presents

Lenard Whiting
tenor

 

Mr. Whiting has worked with the Canadian Opera Company, Toronto’s Opera in Concert, the Vancouver Opera Company, Toronto Operetta Theatre, The JHS Opera Company, Summer Opera Lyra, Opera York, and Opera Mississauga.

Recent singing engagements included strong performances of Belmonte in Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio, Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte, Rinnucio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Don Jose in Bizet’s Carmen, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio.

Mr. Whiting has also performed the roles of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème, Riccardo in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera , the Magician in Mennotti’s The Consul, Male Chorus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, the title role in Mozart’s Idomeneo,Naisi in Healey Willan’s Deirdre, The Prince in Dvorak’s Rusalka (in Czech), Captain Dick in Naughty Marietta and Foresto in Verdi's Attila.

 His many oratorio performances included Bach’s “Weihnachts Oratorium” and “Magnificat”,Britten’s “St. Nicholas”, Dvorak’s “Stabat Mater”, Handel’s “Messiah” and “Ode on the Death of Queen Elizabeth”, Haydn’s “Creation” and “Masses”, Mendelssohn’s “Lobgesang” and “Elijah”, Mozart’s “Requiem” and “Masses and Vespers”, Puccini’s “Messa di Gloria” and Vaughan William’s “Hodie”.

He was outstanding in the role of Maurizio in Cilèa’s opera Adriana Lecouvreur with Opera York under the direction of William Shookhoff, and as featured guest soloist in Opera Missisauga’s international spring extravaganza entitled Opera Stars under the baton of Maestro Dwight Bennett. He also participated as special guest artist at an annual "Opera Soirée" in Vienna, Austria, and he sang the role of Pinkerton in an in-concert production of Puccini's Madame Butterfly with the Kingston Symphony.

Among his memorable appearances were at an evening celebrating English composeres, most noteably Benjamin Britten, at an Opera Anonymous/Tryptych Productions extravaganza in Toronto, and at a highly successful presentation of Sir Edward Elgar's "Dream of Gerontius", one of the greatest choral works to come from a British composer since Purcell, brought to Toronto audiences by the Pax Christi Chorale with Lenard Whiting singing the part of Gerontius.

Equally at ease with lieder recitals, particularly with his interpretation of Franz Schubert's Die Winterreise,, Mr. Whiting represented Canada at a newly created 4-continent wide Chamber Music Festival, Lebensstürme, which had a most successful inauguration in May 2001 in Austria and which immediately resulted in an invitation for Mr. Whiting to participate again in 2002 in Austria, Australia, Canada, and Japan.

Recent concerts included Bruckner's Mass in F minor , recitals in Eastbourne, England, the Festival in Austria, and a concert series with Princess Caroline Murat of Monaco. In July 2002 Mr. Whiting was a featured soloist in a gala concert presented to Pope John Paul II during his visit to Toronto. Most recently he performed in the Toronto Chamber Music Festival, where, among other things he sang the Canadian premiere of Andrew Ager's Campfire in the Sun song cycle. Mr. Whiting has also been a featured artist in the annual Toronto International Chamber Music Festival in 2003, 2004, and he will perform there again in 2006.