PHILIP SHEFFIELD
tenor
Philip graduated in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge
before embarking on his training as a singer. He studied at the
Guildhall and Royal College of Music before making his professional
debut as a soloist in L'incoronazione di Poppea for the Brussels opera
in the Théâtre de la Monnaie in 1988.
Since then he has appeared in opera houses all over Europe. He has
sung, among other roles, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for the Opéra
Comique in Paris, the title role in Pelléas et Melisande in Paris under
Georges Pretre, the role of Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia for
Opéra de Nantes, Delmonte in Verdi's Un Giorno di Regno for the Royal
Opera, Jacquino in Fidelio for ENO, Tybalt in Romeo et Juliette for the
Royal Vlaamse Opera, Cascada in The Merry Widow for The Royal Opera,
Ferrando for Opera Northern Ireland, Belmonte, Tamino, and Lensky for
Lucern Opera in Switzerland. He has sung in many twentieth century
operas with two prize winning performances at the MĂĽnchen biennale in
Hans Jurgen von Bose's 63 Dream Palace and Ben Mason's Playing Away. He
has also sung for Opera North, Buxton festival, Berlin Kammeroper,
Savonlinna, Opéra de Nantes, Atelier Lyrique, Almeida and many others.
He is an experienced and accomplished concert artist. His performances
have included Britten's Serenade for tenor, horn and strings in the
Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Elgars Dream of Gerontius in Brussels with
Yuri Simonov, Britten's Nocturne in the Philharmonie in Berlin and
Montepulciano and Haydn's L'isola disabitata in Vienna with Heinz
Holliger.
Recordings include; for television Baa Baa Black Sheep by Michael
Berkeley, 63 dream palace and The Merry Widow for the Royal Opera; on
CD, Das Schloss by André Laporte, Baa Baa Black Sheep by Micheael
Berkeley and Arianna by Alexander Goehr.
More recently he has taken the lead role in Gerhard Stäblers new Opera
“Madame La Peste” in Saarbrücken, The Tenor in “Viva La Mamma” by
Donizetti also in Saarbrücken, as Valzachi in “Der Rosenkavalier” and
the tenor roles in “L'Enfant et les Sortileges” for Opera North,
Eislinger in “Meistersingers” for the Royal Opera, Covent Garden,
Basilio in “Le Nozze di Figaro” for Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Liberto
and 1st soldier in “Poppea” in Amsterdam and New York for the
Netherlands Opera and Eolo in “La Didone” for Montpellier Opera.
He has just finished singing the role of Alonso in Tom Ades exciting
new opera “The Tempest” for the Opera du Rhin in Strasbourg.
Highlights of 2005 include the role of King Edward IV in the world
premiere of Giorgio Batistelli's new opera “Richard III” for the
Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp and Gent, a performance of Britten's “War
Requiem” at the Berlin Philharmonie to mark the 60th anniversary of the
end of World War II on 9th May, a further performance in Luxembourg as
part of Luxembourg's presidency of the EU and performances of Berio's
Sinfonia in Munich. In 2006 he will return to the Vlaamse Opera for La
Prova d'Orchestra by Batistelli. He will also perform “The Songs for
Dov” by Sir Michael Tippett with the Orchestra of the Vlaamse Opera and
Vaughan Williams “On Wenlock Edge” in Gent and Antwerp.
