carmina Burana at Avery Fisher Hall.

Recent engagements include Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore at Carnegie Hall, and an appearance with Lyric Opera of Kansas City to sing the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance.

Spring 2008 found Mr. Beam as Schaunard in La bohème in a new Andreas Homoki production with the Komische Oper Berlin, followed by performances of Schaunard with Oper Leipzig. He was until recently a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin where he sang such roles as Silvio in I Pagliacci with José Cura, the Baritone Soloist in a staged version Orff’s Carmina Burana, Donner in Wagner’s Das Rheingold as part of the entire Ring cycle, the leading role in a Deutsche Oper premiere: Crisogono in Franchetti’s Germania, as well as Jake Wallace in La Fanciulla del West, and Graf Dominik in Arabella.

While at the Deutsche Oper, Mr. Beam also sang the roles of Bill in Weill’s Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, Geronte in Manon Lescaut, Marullo in Rigoletto, Wagner in Faust, Baron Douphol in La Traviata, the German premiere Sophie’s Choice, in addition to covering the roles of Papageno, Valentin, and Schaunard.

In the summer of 2007, he sang Schaunard in La bohème with Santa Fe Opera, and has appeared as Russell Paxton in Lady in the Dark with Teatro dell’Opera in Rome and with Teatro Massimo in Palermo; Happy in La Fanciulla del West in concert in his Carnegie Hall debut with Eve Queler and Opera Orchestra of New York, where he also covered Prince Ottakar in Der Freischütz, Ping in Turandot with Virginia Opera, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia with Chicago Opera Theater; Schaunard in La bohème and Antenor in Rameau’s Dardanus with Wolf Trap Opera and Pallante in Handel’s Agrippina with Glimmerglass Opera.

In addition, while completing a four year artist diploma at Philadelphia’s prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts he put into his repertoire Valentin in Faust, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Ford in Falstaff, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro and Marcello in La bohème.

Mr. Beam completed his training at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the young artist programs of San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera.

Mr. Beam is the recipient of numerous prizes including the Dixie Drechsler scholarship from the American Berlin Opera Foundation, a prize from the Liederkranz Foundation, Encouragement Grants from the George London Foundation, from the Marian Anderson Competition and from Opera Index; a Study Grand from the Licia Albanese/ Puccini Foundation and a Grant from the Nelson Eddy Scholarship Foundation. He is a Regional Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.