Biography
Photo: Christian Steiner, CAMI
Guest of the National Theatre Opera.
Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Mr. Delavan earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Oral Roberts University. Mr. Delavan is a popular performer with the New York City Opera, where he has sung title roles in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer, Verdi’s Rigoletto, Macbeth and Falstaff. He has appeared in the roles of the four villains in Offenbach’s Les contes d'Hoffman, Scarpia (Puccini: Tosca), Escamillo (Bizet: Carmen), Enrico (Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor), Michele and Gianni Schicchi (Puccini: Il trittico). With the Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Delavan earned public and critical acclaim for his company debut as Amonasro (Verdi: Aida) in 2001. With the Met, he has also sung the title roles of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Nabucco and Carlo in La forza del destino, and has appeared as Scarpia, Alfio (Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana), and as Gerard in Giordano’s Andrea Chenier.
He made his United Kingdom debut at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival in the title role of Verdi’s Macbeth and his European stage debut in 2004 in two new productions with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, performing the title role of Rigoletto and the role of Don Carlo (La forza del destino). In the 2005/2006 season, Mr. Delavan made his Royal Opera House, Covent Garden debut as Jack Rance (Puccini: La fanciulla del West); during the 2006/2007 season he debuted at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin as Jochanaan in Strauss’ Salome.
Mr. Delavan’s 2008/2009 season has begun with performances as Michele (Il tabarro) at Los Angeles Opera, followed by appearances at the Metropolitan Opera as Tomsky (Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame). In early 2009, Mr. Delavan returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to perform the roles of Alfio and Tonio (Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci); he reprises one of his signature roles, The Dutchman, at Atlanta Opera and then travels to Barcelona for June performances as Jochanaan in Salome at the Gran Teatre del Licieu. In June 2008, Mr. Delavan made his role debut as Wotan in San Francisco Opera’s new production of Wagner’s Das Rheingold conducted by Donald Runnicles and directed by Francesca Zambello. The production launched San Francisco Opera’s new Ring Cycle in which Mr. Delavan will appear in all three Wotan roles (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and Siegfried) from 2008 to 2011.
He has collaborated with such conductors as James Levine, James Conlon, Sir Andrew Davis, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zubin Mehta, Donald Runnicles, Michael Tilson Thomas, Antonio Pappano and Fabio Luisi. Hailed by The New York Times as “impressive…a remarkable singer”, his captivating persona onstage has been likewise praised, as noted by Opera Magazine: “…Mark Delavan … commands attention even when he stands still.”
Update: March 2009