ADRIAN THOMPSON

London-born Adrian Thompson is an artist of extraordinary versatility with wide- ranging opera, concert and recital repertoire. He trained at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he is now a professor of vocal studies.

His opera appearances have included the title role of Peter Grimes, Skuratov From the House of The Dead for Oper Frankfurt; Snout A Midsummer Night’s Dream for La Scala, Milan; Mao Nixon in China and 1st Jew Salome for Canadian Opera Company; Monostatos Die Zauberflöte, 1st Jew Salome, Arv in Nielsen's Maskarade and Valzacchi Der Rosenkavalier at the Royal Opera House; Scribe Khovanshchina and Lilaque Pere Boulevard Solitude for Welsh National Opera, Esslinger Die Meistersinger and School Teacher The Cunning Little Vixen at Glyndebourne, Michael Jarrell’s Galilée and Rev. Adams Peter Grimes (Runnicles) for Grand Théatre de Genève; Mime Das Rheingold and Siegfried for Nederlandse Reisopera; the title role of Janacek's The Diary of One who Disappeared both in Brussels and the Aix- en-Provence Festival; Vitek The Makropulos Case for Angers/Nantes Opera; Zivny in Janacek's Osud and Midas in Die Liebe Der Danae for Garsington Opera, concert performances of Grigory Boris Godunov at The Brighton Festival and Big Prisoner From the House of the Dead for Opéra National du Rhin Strasbourg. He has also

performed with Badisches Staatstheater, Karlsruhe, Oper der Stadt Köln, Staatstheater Stuttgart, at the Bregenz Festival, Théatre des Champs Elysées, New Israeli Opera, and The Netherlands Opera. Further engagements include Albert Herring with BBC Symphony Orchestra, Noctambulist Louise for Buxton Festival, Shabby Peasant Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk for English National Opera, Eisslinger Die Meistersinger for the Glyndebourne Festival, Shapkin From the House of the Dead at the Savonlinna Festival and at the Brno Festival and Mr Upfold Albert Herring for The Grange Festival.

Adrian Thompson has performed with all the major British orchestras and ensembles and his international engagements have taken him all over the world. During his career he has worked with many distinguished conductors: Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Trevor Pinnock, Harry Christophers, Sir Andrew Davis, Richard Hickox, Sir Colin Davis and Philippe Herreweghe. In the contemporary field he has performed Lutoslawski's Paroles Tisées with Oliver Knussen and The London Sinfonietta, recorded Judith Weir's A Night at the Chinese Opera and has given many first performances of works by British and European composers. His recent concert highlights include Janacek's Glagolitic Mass with the Hallé Orchestra/Mark Elder, Dream of Gerontius with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Christopher Seaman and at the Royal Festival Hall and War Requiem at the Barbican Centre, London. He is particularly associated with the works of Britten and Elgar and his repertoire also includes Beethoven Symphony No 9, Verdi Requiem and Mahler Das Lied von der Erde as well as the Evangelists of Bach's St John and St Matthew Passions.

A very experienced recitalist, Adrian Thompson has made many appearances at the Wigmore Hall and at festivals in the UK and Europe with pianists Graham Johnson, Iain Burnside and Roger Vignoles and harpist Osian Ellis, also appearing in recital recently with Roger Braun at the Concertgebouw. He has recorded discs of works by Vaughan Williams and Gurney, a volume in the acclaimed Complete Schubert Edition and Janácek's The Eternal Gospel with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for Hyperion, Warlock’s The Curlew for Collins Classics and Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin for Pickwick. He appears in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Virgin Classics, Vaughan Williams’ The Pilgrim’s Progress, Sir John in Love for Chandos and in Handel’s Rodelinda for Virgin Classics. His discography also includes Britten’s Serenade, Les Illuminations and Nocturne, and Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang for Naxos.

Recent engagements for Grange Park Opera include Tichon Katja Kabanova, Trinculo in the world premier of Antony Bolton’s Island of Dreams, the roles of Student, Composer, Spotček, Vojta of the Peacocks, Rainček and Mirosl in Janáček's The Excursions of Mr. Brouček and Boyar Nikita Matuta in Rimsky-Korsakov's Ivan the Terrible. Other recent highlights include performances at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre of Scott Stromans’s comic opera, The Weekend, Judith Weir’s In the Land of Uz at the BBC Proms, Scribe Khovanshchina and Shapkin From the House of the Dead for Welsh National Opera, Don Basilio Le Nozze di Figaro with Irish National Opera and Monostatos Die Zauberflöte and Bardolfo Falstaff for Garsington Opera, Monostatos for Scottish Opera and Mime Das Rheingold at the Royal Festival Hall (LPO/Jurowski).

Highlights of the 2024-25 season include returns to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Basilio Le nozze di Figaro and to Grange Park Opera as Goro Madama Butterfly.