Gaetan Laperriere (Germont)
The breadth of Gaétan Laperrière’s lyric baritone repertoire reaches into the heroic Italian roles so suited to his instrument.
In the 2010-2011 season and beyond, performances include Alfio/Tonio in Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci at Opera Lyra Ottawa, Rigoletto at Michigan Opera Theatre, Scarpia in Tosca at the Manitoba Opera, Germont in La Traviata at the Phoenix Metropolitan Opera, Amonasro in Aida with Calgary Opera, Falstaff at Opéra de Québec, and Amonasro cover in Aida at Canadian Opera Company.
Over the past two seasons, engagements include the Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Opera Colorado and Boston Lyric Opera, Pandolfe in Cendrillon with L’Opera de Montreal, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola with the Florida Grand Opera,the title role in Falstaff with Opera Cleveland, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with the Manitoba Opera and Opera Hamilton, Alfio/Tonio in Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci with Opéra de Québec, Rigoletto at Opera Company of North Carolina and Fresno Grand Opera, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with The Jeunesses Musicales, and Athanael cover in a new production of Thais at the Athens Concert Hall in Greece.
Noted engagements from the 2006 through 2008 season include Henri in Lucie de Lammermoor with Cincinnati Opera, Scarpia in Tosca with Calgary Opera and Opera Ontario, Lebret in the World Premiere of Cyranowith Michigan Opera Theatre, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and Amonasro in Aida with Opera Carolina, Athanael in Thais with Palm Beach Opera, Fauvre’s Requiem with the National Arts Center.
Recent European engagements include Les Dialogues des Carmélites with Opéra de Paris Bastille, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Germont in La Traviata and Escamillo in Carmen at the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz, Escamillo in Carmen in his debut with Opéra de Nice, Ottone in L’Incoronazione di Poppea in his Opéra de Marseille debut, Krusina in The Bartered Bride at the Grand Théâtre de Genève and Marcello in a new Pierre Audi production of La Bohème at the Netherlands Opera. At the Spoleto Festival (Italy), Mr. Laperrière performed Le Directeur in Les Mamelles de Tirésias, made his debut at Teatro Comunale di Bologna as Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande, and returned to Italy for Billy Budd at Teatro La Fenice.
Mr. Laperrière made his New York debut in Nicholas Muni’s controversial staging of La Traviata at the New York City Opera, and his Carnegie Hall debut as Valdeburgo in a concert performance of Bellini’s La Straniera with the Opera Orchestra of New York. Other noted performances in the United States include Germont in La Traviata, the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, and the title role in Hamlet with Florida Grand Opera; Germont and Sharpless with the San Francisco Opera; Sharpless, Marcello in La Bohème, and Athanael in Thaïs with the Washington National Opera; Germont in the Jonathan Miller production of La Traviata with the Minnesota Opera; Sharpless and Marcello with the Houston Grand Opera; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and Zurga in Les Pêcheurs de Perles with the former Baltimore Opera; and Albert in Werther with the New Orleans Opera, Santa Fe Opera and Boston Lyric Opera. In Canada, he recently performed the title role in Falstaff and Capulet in Romeo et Juliette with Opera Lyra Ottawa, Emilio in Filumena with Edmonton Opera and National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Anchorage Opera, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera with Opera Quebec, the title role in Rigoletto with Manitoba Opera.