Hailed by Opera News for his “vividly flavored vocalism” and “tall and commanding” presence, Derrick Parker joins the Bayerische Staatsoper as Larkens in La fanciulla del West in the 2019/20 season. He also sings concert performances with the Spokane Symphony. Last season he returned to the title role in Porgy and Bess with the Detroit Symphony. Other recent engagements include Jake in Porgy and Bess with Seattle Opera, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Utah Opera, Mozart’s Requiem with Utah Symphony, Porgy in Porgy and Bess with Baltimore Symphony, Ramfis in Aida with Utah Opera, Le fauteuil and L’arbre in L'enfant et les sortileges with Utah Symphony, and Joe in Showboat with Kentucky Opera.
Mr. Parker recently made a triumphant, last-minute debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Porgy in Porgy and Bess. His European operatic debut came with performances of Mel in Anthony McDonald’s The Knot Garden at the Scottish Opera. His other recent performances include Alidoro in La cenerentola with Portland Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Utah Opera; Colline in La bohème previously with Fort Worth Opera, Cleveland Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Shreveport Opera; Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Fort Worth Opera as well as joining Houston Grand Opera for the same title, Banquo in Macbeth and Salieri in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozart and Salieri with Anchorage Opera, Escamillo in Carmen with Chautauqua Opera and Opera Santa Barbara, Masetto in Don Giovanni with Houston Grand Opera, New Orleans Opera, and student performances with Dallas Opera; Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia with Chicago Opera Theatre; Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Nourabad in Les pêcheurs de perles in returns to Utah Opera; and Zuniga in Carmen with Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Pensacola Opera. Other performances to his credit are the title role in Don Giovanni and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Cape Town Opera and Pensacola Opera and Spokane Opera; Leporello in Don Giovanni with Opera Birmingham, further performances of Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Chautauqua Opera, Pizarro in Fidelio with Virginia Opera; Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto with Opera Couer d’Alene; Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Granite State Opera; Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Pacific and Madison Opera; High Priest in Samson et Dalila with Orlando Opera; Sam in Un ballo in maschera with Palm Beach Opera, Leporello in Don Giovanni with Opera Birmingham and Wolf Trap Opera, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor and the Preacher in Treemonisha with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Monterone in Rigoletto with Berkshire Opera, Don Alhambra in The Gondoliers with Utah Opera at the Deer Valley Music Festival, and Méphistophélès in Faust as a guest artist at the University of Denver. He joined Cape Town Opera for Crown in Porgy and Bess with on tour in Sweden, Germany, and Norway as well as in Africa.
Derrick Parker, bass-baritone
