JULIAN CLOSEBass
Julian Close was born in Cheshire. He gained a Doctorate in Applied Physics at the University of Leeds and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Julian has appeared with English National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera, Mid-Wales Opera, Lyric Opera Dublin, Stanley Hall Opera, English Pocket Opera, The Opera Project, Jubilee Opera and the Wexford, Buxton, Northampton, Longborough, Iford Arts and English Bach Festivals in a wide range of roles including: Fafner and Wotan DAS RHEINGOLD, Hunding DIE WALKÜRE, Fafner SIEGFRIED, Hagen GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, Titurel PARSIFAL, King Marke TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, Colonna RIENZI Dosifey KHOVANSCHINA, Vodnik RUSALKA, Commendatore DON GIOVANNI, Grand Inquisitor DON CARLOS, Pistol FALSTAFF, Quince MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, Dad in Turnage’s GREEK, Sarastro and Sprecher DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, Dr. Bartolo LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Count Walter LUISA MILLER, Nilakantha LAKME, Méphistophélès FAUST, Zuniga CARMEN, Mayor JENUFA, Collatinus THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA, Timur TURANDOT, Colline LA BOHEME, Gremin EUGENE ONEGIN, Don Basilio Il BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Ferrando IL TROVATORE, Bonze MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Luther and Crespel LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN, Sparafucile and Ceprano RIGOLETTO, Ramfis AIDA, Loredano I DUE FOSCARI, Nourabad THE PEARL FISHERS, Black Bob and Tom LET’S MAKE AN OPERA, Hercules and Charon in Handel’s ALCESTE and Prince Boland in Schubert’s FIERRABRAS.
Recent engagements include Angelotti TOSCA, Truffaldino ARIADNE AUF NAXOS and Osmin DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL for WNO, Bonze MADAMA BUTTERFLY and Commendatore DON GIOVANNI for Opera Project, King Mark in a concert performance of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE for the Northern Wagner Orchestra, Lodovico OTELLO for the BBC Philharmonica and Fafner SIEGFRIED for Longborough Festival; a role he also covered for The Metropolitan Opera, New York.
Equally at home on the concert platform, his repertoire includes Bach ST MATTHEW PASSION, ST JOHN PASSION, MAGNIFICAT, LUTHERAN MASS, Beethoven MASS IN C, Dyson CANTERBURY PILGRIMS, DREAM OF GERONTIUS, CARACTACUS, Fauré REQUIEM, Haydn CREATION, Mozart REQUIEM, C MINOR MASS and VESPERAE SOLENNES, Puccini MESSA DI GLORIA, Rossini STABAT MATER, Verdi REQUIEM, Judas THE APOSTLES, Weber’s 2nd MASS IN G MINOR and LES NOCES with the Michael Clarke Dance Company. Venues include the Royal Albert Hall, Barbican and the Lincoln Center, New York.
Future engagements include Royal Opera, Covent Garden, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and Longborough Festival. He also recently covered Fafner in the new production of SIEGFRIED the Metropolitan Opera, New York.
