Biography:

Craig Verm is rapidly gaining recognition for his “resonant, expressive baritone voice” (Denver Post) and riveting dramatic portrayals. In the 2011-12 season, he sings his first performances Escamillo in Carmen at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago and Zurga in Les pêcheur de perles in a return to Pittsburgh Opera. He also returns to the role of Ping in Turandot with Austin Lyric Opera and to Orff’s Carmina Burana with Syracuse Opera in addition to singing Sciarrone in Tosca and presenting a recital at the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse. On the concert stage, he sings Handel’s Messiah with the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 as a guest artist at Brown University. His future engagements include returns to the Teatro Municipal de Santiago for the title role of Billy Budd and Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse for Sid in Albert Herring. He also makes his debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago with Albert in Werther, and also makes his debut with the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Last season, he sang his first performances of Ramiro in L’heure espagnole with the Nationale Reisopera in the Netherlands and the Miller in Montsalvatge’s El gato con botas with Gotham Chamber Opera. He also returned to Florentine Opera for Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas and Adonis in Blow’s Venus and Adonis, Pittsburgh Opera for Ping in Turandot, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the Mandarin in Turandot in addition to singing Gounod’s Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile with Les Escales Musicales d’Evian.

Mr. Verm enjoys a strong relationship with Pittsburgh Opera, where he has sung the lead baritone role of Tom Joad in Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, the Novice’s Friend in Billy Budd, Angelotti in Tosca as well as Guglielmo in student performances of Così fan tutte. Other recent performances include Marcello in La bohème with Austin Lyric Opera, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with Florentine Opera, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at Lyrique-en-Mer/Festival de Belle-Île, Joseph Pitt in Peter Eötvös’ Angels in America with Fort Worth Opera, Astolfo in the world premiere of Lewis Spratlan’s Life is a Dream and Hermann in Les contes d’Hofmann with Santa Fe Opera, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro and Falke in Die Fledermaus with the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and the Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen.

Equally adept within the realm of oratorio, his other concert appearances encompass performances of Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the Pittsburgh Symphony; Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra; Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Alexandria Symphony, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Boston Youth Symphony; Bach’s Mass in B minor at Portugal’s Aviero Music Festival; as well as Faure’s Requiem with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, and Schubert’s Mass in G and Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzer, and Rutter’s Mass of the Children with the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale. He has also sung Haydn’s Creation with the Robert Page Festival Singers at the Virginia Arts Festival as well as on tour in Vienna and Budapest, Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, as well as performances of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem in Cincinnati and Handel’s Messiah in Houston.

He received his Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music where his performances included title role in Carlisle Floyd’s Markheim. He was graduated cum laude from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He was also a 2006 national semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and is also a former member of the young artist programs of Santa Fe Opera and Cincinnati Opera.

 

 

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