Biography
“A manly, beautifully graded sound, capable of tenorish resonance and bass underpinnings.”
Photo by Tatiana Daubek
With a voice described as “honey-coloured and warm, yet robust and commanding” (The Globe and Mail), baritone Tyler Duncan has performed worldwide to great acclaim in both opera and concert repertoire. Throughout his varied career, he has performed with several of the world’s leading orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Tafelmusik, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony.
“A powerful voice and dramatic conviction”
Mr. Duncan has performed at The Metropolitan Opera as Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Huntsman in Rusalka, Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Moralès and Le Dancaïre in Carmen, the Journalist in Lulu, and Howie Alpert in Terence Blanchard’s Champion. At the Spoleto Festival USA, he debuted as Mr. Friendly in the 18th-century ballad opera Flora, returning the next season as Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte. Other notable appearances have included Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro with Pacific Opera Victoria and Amarillo Opera, Morales in Bizet’s Carmen under Seiji Ozawa, Raymondo in Handel’s Almira for BEMF, Dandini in La Cenerentola with Pacific Opera Victoria and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Princeton Festival. In the realm of new opera, he recently performed the role of Raymond in Nic Gotham’s Nigredo Hotel with City Opera Vancouver and sang the world premiere of Jonathan Berger’s Leonardo at the 92stY in NYC.
Photo by Elliot Mandel
Concert credits include Stravinsky’s Canticum Sacrum with San Francisco Symphony, Messiah with New York Philharmonic and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Mahler’s 8th Symphony and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium with the Minnesota Orchestra, Beethoven’s Mass in C with Kansas City Symphony, Schubert Lieder at the Wigmore Hall with pianist Graham Johnson, Bach’s Ich habe genug with Les Violins du Roy, Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Lviv Philharmonic, a selection of Bach Cantatas and Jeffery Ryan’s Afghanistan Requiem with Calgary Philharmonic, Orff’s Carmina Burana with Quebec Symphony and San Diego Symphony, Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte with Vancouver Symphony, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Tafelmusik, and Shostakovich’s Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti with The Orchestra Now at the Met Museum. He has also performed at the Händel Festival in Halle, Verbier Festival, Bard Festival, Vancouver Early Music Festival, Montreal Bach Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Grant Park Festival, Lanaudière Festival, Berkshire Choral Festival, and New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival.
Frequently paired with pianist Erika Switzer, Mr. Duncan has given acclaimed recitals in New York, Boston, Chicago and Paris, and throughout Canada, Germany, Sweden, France, and South Africa. Together they have premiered many new works written for them by composers including Jocelyn Morlock, Jeffrey Ryan and Andrew Staniland. Alongside their debut album English Songs à la française for Bridge Records, they have released A Left Coast on the same label featuring songs from Canada's west coast.
Notable recordings include the Juno Award winning Vaughan-Williams Serenade to Music with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Earthquakes and Islands: an album of songs by Andrew Staniland with texts by Robin Richardson, the title role in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis with Boston Early Music Festival, J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion with the Portland Baroque Orchestra, and is featured with the Montreal Symphony in a video recording of Handel’s Messiah.
Mr. Duncan has received prizes from the Naumburg, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Munich’s ARD competitions, New York’s Joy in Singing competition, New York Oratorio Society’s Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition, Prix International Pro Musicis Award, and Bernard Diamant Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. Originally from British Columbia, Canada, he now resides in the scenic Hudson Valley of New York and is a dual citizen of both countries. Mr. Duncan earned music degrees from the University of British Columbia, Hochschule für Musik (Augsburg), and Hochschule für Musik und Theater (Munich). As a faculty member of the prestigious Vocal Arts Program Bard College, Mr. Duncan finds joy in helping the next generation of singers find their true voice.
“At Trinity Wall Street, the New Amsterdam singers... presented an intrepid revival of ‘Golgatha,’ baritone Tyler Duncan impeccable in the role of Jesus.”
Praise for Tyler Duncan…
stravinsky’s canticum sacrum, with michael tilson thomas & the san fransisco symphonY:
“...in a performance of pointillist precision that set off the vocal riches, that hardly seemed like a deficit. Everything came off with clarity and conviction, from the opening Dedication that featured the two soloists and trombones to the almost militant exaltation of the final chorus...Baritone Tyler Duncan soared later on, in a deeply felt affirmation of belief grounded by plucked double basses."
- steven winn, san francisco classical voice
Handel’s messiah with kent tritle & musica sacra in carnegie hall:
"The baritone Tyler Duncan delivered the texts with a powerful voice and dramatic conviction, enunciating the words with appropriate bite. The energetic applause after The Trumpet Shall Sound was merited by both Mr. Duncan's passionate singing and the vibrant playing of the trumpeter Scott McIntosh."
- vivian schweitzer, the new york times
brahms’ die schöne magelone, at collaborative works festival:
“…Possessed of a refined, burnished voice with flexibility and ample strength in reserve, Duncan is a natural lieder exponent. He robustly conveyed Peter’s heroic character in the opening song, “Keinen hat es noch gereut,” and brought swaggering bravado to the ensuing “Traun! Bogen und Pfeil” and defiant power to “Verzweiflung.”