One of America’s most accomplished and acclaimed tenors, Mark Thomsen enjoys a successful career in the United States and abroad. The Dallas Morning News describes him as acquiring “...a strong Italianate voice and a physical presence to match” and Opera News says he is “...a winning hero...with pleasing lyrical sweetness and no straining for effect...he played the character convincingly.” Often working repetitively with major companies, Mr. Thomsen has performed to much success with New York City Opera in the title role in La Clemenza di Tito, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Alfredo in La Traviata, Camille in The Merry Widow, Nadir in Les pecheurs de perles, the Prince in The Student Prince, and the premiere of Argento’s Casanova. He is a house favorite at the Santa Fe Opera performing in over 15 productions, and at Dallas Opera where he has performed the Doctor in Argento’s The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, as well as with the Houston Grand Opera as Don Ottavio, Faust, Tamino, Ferrando, Belmonte and Des Grieux.

Most recent engagements include Don Jose in Carmen with and with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (cover), Nicias in Thais with Boston Lyric Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Spoleto Festival, USA, Don Jose in Carmen with Dallas Opera, the title role in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Opera Lyra Ottawa, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Carolina, Danilo in The Merry Widow and Rodolfo in La Boheme with Indianapolis Opera, Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Orlando Opera, Belmonte in The Abduction from the Seraglio with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Cleveland Opera.

Engagements for the 2006-2007 Season and beyond include Don Jose in Carmen with Indianapolis Opera, Nicias in Thais with Palm Beach Opera, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Manitoba Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Naples Opera and with Emerald City Opera, Duke in Rigoletto with Fargo Moorhead Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Opera Lyra Ottawa, and Alfredo in La traviata with the Sugar Creek Symphony and Song, among several other concert engagements.

Mr. Thomsen has performed with the Santa Fe Opera as Flamand in Capriccio, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, the title role in the American Premiere of von Bose’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, Henry Morosus in Die Schweigsame Frau, the Steuermann in Der fliegende Holländer, Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, a Strauss double-bill of Friedenstag and Feuersnot, Daniel in the American premiere of Siegfried Matthus’s Judith, Millais in the world premiere of David Lang’s Modern Painters and the world premiere of Peter Lieberson’s Ashoka’s Dream. Additional notable engagements have included the title role in the American premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s The Picture of Dorian Gray with Florentine Opera, Camp Williams in Cold Sassy Tree with both Austin Lyric Opera and Kansas City Opera, Lenski in Eugene Onegin with Indianapolis Opera, the title role in Werther and Jenik in The Bartered Bride with Washington Opera, Lennie in Of Mice and Men and the title role in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Edmonton Opera, Fenton in Falstaff with Opera Omaha, and Romeo in Romeo et Juliette with Portland Opera.

Mr. Thomsen made his European debut in the world premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s A Quiet Place, televised live in Europe and recorded by the Deutsche Grammophon and subsequently performed at the Teatro alla Scala and at the Kennedy Center. Other European engagements have included Don Ottavio in Don Giovannni, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Stanislaus in Der Vögelhandler, René in The Count of Luxembourg, Simon in The Beggar Student, and the Count in A Night in Venice all with the Vienna Volksoper. He has performed Alfred in Die Fledermaus and Camille in The Merry Widow on the Volksoper tour to Japan, joined the Vienna Staatsoper as Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and made his Opéra de Nantes debut as Belmonte in Die Entfürung aus dem Serail.

Sept. 08