Toronto (Top40 Charts/ Mark S. Doss Official Website) This fall, international opera star and Grammy Award winner Mark S. Doss returns home to Toronto to star as Thoas, King of the Scythians, in the four-act opera Iphegenia In Tauris (Iphigenie en Tauride) with the Canadian Opera Company (COC), the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Opening the COC's 2011-2012 season, performances start in late
September 2011 and run through mid-October 2011.
"It is a great honour to be returning to such an internationally acclaimed opera house, as well as to the powerful role of Thoas," states Mr. Doss. "This moving production and challenging role have always been very poignant for me. I am drawn to the challenge of singing this part, which is known for its extreme vocal range and powerful aria."
Mr. Doss made his debut as Thoas with the San Francisco Opera in June 2007. His performance was described as "outstanding" by The San Francisco Sentinel. The review continued, "Mark's strong and authoritative bass-baritone voice is rich and bright throughout the entire range, his warm vibrato sensual and inviting. He is a handsome and formidable presence, perfectly cast as the tormented King."
Mr. Doss made his COC house debut in 1987 as Sparfucile in Rigoletto. He has also performed with the Toronto-based COC as Der Sprecher in The Magic Flute, as Sparafucile in the 1992 production of Rigoletto, and as Ferrando in Il Trovatore.
"After performing abroad, it is nice to be back at my home in Toronto and to be returning to the COC after so many years," Mr. Doss adds.
Mr. Doss will take to the COC's stage as Thoas on September 22, 25, 28 as well as October 1, 4, 7, 12, and 15, 2011.
Worldwide Performances
Before he headlines in Toronto, Mr. Doss will finish his summer run as Mephistopheles in Faust with the Santa Fe Opera, ending August 27, 2011. Called a "winning presence on stage," by The Santa Fe New Mexican for his portrayal of the satanic villain, albuquerqueARTS Magazine wrote of his performance:
"Doss subtly took command of every scene in which he appeared during his July 6th performance, which was most of them."
A review in Opera Warhorses said of Ms. Doss' casting as Mephistopheles:
"The part of Mephisto needs a singing actor, and here Doss easily earned his paycheck. He unexpectedly appears extra-textually in several scenes, always looking for a way to worsen a bad situation, while positioning his hat in a way that makes him invisible to the other characters onstage with him."
Earlier this year, Mr. Doss completed an impressive tour of Italian opera houses. He was also a guest artist at Opera Tampa's "A Night of Stars", at which Placido Domingo was the evening's guest of honor. Following his work with the COC, upcoming engagements for Mr. Doss include Amonasro in Aida with Opera Tampa, the Title Role in Teatro Regio Torino's The Flying Dutchman, and the Four Villains in The Tales of Hoffman with Opera Tokyo.
You can connect with Mark S. Doss through his Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Mark-S-Doss/78423203990) or follow him @marksdoss on Twitter (https://twitter.com/marksdoss).
ABOUT MARK S. DOSS:
Mark S. Doss is a celebrated bass-baritone whose accomplishments include a Grammy Award (1993) for his work on the recording of Semele (Handel), and numerous engagements with the famous Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. Mr. Doss began his musical studies to aid in his ambitions to become a Catholic priest but instead found opera to be his true calling. He has since emerged as one of the opera world's leading singers.
When he is not touring the world, Mr. Doss divides his time between Toronto, Canada and his Pennsylvania residence.
