bass

This season Ethan Herschenfeld joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera, covering roles in Macbeth and in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. He recently made his Semperoper Dresden debut as Cardinal Brogni in La Juive, and his Teatro Real Madrid debut as Aguirre and Hog Boy in the world premier of Wuorinen's Brokeback Mountain, a performance for which critics praised his "dark, sculpted tone" (The Telegraph) and his "imposing stage presence and basso profondo" (Opera News). In recent seasons he sang his first Baron Ochs in Indiana; Gurnemanz (Parsifal) in Basel; Fafner and Hunding in Wagner’s Ring in Bari; King Marke (Tristan) in Turin; Judge Turpin ("exceptional") in the Italian premier of Sweeney Todd in Bologna; Commendatore in Versailles ("big black bass voice"); Mephistopheles (Faust) in Hong Kong; Rocco (Fidelio) in Bolzano, Ravenna, and Tel Aviv; Sparafucile in Lugo di Ravenna, Tel Aviv and Philadelphia, and Kommissarius (Der Rosenkavalier) under the baton of Fabio Luisi in Genoa, where he also made his Italian debut in Billy Budd. L’Opera praised his "elegant singing" in Lugo, calling him "an intense Sparafucile, rich with a beautiful deep vocal timber and discrete phrasing."

He has sung Sarastro in Venice, Berlin, Stuttgart, Rome, Liege and Bremen, where he also sang Zaccarias (Nabucco), Osmin ("a true creature of the stage"), and the Kardinal (Rienzi), directed by Katharina Wagner. In the U.S. he has sung Boito’s Mefistofele and Don Basilio at Bob Jones University; Abimelech (Samson and Delila) at Hawaii Opera; Don Fernando (Fidelio), Commendatore ("an awesome presence"), Grenvil (La Traviata) and Kommissarius in Milwaukee; Butt the Hoopoe in the world premier of Wourinen’s Haroun and the title role in Ariane et Barbe-Bleue at New York City Opera; Colline (La bohème) in Chattanooga; Indiana Elliot’s Brother (Mother of Us All) in San Francisco; Hale (The Crucible) at Chautauqua Opera, and King Zuoxian in the world premier of Wenji in New York and Hong Kong, a role for which the New York Times praised his "booming basso." At Carnegie Hall he has sung Mozart’s Requiem and Vesperae Solennes, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Theresienmesse, and the premiere of Rittenhouse’s Vision of the Apolcalypse, which he sang on tour throughout South Africa. As an actor he can be seen in season five of Boardwalk Empire, season four of Girls, seasons one and two of Damages, and in the film It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

A graduate of Harvard College and winner of the Schorr Prize (Connecticut), Excellence in Arts Competition (Philadelphia), and Sembrich Competition (New York), Mr. Herschenfeld began his vocal training with Franco Corelli and has studied since 1997 with Armen Boyajian.

Performances

Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory | October 12, 2014

News and Press

[Concert Review] Fuse Concert Review: Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s Surround Sound at Jordan Hall

Gil Rose and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) opened their season on Sunday afternoon with a typically generous and curious program, highlighting music for orchestra and electronics. Perhaps the most impressive takeaway – aside from the rich, musical diversity the afternoon’s three selections showcased – were the often almost imperceptible ways in which composers Ronald Bruce Smith, Anthony Paul de Ritis, and David Felder integrated the electronic and acoustic elements in their music.

The Arts Fuse Full review
[Concert Review] Surrounded! De Ritis premiere reverberates at BMOP’s plugged-in opener

The best music deal in town this holiday weekend might have been “Surround Sound,” the Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s concert Sunday afternoon at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall.

Boston Classical Review Full review