“The singers were impressive too especially Michael Mofidian, a young Scottish-Iranian bass whose big, suave voice should take him far”
Richard Morrison, The Times
Praised by The Times for his ‘immense, dark-hued voice that’s even-toned from top to (very deep) bottom’ and compared by a number of critics to Samuel Ramey, Michael Mofidian is increasingly in demand in opera, concert and recital.
In the 2023/24 season he makes his début at Teatro Real, Madrid as Créon (Medea), returns to Covent Garden as Colline (La Bohème) and Der Pfleger des Orest (Elektra), makes his German operatic début as Polyphemus (Acis and Galatea) in Potsdam, and makes his role début as Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress) at the Grange Festival. In concert he sings Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the RSNO at the Edinburgh International Festival under Sir Andrew Davis, Haydn’s Creation in his début performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner and Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.
His roles for major companies in upcoming seasons include the title roles in Le nozze di Figaro and Rossini Il Turco in Italia, this latter being his first significant role in the Rossinian repertoire to which his substantial but agile voice is particularly suited. He will also make his debut in a new production at Bayerische Staatsoper under Vladimir Jurowsky.
His operatic engagements in previous seasons include returns to Covent Garden as Colline (2022) and Masetto (Don Giovanni, 2021), his Scottish Opera début as Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), his début at the Opéra de Rouen as Theseus (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), a return to the Glyndebourne Festival as Masetto while also covering Leporello, and, at the Salzburg Festival, Angelotti (Tosca) and Kuligin (Kat’a Kabanová) under the respective bâtons of Marco Armiliato and Jakub Hruša.
In the 2021/22 season Michael Mofidian was engaged by the Grand Théâtre de Genève as a member of their ensemble, appearing in many productions.
In 2018 he was a Jerwood Young Artist at Glyndebourne Festival and from 2018 to 2020 he was a member of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden performing many roles under conductors such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Antonio Pappano, Edward Gardner, Alexander Joel, Julia Jones and Richard Farnes.
He has performed as soloist for First Night of the BBC Proms in 2021 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Dalia Stasevska and returned in 2023 for Beethoven 9 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ryan Wigglesworth.
He also made his debut with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome as the Mandarin in a concert performance and CD recording of Turandot under Sir Antonio Pappano.
Michael recently made his début at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro in the rarely-performed Cantata in onore del sommo pontifice Pio IX.
A keen recitalist and passionate advocate of art song, Michael has performed in recital with pianists Keval Shah, Jâms Coleman, Sholto Kynoch, Julia Lynch, Julius Drake and Malcolm Martineau at venues including the Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square in London, the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, City Halls Glasgow and at the Oxford Lieder and Leeds Lieder festivals. He has been broadcast numerous times on BBC Radio 3.
In addition to singing he is also a composer who has written orchestral works, chamber music, songs and pieces for vocal ensemble.
Michael was born in Glasgow and graduated from the University of Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music, where he was awarded the Pavarotti Prize in 2017. In 2018 he won the Singers’ Prize in the Royal Over-Seas League Competition and the Bruce Millar Gulliver Prize.
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Créon, Médée
Teatro Real, Madrid, September 2023
Michael Mofidian was a noble-voiced Créon.
Victoria Stapells, Opera Magazine
Don Giovanni
Glyndebourne Festival, May 2023
In a cast whose youth makes sense of the sex-driven fable, these eye-catching rising artists are joined by other fresh faces, including the very impressive Royal Opera-trained bass Michael Mofidian as bridegroom Masetto
Claudia Pritchard, Culture Whisper
St Johns Passion Bach
Barbican 7 April 2023
“The mahogany darkness of Michael Mofidian’s bass ensured that this Christ had an implacable presence, his words imbued with conviction and truth.”
Claire Seymore, Opera Today
Messiah
Dunedin Consort, Scottish Tour, December 2022
Bass-baritone Michael Mofidian’s splendidly muscular deep voice brought character, truly “shaking the nations” with a darkness as black as ink. A powerfully lyrical “The trumpet shall sound” was a highlight, Paul Sharp’s note-perfect trumpet blending impeccably.
David Smythe, Bachtrack
La Bohème (Colline)
Royal Opera House Covent Garden, October 2022
promising bass Michael Mofidian sings Colline’s short aria bidding farewell to his winter coat with a simple dignity
Richard Fairman, The Financial Times
Michael Mofidian's grandly sung Colline [...] completed a coherent quartet
George Hall, Opera Magazine
Le Maire (Jenůfa )
Grand-Théâtre de Genève, May 2022
Michael Mofidian et Céline Kot personnifient dignement le maire du village et sa femme.
Michael Mofidian and Céline Kot interpret the village's mayor and his wife with dignity.
