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PHILIP COKORINOS
BASS-BARITONE
BIOGRAPHY
Hailed by Opera News for his “comedic high jinks” and “first-rate singing,” Philip Cokorinos was winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1985 and went on to sing his début during the Met’s 1987-1988 season. Since then, he appeared in more than 400 performances of 40 operas at the Met, including “Live from the Met” telecasts of Don Giovanni; the world premiere of The Ghosts of Versailles; and the Met’s premieres of Sly, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Gambler, and Shostakovich’s verismo expressionist opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, to name a few. He appeared many times in their productions of the standard repertoire, including Tosca, La bohème, La fanciulla del West, La Traviata, Adriana Lecouvreur, La rondine, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Macbeth, Manon, Don Carlo, Tosca, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Gianni Schicchi, Manon Lescaut, and Le nozze di Figaro. The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD broadcasts have included Manon, La fanciulla del West, The Nose, Werther, Manon Lescaut, Le nozze di Figaro, La bohème, and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Mr. Cokorinos’s tenure at the Metropolitan Opera has recently included their productions of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, La bohème, and Tosca.
Last season. Mr. Cokorinos returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro. He also joined Opera Tampa to sing the title role in Don Pasquale, El Paso Opera to sing Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, and he finished his season with the Bard Music Festival, reprising the role of Grandfather in Martinů’s Julietta. Next season he rejoins the Metropolitan Opera, this time to cover Matthieu in Andrea Chenier. He also joins Florentine Opera as the Sacristan in Tosca and reprises his Frère Laurent with Resonance Works.
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Outside of the Met, recent appearances include Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohème with The Atlanta Opera and the Pacific Symphony, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Anchorage Opera and San Francisco Opera (cover), Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette with New York City Opera, and Schlendrian in On Site Opera’s English translation of Bach’s Coffee Cantata. Mr. Cokorinos sang the Sacristan in Tosca at Los Angeles Opera and Opera San Antonio, Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohème at the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, San Diego Opera’s long-awaited Gianni Schicchi as Simone, performances of Cappadocia, Slave, and Second Nazarene in Salome with Spoleto Festival USA and The Atlanta Opera, and Grandfather in the U.S. premiere of Julietta with American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. 2020 engagements were to include Simone in Gianni Schicchi with the San Diego Opera and a return to the Metropolitan Opera for La bohème, the Sacristan in Tosca, and Johann in Werther. In the spring of 2021, he returned to the stage with Austin Opera for the Sacristan in Tosca.
A house favorite with Los Angeles Opera, Mr. Cokorinos has appeared many times with the company including a triumphant return for their “Beaumarchais Trilogy,” singing Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro, and Pasha in The Ghosts of Versailles, all under Maestro James Conlon. He later returned as Betto di Signa in their production of Gianni Schicchi/Pagliacci. Other roles with the house include Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohème, Baron Duphol in La Traviata, the Sacristan in Tosca, Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin, Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette, Zuniga in Carmen, Bitterolf in Tannhäuser, and Ser Amantio di Nicolao in Gianni Schicchi with director Woody Allen.
Elsewhere, he performed the title role in Don Pasquale with Opera Santa Barbara and Anchorage Opera. With New York City Opera, Mr. Cokorinos performed the roles of Archibaldo in L’amore dei tre re, the Priest in La campana sommersa, and made his role début as Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas. He sang Daland in Der fliegende Holländer with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and he added Swallow in Peter Grimes to his many roles with Chautauqua Opera, which include Méphistophélès in Faust, Oroveso in Norma, the Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen, and Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor. With Opera Colorado, he sang Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola and the Sacristan in Tosca; with the Spoleto Festival USA, he sang Coley in Flora and Capellio in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi; and with Central City Opera, he sang Don Marco in The Saint of Bleecker Street, Pandolfe in Cendrillon, and his most frequently performed role, Leporello in Don Giovanni.
Additional North American engagements include Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette with Opera Carolina and Nashville Opera; Rocco in Fidelio with Palm Beach Opera; Timur in Turandot with Florida Grand Opera; Banquo in Macbeth with Edmonton Opera; Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Calgary Opera and Opera Lyra Ottawa; Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Atlanta Opera; and multiple productions with Glimmerglass Opera, including Il matrimonio segreto, Le comte Ory, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and La finta giardiniera.
On the concert stage, Mr. Cokorinos’ notable symphonic appearances include Haydn’s Creation and Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall, Herod in Berlioz’ L’enfance du Christ telecast with NHK Symphony in Tokyo. He appeared in concert with the Minnesota Orchestra; Cincinnati May Festival; Spoleto Festival USA; Spokane Symphony; The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; Jacksonville Symphony; the Little Orchestra Society of New York; and in several performances with Opera Orchestra of New York including Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, Raimondo in Wagner’s Rienzi, Rochefort in Anna Bolena, Astarote in Armida, Cardinal de Brogni in La Juive, the Prefect in Linda di Chamounix, Capellio in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, staged in the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
His discography includes two works of Hector Berlioz with the Montreal Symphony under Charles Dutoit: Herod in L’enfance du Christ and Wagner in Huit Scenes de Faust, both released on DECCA. He can also be heard on the world-premiere recording of Stephen Paulus’ oratorio To Be Certain of the Dawn with the Minnesota Orchestra under Osmo Vanska, and the Grammy Award-winning recording of Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles with Los Angeles Opera.
Current as of September 1, 2025
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"...first-rate singing..." – Opera News
La Cenerentola – “With his double takes and well-handled comedic high jinks, not to mention first-rate singing, bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos could hardly have been stronger as [Don] Magnifico.”
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"...authoritative and compelling..." – Opera News
Florencia en el Amazonas – “Bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos was authoritative and compelling as Riolobo, the boatswain/river god.”
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"...rolling, commanding baritone..." – Opera Today
The Cunning Little Vixen – “Surpassed by a tremendous performance from Philip Cokorinos as “Bartos, the Forester.” Mr. Cokorinos’ rolling, commanding baritone; his heartfelt outpouring of thoroughly internalized text; and his sympathetic demeanor didn’t just merely touch me, but rather became the heart of the piece, making the opera work for me in a way that no previous mounting had.”
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"...stood out from the fine cast..." – Opera News
L’amore dei tre re – “Philip Cokorinos, as the blind Archibaldo, who strangles his faithless daughter-in-law, stood out from the fine cast for his commanding voice and strong projection of character.”
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"...shines as the gem in the cast..." – The Emory Wheel
Don Giovanni – “Vocally, Philip Cokorinos shines as the gem in the cast as Leporello.With rich, ringing baritone notes, he often outshines his master in vocal abilities.He has fine acting chops as well, easily milking laughs from his often laughable character.”