Patrick Carfizzi
About
Praised for his “vibrant” performances (The New York Times), his “handsome” and “impressive bass” (Opera Today), and his “rich, agile sound” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi celebrates his 25th anniversary season at the Metropolitan Opera, where he has given over 400 performances. This season, he returns there as the Sacristan in Tosca, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marco Armiliato, and Xian Zhang, alongside Sondra Radvanovsky, Lise Davidsen, and Aleksandra Kurzak over the course of thirteen performances. He sings Agata in Viva la Mamma and the title role in Cimarosa’s Il maestro di cappella at Florentine Opera and he returns to the Met for Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Sivigila, his first performance of this signature role at the company. In the summer months, he sings the title role in Don Pasquale at Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
In the 2023-2024 season, he made his company debut at LA Opera as Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia and returned the Metropolitan Opera as the Speaker in The Magic Flute and Fra Melitone in a new production of La Forza del Destino, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He also joined San Francisco Opera for Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, and sang Leporello in Don Giovanni at Boston Baroque. Over the summer, he returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville.
The season prior, Mr. Carfizzi sang Swallow in Peter Grimes and the Sacristan in Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera. He also returned to Houston Grand Opera as both Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro and Bailli in Werther, and returned to the Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, conducted by Andris Nelsons. He also sang Dr. Bartolo with Florentine Opera and Don Magnifico in Cenerentola with Opera Maine.
At the Metropolitan Opera, his home house, his recent roles include the Sacristan in Tosca, the Speaker in The Magic Flute, Brander in La damnation de Faust, and the Lackey in Ariadne auf Naxos. In the 2020-2021 season, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as both Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro and Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, returned to San Diego Opera to reprise his celebrated Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and sang Dr. Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore in a recording made with Seattle Opera. He had also been scheduled to join the Metropolitan Opera as Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Houston Grand Opera as Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, and Arizona Opera as Dr. Dulcamara. The season prior, he returned to Minnesota Opera as Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and had been scheduled to sing Dr. Dulcamara at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.