Paul-Andre Demierre, Crescendo Magazine
"les voix belles et timbrées de [...] Michael Mofidian (le maire)"
The beautiful and warmly coloured voices of [...] Michael Mofidian (the mayor)
Charles Sigel, Forum Opera
On notera les prestations remarquées même si de courtes durées [...] de la basse Michael Modifian (le maire du village) dont le charme vocal ne cesse de nous plaire.
One particularly notices the short but significant performances [...] of bass, Michael Mofidian (the village mayor), whose vocal charm pleases us to no end.
Jacques Schmitt, Resmusica
LULLY Atys, Idas & Phobétor
Geneva Grand Theatre, Jeune Ensemble (March 2022)
Michael Mofidian (Idas / Phobétor) donne un charme particulier à la scène du sommeil d’Atys par son timbre profond et noir, son legato et sa longueur de souffle, apportant une noblesse à ses quelques phrases.
Michael Mofidian (Idas / Phobétor) gives a special charm to Atys' sleep scene with its deep, black timbre, legato and breath length, bringing nobility to his few sentences.
CJM, Olyrix
Parmi les autres rôles, on ne peut passer sous silence le baryton-basse Michael Mofidian (Idas/Phobétor/Un songe funeste) dont la voix profonde chargée d’harmoniques, timbrée à souhait, parfaitement conduite, la diction impeccable rappelle, dans un tout autre registre, l’admirable Samuel Ramey dont les murs de l’institution lyrique genevoise vibrent encore d’un souvenir vivace.
Among the other roles, we cannot ignore the bass-baritone Michael Mofidian (Idas/Phobétor/Un songe fatale) whose deep voice charged with harmonics, stamped at will, perfectly conducted, the impeccable diction recalls, in a completely different register, the admirable Samuel Ramey whose walls of the Geneva opera still vibrate with a vivid memory.
Jacques Schmitt, Res Musica
Bizet Les Pêcheurs de perles, Nourabad
Geneva Grand Theatre, Jeune Ensemble (December 2021)
De son côté, Michael Mofidian se révèle le plus intéressant des personnages, bien que le moins exposé de la distribution. Son Nourabad rayonne naturellement, avec solidité, sur une remarquable voix sombre. Comme ses collègues masculins de plateau, le Britannique offre une articulation et une diction claires, qui rendent le texte intelligible sans avoir à consulter les surtitres, ce qui n’est pas rien.
For his part, Michael Mofidian is the most interesting of the characters, although the least exposed of the cast. His Nourabad radiates naturally, with solidity, on a remarkable dark voice. Like his male set colleagues, the Briton offers a clear articulation and diction, which makes the text intelligible without having to consult the surtitles, which is not nothing.
Sylvie Bonier, Le Temps
…l’impeccable Michael Mofidian aux graves de bronzes dans “Sombres divinités”.
…the impeccable Michael Mofidian with bronze bass in "Dark Deities".
Charles Sigel, Forum Opera
On signalera aussi la belle prestation de Michael Mofidian en Nourabad aux graves percutants.
We will also mention the beautiful performance of Michael Mofidian in Nourabad with striking bass.
Claudio Poloni, Concerto Net
A ses côtés, la basse britannique Michael Mofidian (Nourabad) fait aussi preuve d’une belle tenue vocale ainsi que d’une impeccable prononciation de la langue française.
At his side, the British bass Michael Mofidian (Nourabad) also shows a beautiful vocal hold as well as an impeccable pronunciation of the French language.
Jacques Schmitt, Res Musica
Le quatuor vocal met en valeur l’élégant baryton-basse Michael Mofidian…
The vocal quartet showcases elegant bass-baritone Michael Mofidian…
Vincent Borel, Concert Classic
Charming, spry Michael Mofidian sounded fantastic as Nourabad, and brought lightness and good humour to every scene he was in.
Elodie Olson-Coons, Bachtrack
Michael Mofidian's Nourabad possesses the authority and peremptory declamation of the high priest.
Paul-André Demierre, Crescendo Magazine
Mozart Cosi fan tutte, Don Alfonso
Lammermuir Festival, Scottish Opera (September 2021)
Michael Mofidian, a puckish Don Alfonso (the game show host), and Catriona Hewitson, an agile all-purpose Despina, are class manipulators.
Ken Walton, The Scotsman
Donizetti's Anna Bolena, Lord Rochefort
Geneva Grand Theatre, Jeune Ensemble (October 2021)
…bass-baritone Michael Mofidian (Lord Rochefort), the Grand Théâtre de Genève integrates a very beautiful voice into its Jeune Ensemble.
Jacques Schmitt, Res Musica
In Lord Rochefort, the Scotser Michael Mofidian also manages to exist fully, with his robust bass-baritone instrument and this ability to fully enter the role of a bruised brother, ready, remaining proud and standing, to face death.
Pierre Géraudie, Olyrix
Michael Mofidian Repertoire
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