Bass-baritone Craig Colclough initially studied as a cellist and eventually attended the University of Redlands in California. Before training with Wolf Trap Opera and Florida Grand Opera, he began his career appearing in several roles with the Los Angeles Opera. The company awarded him the Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award during the 2020-2021 season, celebrating artists with deep connections to LA Opera.
An exciting 2025-2026 season begins with the leading role of Gerhard in The Metropolitan Opera’s season-opening production of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Craig then makes his debut with the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, as the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth, before spring engagements with Los Angeles Opera as the title role in Falstaff, and Don Basilio in San Diego Opera’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Colclough began the 2024-2025 season in Los Angeles, singing Juliette’s father, Capulet, in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Applying his brilliant acting to some of opera’s great villains, he returned to the role of Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress with Opera Omaha, made his debut with Seattle Opera as Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera roster, to cover Don Pizarro in Fidelio. The summer included his debut with Des Moines Metro Opera, singing the Parson/Badger in The Cunning Little Vixen.
Highlights of Colclough’s 2023-2024 season included his first career performances of the title role of Wagner’s Der fliegende Höllander, in a new production at the Göteborg Opera in Sweden, as well as a return to Los Angeles for Leporello in Don Giovanni, conducted by Music Director James Conlon, and his debut at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw singing Alberich in Siegfried, conducted by Karina Canellakis.
His recent engagements include his Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Bayerische Staatsoper debuts as the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth; Telramund in Lohengrin and Pistola in Falstaff with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; Monterone in Rigoletto at the The Met, the title role in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd with Opera Saratoga; Alberich in Wagner's Ring Cycle operas with Tiroler Festspiele Erl; Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, Scarpia and Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West with English National Opera; Scarpia for his debut with Canadian Opera Company; the title role in Le nozze di Figaro and Peter in Hänsel und Gretel for LA Opera, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly for The Atlanta Opera, and the title role in Don Pasquale with Minnesota Opera and Arizona Opera. A house favorite with Belgium’s Opera Vlaanderen, he has appeared with the company as Telramund, Kurwenal, Macbeth and the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff, in a production directed by Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz.
Known for his versatility, Craig Colclough has appeared as Peter Vogel in Der Ring des Polykrates with The Dallas Opera; the Storyteller in John Adams’ A Flowering Tree with Opera Queensland in Australia; Hare in the world premiere of Burke and Hare with Boston Lyric Opera; Pistola in Falstaff with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Fra Melitone in La forza del Destino with Oper Frankfurt and Doristo in L’arbore di Diana with Minnesota Opera. He has collaborated with acclaimed conductor Gustavo Dudamel for performances of Timur in Turandot with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Additional credits include the Israeli Symphony Orchestra, California Philharmonic, Capitol Records, Abbey Road Studios and the soundtrack of the film Rolled.
