David Cushing ’00 is happily entrenched in the opera world and has been building a fabulous career for quite some time. In 2016, he performed with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in their production of Otello, then headed for Opera Tampa as Leporello in their production of Don Giovanni. Immediately after the closing matinee he was on a plane to San Francisco to work with a wonderful company called Opera Parallele, reprising his roles in Peter Maxwell-Davies' opera The Lighthouse. He has just returned from a workshop in Santa Cruz centered on a new opera, based on the Menagerie episodes of Star Trek, in the role of Spock (David confesses that he is not a Trekkie). He is currently preparing to sing both the roles of Masetto and Commendatore in a production of Don Giovanni with Bar Harbour Music Festival.
Next season, David will make his BSO debut (having made his Symphony Hall debut as bass soloist in Beethoven's 9th, while at Boston University), singing the police officer in Strauss' Rosenkavalier with Renée Fleming and Susan Graham. Following that he will sing in a production of Purcell's King Arthur with Henry Purcell Society of Boston. In 2017, David will return to Opera Tampa as Friar Laurent in their production of Romeo et Juliette, then back to his home company, Boston Lyric Opera (25 productions and counting), to sing Trulove in The Rake's Progress with Stephanie Blythe, and Dr. Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro.
David periodically checks in with his UNH roots and one of his mentors, faculty member David Ripley, bass-baritone for coaching. As he recently said in an email. “I love being reminded of my roots and times and folks I hold dear”. We can’t wait to see what comes next.
-
Written By:
Susan Adams | Music | susan.adams@unh.edu | (603) 862-2404
