Artist Biographies: Sanford Sylvan

Baritone Prince/King Sebald in Lou Harrison's "Rapunzel"

From Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin and the Passions of J.S. Bach to the operas of John Adams, American baritone Sanford Sylvan displays a remarkable range of vocal expression and communicative power. On the concert stage and in recordings, his radiantly pure, lyric tone, clarity of diction and profound understanding of both words and music speak directly and intimately to his audience.

Deeply committed to the art of the vocal recital, Sylvan and his long-time collaborator, pianist David Breitman, have performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe, in major venues in London, New York, Washington, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Their recitals and recordings have earned exceptional praise from critics and audiences, including three Grammy nominations for Best Classical Vocal Performance.

In the realm of opera, Sylvan is an acclaimed Mozartean. His portrayals of Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte have been seen internationally, including PBS "Great Performances." He has been much acclaimed for the role of Leoprello in Don Giovanni , which he sang for his Glyndebourne Festival debut 1994 and with New York City Opera. Sanford Sylvan has become closely associated with the productions of renowned directors: Peter Sellars in works of John Adams, Mozart and Stravinsky; Robert Wilson in Virgil Thomson's Four Saints in Three Acts as well as Sir Peter Hall and Andrei Serban. He has developed longstanding relationships with major composers who have written for him: John Adams' Nixon In China (Chou En-Lai), the title role of The Death of Klinghoffer and The Wound Dresser; and numerous works of John Harbison. He was in the US premiere of The Lighthouse by Peter Maxwell Davies, the world premiere of Philip Glass' The Juniper Tree, and sang Sir Michael Tippett's The Ice Break at the BBC Proms, recorded for Virgin Classics. In1999 he had an important success in Peter Sellar's production of Biblical Pieces for Netherlands Opera at the Holland Festival singing Stravinsky's Abraham & Isaac . 1999 also marked his third season with New York City Opera, appearing as The King in Handel's Ariodante.

Sanford Sylvan has performed with many of the leading orchestras of the world including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouworkest, London Symphony, the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, Academy of Ancient Music, Melbourne Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the NHK (Japanese Broadcasting Corporation) Symphony. He has collaborated with such conductors as Simon Rattle, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Herbert Blomstedt, Christopher Hogwood, Kent Nagano, Bruno Weil , Roger Norrington, and Edo De Waart. In October 1999, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic he premiered Steven Stucky's American Muse, commissioned for him and conducted by Esa Pekka Salonen. The first half of 2000 brought the premiere of World Wheel by Andy Vores with the Cantata Singers in Boston, his first Beethoven 9th Symphony with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra under Bruno Weil, his debut with the Detroit Symphony and the premiere of an important new song cycle by Jorge Martin, The Glass Hammer which had its New York City premiere at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.

Sanford Sylvan's recordings are known throughout the world and appear on the Nonesuch, Decca, Harmonia Mundi, Musicmasters, Bridge, Koch, Virgin Classics, New World and CRI labels. A Grammy and Emmy Award winner for his role in John Adams' Nixon In China, he has received Grammy nominations for his recording with David Breitman, "L'Horizon Chimérique" which features chanson of Gabriel Fauré, Beloved That Pilgrimage, a program of American songs with music by Barber, Copland and Chanler, and for John Adams' The Wound Dresser