Lawrence Brownlee Joins Opera Philadelphia as Artistic Advisor

Opera Philadelphia announced today that Lawrence Brownlee, whose lead performance in the 2015 world premiere of Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD kick started the company's "big commitment to new repertoire" (The Wall Street Journal), has joined the company as an Artistic Advisor. In this position, Brownlee will work with General Director & President David B. Devan and Corrado Rovaris, the Jack Mulroney Music Director, to advise and advocate for expanded repertoire, provide insights on diversity in artistic practices and community initiatives, and collaborate with senior management in identifying and securing financial support for the company.

Brownlee's "stunningly voiced Parker" (Opera News) in June 2015 affirmed Opera Philadelphia's mission as a 21st-century opera company that inspires artists to create their most imaginative work that resonates and excites a varied audience. The superstar tenor, one of the most in-demand singers around the world, led an acclaimed 2016 production of the opera at The Apollo Theater in Harlem and just wrapped a celebrated interpretation of Parker with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (March 24-26). He will next sing the European premiere with English National Opera at Hackney Empire in London (June 9-17). His experience with the role of Parker sparked his interest in working with Opera Philadelphia's artistic team.

"I'm honored and humbled to join the extraordinary team at Opera Philadelphia, and in my role as Artistic Advisor, I look forward to working with them towards their mission of moving the art form forward and changing the very notion of what opera can be," said Lawrence Brownlee. "Whether it be helping with the creation of groundbreaking new works like YARDBIRD, Breaking the Waves, and We Shall Not Be Moved, working to build new relationships and partnerships in the U.S. and internationally, or expanding the reach and diversity of audiences, I'm excited to be an agent of change in an organization that is truly committed to building the future of opera."

The hiring oF Brownlee completes a renowned trio of artistic advisors at Opera Philadelphia. Opera and voice instructor Mikael Eliasen, currently Dean of Vocal Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music and Artistic Director of the Curtis Opera Theatre, advises the company on repertoire planning, casting, composer support and the Curtis Institute of Music/Opera Philadelphia partnership. Artist and curator Kristy Edmunds, currently Executive and Artistic Director at the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, helps shape ways to incorporate contemporary artistic practice from other forms and genres and provides guidance on festival O programming and structure.

"We are honored and thrilled to have Lawrence Brownlee step into this prominent role at Opera Philadelphia," said David B. Devan. "This partnership is born out of a genuine alignment between our company goals of inspiring artists and audiences, and an artist who has an authentic track record as a performer with nearly every leading international opera house and festival all over the world. Larry has been contributing to our company on stage since 2006, and helped to champion the creation of the chamber opera Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD in 2015. We believe that in this new position, he will play a key role in making Philadelphia the stage for the future of opera, where diverse audiences gather to share an experience and amplify human connectedness. We are also excited to work with Larry to commission a new opera which he will perform in a future season."

Photo credit: Dominic M. Mercier

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