Biography
As one of the truly versatile and fearless baritones of his generation, Morgan Pearse has appeared on many of the world’s finest opera and concert stages in a career already filled with countless highlights.
These have included débuts in numerous title roles, such as the critically praised new production of Le Nozze di Figaro at Opernhaus Zürich, The Barber of Seville at English National Opera and Don Giovanni at the Verbier Festival. In past seasons, Morgan has enjoyed great success with performances of Theodora (Valens) and Tolomeo (Araspe) at the Karlsruhe Händelfestpiele, Le Nozze di Figaro (Figaro) and Die Zauberflöte (Papageno) at the Badisches Staatstheater, Don Giovanni (Masetto) and L’Elisir d’Amore (Belcore) for NZ Opera, the title role in Billy Budd for the Bolshoi Theatre, as well as Nero in Kaiser’s Octavia and Almiro in Pasquini’s Idalma, both for the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.
Equally at home in concert repertoire, Morgan’s engagements have included appearances with ensembles including the Academy of Ancient Music, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, King’s College Choir Cambridge, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, The Philharmonia Orchestra, CBSO, English Chamber Orchestra, Gabrieli Consort, Australian String Quartet, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, RTVE Madrid, Russian National Orchestra, as well as La Scintilla and the Philharmonia Orchestra of Opernhaus Zürich.
His engagements have also led him to prestigious international venues such as Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Sydney Opera House, and Wigmore Hall, Palau de la Música Catalana Barcelona, Konserthuset Copenhagen, Melbourne Recital Centre, Hamer Hall, St John’s Smith Square, among many others.
An active recording artist, Morgan Pearse appears on several recent recordings, including the Gramophone Award-winning Dussek Messe Sollemnelle and Händel’s Brockes Passion, both with the Academy of Ancient Music on the ensemble’s own AAM label. Other recordings include the critically acclaimed performance of Pasquini’s Idalma (from the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music) on the CPO label, and the world premiere recording of Eleanor Alberga’s The Soul’s Expression for Lyrita. Most recently, he has recorded the world premiere of Dame Ethyl Smyth’s Der Wald with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers and a recording of works by Stanford is due for release in 2024.
First prize winner of the prestigious Cesti Competition in 2016, Morgan Pearse is also the recipient of the Lies Askonas Prize from the Royal College of Music, and the Gold Medal of the Royal Overseas League’s Music Competition.
