ERRIN DUANE BROOKS
TENOR
BIOGRAPHY
Grammy Award-winner Errin Duane Brooks is becoming one of the most sought-after tenors in the industry. Last season, Mr. Brooks returned to The Metropolitan Opera to sing the First Priest/Armored Man in Simon McBurney’s Die Zauberflöte; he sang Pinkerton in Divaria Productions’ Madama Butterfly; he joined the Minnesota Orchestra to sing Altoum in Turandot; the University of Michigan for Scenes from the Life of a Martyr; and the Philadelphia Orchestra to cover the title role in Tristan und Isolde under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
This summer, Mr. Brooks heads to Opera på Skäret in Sweden to sing Calaf in Turandot, and he begins this season with his French début in a reprisal of his acclaimed Otello with Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg. Mr. Brooks will also make a highly anticipated return to The Metropolitan Opera to reprise the role of Mingo in Porgy and Bess.
Mr. Brooks’ is a frequent guest artist with The Metropolitan Opera having covered the title role in Verdi's Otello, Calaf in Puccini's Turandot, as well as sung the First Armored Man in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, the First Noble in Wagner’s Lohengrin, the High Priest in Mozart's Idomeneo, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Adult Nathan in Terrence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones both in the premiere as well as the reprisal.
READ MORE
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"...His is a truly powerful dramatic tenor that has tremendous volume and stability..." – OperaWire
Hérodiade – Tenor Errin Duane Brooks also put in a truly mesmerizing turn as the prophet Jean. While there were a few moments where he seemed overly fixated on his score instead of his scene partners, the tenor shone vocally the entire night. His is a truly powerful dramatic tenor that has tremendous volume and stability. From his first cries of “Jézebal” at the start of the opera, it was clear that his instrument was a truly special one and he never once relented in delivering with the same level of power and precision.
__________
"...muscular musical portrayals that stood out..." – OperaWire
Die Zauberflöte – Richard Bernstein and Errin Duane Brooks were excellent as the Priests and the Armed Men, both delivering muscular musical portrayals that stood out from amidst the cast; they also found a nice balance when singing together.
__________
"...Brooks’ Alvaro was all passion as his voice boomed fully..." – OperaWire
La Forza del destino – A showstopping tenor... From his first entrance, it was obvious that Brooks’ Alvaro was all passion as his voice boomed fully with all the ardor as Alvaro declared his love for his Leonora. Even in the slower section of the first duet with Leonora, Brooks’ had no qualms in letting out his full voice. And that was even more evident in his aria “Oh! tu che in seno agl’angelli.” Where more tenors would begin quietly with mezza voce, Brooks sang each line with a mezzo forte sound that would eventually rise to a fortissimo on his final high B flat at the end of the aria. The effect was magnificent... And the B flat at the end was sustained, giving the aria a showstopping quality. In the second duet “Ne Gustare m’e dato un’ora di quiete” the voice was heroic allowing it to project throughout the auditorium... that desperation was heard as he phrased each note with forceful and accented sound.