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 SIMON WILDING

Operatic  Bass

BIOGRAPHY

SIMON WILDING

bass

 

English bass Simon Wilding maintains an active performing career throughout the United Kingdom and internationally.  A frequent artist with London's Royal Opera House Covent Garden, he made his ROH debut in 1997 as a Brabantian Noble LOHENGRIN under Valery Gergiev, followed immediately by appearances as the Cappadocian SALOME under Christoph von Dohnányi and Foltz DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG under Bernard Haitink.  During his ongoing relationship with Covent Garden, he has been engaged by the company for roles such as Lane/Merriman THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Gerald Barry), Sciarrone TOSCA, Lackey ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Pinellino GIANNI SCHICCHI, and Gessler in Damiano Michieletto's controversial production of GUILLAUME TELL and Oroe in SEMIRAMIDE under Pappano. Other Recent roles include Sagrestano TOSCA for Grange Park Opera. Recent engagements include Russell THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL for the Royal Danish Opera and Angestellter/1. Polizist/4. Herr/1. Bekannter Kowaljows/Diener THE NOSE at Komische Oper, Berlin/London/Madrid, directed by Barrie Kosky, Fafner in the new Ring Cycle with Longbourough Opera.

Mr. Wilding has appeared regularly with English National Opera more recently in the Mask Of Orpheus by Birtwistle, Opera Holland Park, and Mid Wales Opera, in a diverse repertoire embracing Purcell, Rossini, Wagner, and Britten.  With the Opera Group he has made his mark in contemporary operas, most notably originating the role of the Athlete in Olga Neuwirth's AMERICAN LULU, a production which toured to the Young Vic (London), Glasgow, the Edinburgh Festival, and the Bregenz Festival. He also appeared in the inaugural Tower of London Music Festival in an on-site production of ANNA BOLENA.

As a winner of the Wagner Bursary Award, Mr. Wilding has sung Fasolt DAS RHEINGOLD and Hagen GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG under the baton of Anthony Legge. 

Mr. Wilding's international career began during the 1989 Bayreuth Festival, during which he made his professional operatic debut as the youngest adult performer in the Festival's history.  Further international engagements have included Jove LA CALISTO, Pluto, Caronte, and the Colonel IL POMO D'ORO for the Batignano Festival (Italy), Billy Jackrabbit LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST, Provazolezec in Hass’  ŠARLATÁN and Wemburgo in Zandonai’s II CAVALIERI DI EKEBÙ for the Wexford Festival, Zaccaria NABUCCO for the Macedonian National Opera, Hobson PETER GRIMES at the Beijing Music Festival, and Jonathan Dove's THE ENCHANTED PIG at the New Victory Theatre in New York.  He returned to New York in June 2016 for the US stage premiere of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. Sciarrone Tosca  tour  Nederlandse Reisoper.

As a concert artist, Mr. Wilding has performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Ulster Orchestra, and at the Royal Albert Hall.  His recorded work includes Royal Opera House official live recordings of SALOME and DIE MEISTERSINGER, Lt Ratcliffe BILLY BUDD with the Halle Orchestra for the Erato label, Dick Deadeye H.M.S. PINAFORE for the D’Oyly Carte, and the Policeman in Dame Ethel Smyth’s THE BOATSWAIN’S MATE with the Lontano Ensemble conducted by Odaline de la Martinez.

Other Recent productions include The Doctor and Clerk in The Nose Royal Danish Opera,Cophenhagen, 2nd Soldier Salome Royal Opera House, Fafner Stimme Siegfried Longbourough opera, Fafner/ Hagen Der Ring des Nibelungen Hackney Empire, La Nariz Teatro Real, Sparafucile Rigoletto Opera Holland Park, Judge Turpin Sweeney Todd West Green House.

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DIARY

2024

March - June                                         Der Ring Des Nibelungen

To perform Fafner in Das Rheingold and Siegfried in Longborough Festival's Ring Cycle Directed by Amy Lane and conducted by Anthony Negus

April 20th                                                           Tosca 

To perform Sacristan  in Tosca with Lambeth Orchestra conducted by Peter Selwyn

July - August                                                       Falstaff

To perform the role of Pistol in Verdi's Masterpiece Falstaff at Westgreen House 

        

October - November                              Les Contes d'Hoffmann
 

To perform and Cover the roles of Luther and Crespel at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

December 2024 - March 2025         Der Ring des Nibelungen

Perform the role of Hagen in Wagner's Götterdämmerung in Regents  Opera's Ring Cycle season, london. Conductor Ben Woodward Director Caroline Staunton

April  2025                                                           Parsifal

Perform the role of Gurnamanze in Wagner's Parsifal in Temple Church, Temple Music Foundation london. Conducted by Peter Selwyn and Directed by Julia Burbach.

LATEST REVIEWS

OPERA HOLLAND PARK RIGOLETTO

Opera Magazine Sparafucile

"A lean Powerful Presence both Physically and Vocally "

 

"Simon Wilding's Sparafucile has dark, Sculpted tone to match his sideline as hired assassin"

The Telegraph 2023

OPERA MAGAZINE

Tristan und Isolde St John's Smith Square

"a Stately Marke",
Simon Wilding was a moving Marke who captured the dual blow the king feels discovering tristan is disloyal"
"Simon Wilding Had the vocal size, fluency and tonal beauty for King Mark's solo, movingly sung"

Simon Wilding austere ebony toned König Marke emotionaly isolated by grief, was spellbinding, especially in his monologue

Music OHM

OPERA MAGAZINE

Die Walküre Hünding Arcola Theatre

Natasha Jouhl's Sieglinde had escaped barely the suppressed savagery of Simon Wilding's Blackened -steel timbre Hunding

 

Simon, a natural creature of the stage, was superb as Hunding, sining with enormous depth, commanding the platform throughout the whole scene. His strutting entrance and his acute reactions to everything happening around him said everything about his character.

Opera Magazine, St Johns Smith Square

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BRITISH THEATRE/MUSIC OMH/THE STAGE

Siegfried/Götterdämmerung Hackney Empire

Simon Wilding who sang an imposing Fafner ( Music OMH) returned to give a superb performance as Hagen, full of subtle, insinuating menace (musicOMH).
Simon Wilding Lours superbly as both Dragon Fafner and the Misanthropic Hagen.(The Stage)

CONTACT AGENT

Steven Swales Artists Management

 

57 Copthall Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross, UK, SL9 0DQ

| +44 (0) 7742 882 167 | +44 (0) 1753 882 378 |

 

https://www.stevenswalesartists.com

steven@stevenswalesartists.com

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