Biography
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Mark Morouse began his musical studies at age nine (piano and percussion). He graduated from Pomona College in Claremont (Music Theory and History) and then moved to Salzburg, where he studied voice with Prof. Rudolf Knoll and Lied Interpretation with Prof. Paul Schilhawsky. He completed his Master’s Degree in Lied und Oratorium from the Mozarteum. After initial engagements in Oberhausen, Krefeld, and Mönchengladbach, he is now a Heroic Baritone at the Bonn Opera, where he’s been singing since 1996. He is also a recurring guest artist in Bielefeld, Gelsenkirchen, Wiesbaden, Wuppertal, Hagen, Braunschweig, Cologne, Düsseldorf, at the summer festival in Eutin, as well as in England, Iceland, Austria and Italy (Verona and Barga festivals). Mark Morouse has sung with many famous conductors, including Sir Jeffrey Tate, Gustav Kuhn, Thomas Hengelbrock, Roman Kofman, Jakov Kreizberg, and Herbert von Karajan. Operatic roles include Rigoletto, Faninal, Count Almaviva, Schaunard, Father (Hänsel und Gretel), Scarpia, Tonio, Alfio, Germont, Renato, Luna, Jago, Falstaff, Amfortas, Amonasro, Pizarro, Jochanaan, Telramund, the four villains in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, title roles of Der fliegende Holländer as well as Holofernes, a seldom-performed opera by Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek, etc. After receiving multiple critic nominations as “Best Singer of Nordrhein-Westphalia” for his portrayal of the title role in Szymanowski’s Król Roger (sung in Polish), Mark Morouse also sang the title role in d’Albert’s Der Golem, as well as Peter in Schreker’s Irrelohe – both productions winning prizes for the best CD-recording in opera (“Echo Klassik” and “Preis der deutschen Schallplattenindustrie” in 2010 and 2011).