ST. LOUIS, MO. (Top40 Charts/ Mark S. Doss) - Mark S. Doss, international opera star and Grammy Award winner, is set to perform at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in the timeless tragedy, Troilus and Cressida, with performances on June 19, 21, 25, 27 and 29, 2008.
In St. Louis, Doss takes on the role of Diomede, Greek Prince of Argos, in a classical rendition of the production, which originally debuted in 1954 at Covent Garden, London. Troilus and Cressida is the first of two operas composed by William Walton and took approximately seven years to complete.
New York may witness "first hand" the extraordinary resurgence of Doss' bass-baritone when he arrives at the Metropolitan Opera in the heart of New York City this September through mid-October. Doss will cover his critically acclaimed role of Jochanaan (John the Baptist) in Salome. A recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinal review applauded his performance in this role, saying, "Mark S. Doss' potent and steadfast bass-baritone sound and imposing physical presence made him a worthy foil for (Erika) Sunnegardh. The opera found its pace and substance in their early duet, in which he held firm against her seductions and epithets." Last season, Mr. Doss performed this same role at Milan's legendary Teatro alla Scala (La Scala), where he has been welcomed for six different roles since 2004.
In December, Doss returns once again to Milan to star as Baron Jaroslav Prus in the three-act opera The Makropulos Case. This will be Doss' seventh principal role at La Scala.
This past March, Doss made his Pittsburgh Opera debut as Amonasro in Verdi's Aida. Mr. Doss is featured in the same role on a recently released Aida DVD, recorded live at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Reviewers applauded his work, recognizing "another fine performance...from the powerful American bass(-baritone), Mark (S.) Doss (Amonasro)," who was able to "subtly break free of the 'stand and deliver' directions and create a huge amount of emotion in his face and voice," (Reviewer Ltd., UK).
In other news, Doss has earned high praise for his portrayal of Mephistopheles in productions around the world. He is featured in the recently released CD of Mefistofele recorded live with Oper Frankfurt on the hr-musik.de label. The magazine Opernwelt applauds his performance and in a 2007 edition said, "Mark S. Doss can exist beside great predecessors such as Nazzareno de Angeles or Samuel Ramey with luster."
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). The Cleveland-born star began his musical studies to aid in his ambitions to become a Catholic priest, but was seduced by the opera world and has since emerged as one of the world's leading singers.
CONTACT: AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS: Christine Payne or Amy Aravantinos, Publicity office for Mark S. Doss, (416) 489-0092, [email protected] or [email protected]; Mark S. Doss, (847) 826-4530, [email protected]