Clifton Forbis

Vocalists — Tenor

Manager: William G. Guerri
Management Territory: Worldwide

[Clifton Forbis's] Tristan is so obviously right, from its baritonal foundations to the tirelessly ringing top, that we know we're in for a great third act in which the tenor doesn't die before his character's supposed to...Forbis has his finest moments in going further than any Tristan I've wintessed other than the incomparable Jon Vickers in expressing fathomless despair. —The Arts Desk - David Nice

Clifton Forbis, a globe-trotting Tristan, flashes electrifying muscular power but still floats captivating sotto voce effects. His third act agony is a triumph of rage and frustration. —Financial Times - Francis Carlin

About

Clifton Forbis is engaged to sing the most demanding tenor repertoire around the world, including the title roles of “Samson et Dalila”, “Otello” and “Tristan und Isolde”. He is a leading artist with the Metropolitan Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Canadian Opera Company, and Teatro alla Scala. Of his performance for a new production as Tristan, Opera News said, “Clifton Forbis[‘s]…attention to detail was admirable, and he risked a rare degree of intense soft singing in Act II before rising with mighty force to the agonies of Act . . . III. The few voices raised against him at the final curtain were unjustified: this was as thrilling a piece of tenor singing as you are likely to hear in the role today.”

In the 2012/13 season, Mr. Forbis will be heard as Florestan in “Fidelio” with Seattle Opera. He returns to Seattle for performances of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” with the Seattle Symphony, before he makes his company debut with Teatro Petruzelli in Bari, Italy as Otello. He will be heard as Samson with San Diego Opera, and sings Siegmund in performances of Act I of “Die Walküre” with the Dallas Symphony and Music Director Jap Van Zweden. Recent performances for Mr. Forbis include the title role of “Tristan und Isolde” with Dallas Opera and the fated clown, Canio, in “Pagliacci” with New Orleans Opera. He opened the 2010 – 2011 season as Otello for the Opera Company of Philadelphia and returned to the role for performances with Deutsche Oper Berlin, and with the BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda. He was heard in performances of Siegmund in “Die Walküre” with Edo de Waart and the Milwaukee Symphony in a new production of “Tristan und Isolde” at Opéra National de Lyon.

Mr. Forbis has earned international acclaim for his portrayals of the title roles in “Samson et Dalila” and “Tristan und Isolde”. His Samson has thrilled audiences at the Metropolitan Opera, San Diego, Marseille, Bilbao, Genoa, and Cincinnati. He has delivered stunning performances of Tristan in his debut with the Berlin State Opera conducted by Daniel Barenboim, Paris Opera under Valery Gergiev, in concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen, as well as in a new production at Grand Théâtre de Genève. He has distinguished himself in the title role of Otello with his debut at La Scala, as well as in performances of the role with the Dresden Semperoper, Vienna State Opera, Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival, and with Tokyo Opera Nomori. He has been heralded for his performances of Siegmund in “Die Walküre” with Canadian Opera Company, Vienna State Opera, and in concerts of the opera’s first act with James Conlon and the National Symphony Orchestra, James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, as well as the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood, Chicago Symphony at Ravinia, and Cincinnati May Festival.

Other roles with which Mr. Forbis has become notably identified are the Drum Major in “Wozzeck”, Andrei Khovansky in “Khovanshchina”, and Florestan in “Fidelio”, which he has performed at theaters including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence, Atlanta Opera, and Minnesota Opera. Other recent highlights include his performances of Canio in “Pagliacci” for Florida Grand Opera and Nashville Opera, Don José in “Carmen” for the Metropolitan Opera and Palm Beach Opera, the title role of “Oedipus Rex” with the Metropolitan Opera, and his debuts with Paris Opera in the title role of Wagner’s “Parsifal” and Venice’s Teatro la Fenice as Boris in Janáček’s “Katya Kabanova”.

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