Nicholas Isherwood
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Isherwood is US-born bass singer, who specialises in contemporary and baroque music
. Notable roles include "Lucifer" in the world premieres of Stockhausen’s Montag
, Dienstag
, and Freitag
from Licht
at La Scala
and the Leipzig Opera, and in Donnerstag aus Licht
at Covent Garden
.
Isherwood has worked with Joel Cohen, William Christie, Peter Eötvös
, Paul McCreesh, Nicholas McGegan, Kent Nagano, Zubin Mehta and Gennadi Rozhdestvensky as well as composers Sylvano Bussotti
, Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Hans Werner Henze
, Mauricio Kagel, György Kurtág, Olivier Messiaen
, Giacinto Scelsi, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Iannis Xenakis in venues such as La Scala, Covent Garden, the Théatre des Champs Elysées, Salzburg Festival, Concertgebouw, Berlin Staatsoper, Vienna Konzerthaus, Tanglewood).
His opera
tic roles include: "Antinoo" in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria with Boston Baroque; "Claudio" in Händel’s Agrippina with Nicholas McGegan; "Satiro" in Rossi’s Orfeo and "Pan" in Marais’ Alcione with Les Arts Florissants; "Joas" in Porpora's Il Gedeone with Martin Haselböck; "Frère Léon" in Saint François d’Assise in the last composer supervised production; "Der Tod" in the two productions of Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis with the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart
and 2e2m, "Roméo" in Dusapin’s Roméo et Juliette at the Avignon Festival; "Lear" in Hosokawa’s Vision of Lear for the Munich Biennale
; "Il Testimone" in Bussotti’s Tieste at the Rome Opera, and "Micromégas" Mefano's Micromégas. Recent performances include works by Sylvano Bussotti at the Stockholm New Music Festival in 2008.
In addition to singing, Isherwood has had an extremely active pedagogical career. He has been engaged as professor (or assistant professor) of vocal music and/or music theater (opera) at institutions in France, Germany, and the United States, including the IRCAM
Summer Academy, Stockhausen-Kurse (Kürten, Germany), State University of New York, Conservatoire de Montbéliard, University of Notre Dame, Ecole Normale de Musique (Paris), California Institute of the Arts
, and the University of Oregon
(starting in Fall, 2008).
He has presented masterclasses, workshops, and lectures at the Salzburg Mozarteum; Iannis Xenakis Summer Courses (Paris); Conservatoire de Reims; Paris Conservatoire (CNSMP), California State University, Los Angeles
; Stanford University
; University of California, Santa Barbara
; University of Washington
; San Francisco State University
; California Institute of the Arts
; ARIAM (Paris); Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi (Milano); Institute of the Living Voice (Berlin); Troyes Conservatoire; Mexico City University; Normal University of Taiwan; and at CCMIX (Paris).
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
. Notable roles include "Lucifer" in the world premieres of Stockhausen’s Montag
Montag aus Licht
Montag aus Licht is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen in a greeting, three acts, and a farewell, and was the third of seven to be composed for the opera cycle Licht: die sieben Tage der Woche...
, Dienstag
Dienstag aus Licht
Dienstag aus Licht is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen in a greeting and two acts, with a farewell, and was the fourth of seven to be completed for the opera cycle Licht: die sieben Tage der Woche...
, and Freitag
Freitag aus Licht
Freitag aus Licht is the fifth of seven operas that comprise Licht , by Karlheinz Stockhausen. It was the last of the operas to receive a staged production with the composer's involvement.-History:...
from Licht
Licht
Licht , subtitled "The Seven Days of the Week," is a cycle of seven operas composed by Karlheinz Stockhausen between 1977 and 2003. In total, the cycle contains over 29 hours of music.-Origin:...
at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
and the Leipzig Opera, and in Donnerstag aus Licht
Donnerstag aus Licht
Donnerstag aus Licht is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen in a greeting, three acts, and a farewell, and was the first of seven to be composed for the opera cycle Licht: die sieben Tage der Woche...
at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
.
Isherwood has worked with Joel Cohen, William Christie, Peter Eötvös
Peter Eötvös
Péter Eötvös is a Hungarian composer and conductor.Eötvös was born in Odorheiu Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely, Szeklerland, Transylvania . He studied composition in Budapest and Cologne. From 1962, he composed for film in Hungary. Eötvös played regularly with the Stockhausen Ensemble between 1968 and...
, Paul McCreesh, Nicholas McGegan, Kent Nagano, Zubin Mehta and Gennadi Rozhdestvensky as well as composers Sylvano Bussotti
Sylvano Bussotti
Sylvano Bussotti is an Italian composer of contemporary music whose work is unusually notated and often creates special problems of interpretation.Born in Florence, Bussotti learned to play the violin as a child, becoming a prodigy...
, Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
, Mauricio Kagel, György Kurtág, Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
, Giacinto Scelsi, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Iannis Xenakis in venues such as La Scala, Covent Garden, the Théatre des Champs Elysées, Salzburg Festival, Concertgebouw, Berlin Staatsoper, Vienna Konzerthaus, Tanglewood).
His opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic roles include: "Antinoo" in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria with Boston Baroque; "Claudio" in Händel’s Agrippina with Nicholas McGegan; "Satiro" in Rossi’s Orfeo and "Pan" in Marais’ Alcione with Les Arts Florissants; "Joas" in Porpora's Il Gedeone with Martin Haselböck; "Frère Léon" in Saint François d’Assise in the last composer supervised production; "Der Tod" in the two productions of Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis with the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart
Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart
Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart is a foundation in Stuttgart, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1981 to foster international concerts and workshops, namely Musikfest Stuttgart, dedicated especially to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in relation to present day composition.-Musikfest...
and 2e2m, "Roméo" in Dusapin’s Roméo et Juliette at the Avignon Festival; "Lear" in Hosokawa’s Vision of Lear for the Munich Biennale
Munich Biennale
The Munich Biennale is an opera festival in the city of Munich. The full German name is Internationales Festival für neues Musiktheater, literally: International Festival for New Music Theater. The biennial festival was created in 1988 by Hans Werner Henze and is held in even-numbered years over...
; "Il Testimone" in Bussotti’s Tieste at the Rome Opera, and "Micromégas" Mefano's Micromégas. Recent performances include works by Sylvano Bussotti at the Stockholm New Music Festival in 2008.
In addition to singing, Isherwood has had an extremely active pedagogical career. He has been engaged as professor (or assistant professor) of vocal music and/or music theater (opera) at institutions in France, Germany, and the United States, including the IRCAM
IRCAM
IRCAM is a European institute for science about music and sound and avant garde electro-acoustical art music. It is situated next to, and is organizationally linked with, the Centre Pompidou in Paris...
Summer Academy, Stockhausen-Kurse (Kürten, Germany), State University of New York, Conservatoire de Montbéliard, University of Notre Dame, Ecole Normale de Musique (Paris), California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
, and the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
(starting in Fall, 2008).
He has presented masterclasses, workshops, and lectures at the Salzburg Mozarteum; Iannis Xenakis Summer Courses (Paris); Conservatoire de Reims; Paris Conservatoire (CNSMP), California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles is a public comprehensive university, part of the California State University system...
; Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
; University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
; University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
; San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
; California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
; ARIAM (Paris); Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi (Milano); Institute of the Living Voice (Berlin); Troyes Conservatoire; Mexico City University; Normal University of Taiwan; and at CCMIX (Paris).