American baritone Markus Beam is rapidly establishing himself as an up and coming force on the international operatic scene.
He was until recently a member the Deutsche Oper Berlin where he sang such roles as Silvio in I Pagliacci with José Cura, the Baritone Soloist in a staged version Orff’s Carmina Burana, Donner in Wagner’s Das Rheingold as part of the entire Ring cycle, the leading role in a Deutsche Oper premiere: Crisogono in Franchetti’s Germania, as well as Jake Wallace in La Fanciulla del West, and Graf Dominik in Arabella. In Spring 2008, Mr. Beam sang Schaunard in La bohème in a new Andreas Homoki production with the Komische Oper Berlin, followed by performances of Schaunard with Oper Leipzig. He will join Lyric Opera of Kansas City to sing the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance in April 2009.
While at the Deutsche Oper, Mr. Beam also sang the roles of Bill in Weill’s Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, Geronte in Manon Lescaut, Marullo in Rigoletto, Wagner in Faust, Baron Douphol in La Traviata, the German premiere Sophie’s Choice, in addition to covering the roles of Papageno, Valentin, and Schaunard.
In the summer of 2007, he sang Schaunard in La bohème with Santa Fe Opera, and has appeared as Russell Paxton in Lady in the Dark with Teatro dell’Opera in Rome and with Teatro Massimo in Palermo; Happy in La Fanciulla del West in Concert in his Carnegie Hall debut with Eve Queler and Opera Orchestra of New York, where he also covered Prince Ottakar in Der Freischütz, Ping in Turandot with Virginia Opera, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia with Chicago Opera Theater; Schaunard in La bohème and Antenor in Rameau’s Dardanus with Wolf Trap Opera and Pallante in Handel’s Agrippina with Glimmerglass Opera.
In addition, while completing a four year artist diploma at Philadelphia’s prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts he put into his repertoire Valentin in
Faust, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Ford in Falstaff, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro and Marcello in La bohème.
Mr. Beam completed his training at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and the young artist programs of San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera.
Mr. Beam is the recipient of numerous prizes including the Dixie Drechsler scholarship from the American Berlin Opera Foundation, a prize from the Liederkranz Foundation, Encouragement Grants from the George London Foundation, from the Marian Anderson Competition and from Opera Index; a Study Grand from the Licia Albanese/ Puccini Foundation and a Grant from the Nelson Eddy Scholarship Foundation. He is a Regional Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
