Stephen Mark Brown
Encyclopedia
Stephen Mark Brown is an internationally known opera
tenor. He has sung with Luciano Pavarotti
on the television program "Pavarotti Plus" and he has also sung at La Scala
. Brown is "emerging as one of today's leading tenors in the French and Italian repertories".
Brown was born in Lansing, Michigan
and grew up in Searcy, Arkansas
, where he sang bass in the award-winning chorus directed by Craig Jones at Harding Academy
. He went on to further his education at Harding University
and Indiana University
, where he learned from Virginia Zeani
and Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and received his Master's degree in the same year (1992) that he won the Opera Company of Philadelphia
/Luciano Pavarotti Competition. This brought him to national prominence in the United States as he was named 1993 Debut Artist of the Year. He has also won the Altamura/Enrico Caruso International Voice Competition.
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...
tenor. He has sung with Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
on the television program "Pavarotti Plus" and he has also sung 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...
. Brown is "emerging as one of today's leading tenors in the French and Italian repertories".
Brown was born in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
and grew up in Searcy, Arkansas
Searcy, Arkansas
Searcy is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,663. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of White County...
, where he sang bass in the award-winning chorus directed by Craig Jones at Harding Academy
Harding Academy (Searcy, Arkansas)
Harding Academy is a K-12 private school in Searcy, Arkansas. It is affiliated with Harding University. Like that institution, it is associated with the Churches of Christ and named in honor of an early minister of that fellowship, James A. Harding....
. He went on to further his education at Harding University
Harding University
Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas, in the United States, about north-east of Little Rock. It is a private liberal arts Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ. The university takes its name from James A...
and Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, where he learned from Virginia Zeani
Virginia Zeani
Virginia Zeani is a Romanian soprano, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, especially the role of in "La traviata".-Early life:Zeani was born Virginia Zehan, in Solovăstru, Romania...
and Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and received his Master's degree in the same year (1992) that he won the Opera Company of Philadelphia
Opera Company of Philadelphia
The Opera Company of Philadelphia is an American opera company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the city's only company producing grand opera. The organization produces four fully staged opera productions annually, encompassing works from the seventeenth through the 21st century...
/Luciano Pavarotti Competition. This brought him to national prominence in the United States as he was named 1993 Debut Artist of the Year. He has also won the Altamura/Enrico Caruso International Voice Competition.
Roles
Brown has taken on numerous roles including:- European debut in the title role of Don Carlo: the opera companies of NiceNiceNice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
and LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. - Lieutenant Pinkerton in Madama ButterflyMadama ButterflyMadama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
: L'Opéra de Montréal, Spain’s Opera Bilbao, New York City Opera, and Nashville Opera, semi-staged performance with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, many others. - The Duke in RigolettoRigolettoRigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
: Paris Opera debut. - Achille in Iphigénie en AulideIphigénie en AulideIphigénie en Aulide is an opera in three acts by Christoph Willibald Gluck, the first work he wrote for the Paris stage. The libretto was written by Leblanc du Roullet and was based on Jean Racine's tragedy Iphigénie...
: Opening of the season La Scala - Americo in Carlos GomesAntônio Carlos GomesAntônio Carlos Gomes was the first New World composer whose work was accepted by Europe.-Life:He was born in Campinas, Brazil, son of Maestro Manuel José Gomes and Fabiana Maria Jaguari Cardoso....
’ Lo schiavoLo schiavoLo schiavo is an opera seria in four acts by the Brazilian composer Carlos Gomes. The Italian libretto was by Rodolfo Paravicini, after a play by Alfredo Taunay... - Roméo in Roméo et JulietteRoméo et JulietteRoméo et Juliette is an opéra in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique , Paris on 27 April 1867...
: Utah Opera, Boston Lyric, Lisbon, Venice - Nemorino in L'Elisir d'AmoreL'elisir d'amoreL'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts...
: Opera of Cagliari. - Alfredo in La traviataLa traviataLa traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
: New York City Opera and San Francisco Opera - Rodolfo in La bohèmeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
: Boston Lyric Opera
- Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann: Palm Beach Opera, Orlando Opera
- Cavaradossi in ToscaToscaTosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
: Orlando Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis