Tom Goerz
Thomas Goerz, bass-baritone, is an outstanding singing-actor who excels in both opera and musical theatre. With clarity of voice and character, he has shone in such roles as Dr. Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro with Vancouver Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria; Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking in Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver; and Titurel in Parsifal at Quebec’s Festival Lanaudière conducted by Yannick Nezet-Sequin.
Recent season highlights included Simone in the Canadian Opera Company’s digital production of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Pacific Opera Victoria’s Don Giovanni as the Commendatore, and joining Edmonton Opera as Benoit/Alcindoro in their February 2022 production of Puccini’s La bohème, a role he returned to in 2023 for Montreal’s Orchestre Philharmonique et Choeur des Mélomanes. Other recent engagements of note are Susannah with Manitoba Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia with Vancouver Opera, and appearing with both Opera on the Avalon and the National Arts Centre for their productions of Ours.
Mr. Goerz sang Lord Rochefort in Anna Bolena with the Canadian Opera Company, Lodovico in Otello with Vancouver Opera, and was the Orest cover in Elektra with the Canadian Opera Company. Mr. Goerz has appeared with the Canadian Opera Company as Baron Douphol in La traviata and in Vancouver Opera’s production of a new work, Dark Sisters. Other recent highlights include Zuniga in Carmen for Vancouver Opera, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Edmonton Opera and the role of Father Palmer in Kevin Puts' Silent Night for Opéra de Montréal.
Thomas was heard at the Elora Festival in the title role of Mikado, for Calgary Opera as the Sergeant in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, as Sacristan in Tosca and Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro for Pacific Opera Victoria and a reprise of his role in Dead Man Walking, this time for Opéra de Montréal.
During his distinguished career, he has been engaged at the Metropolitan Opera covering such roles as Sulpice in La fille du régiment, Lord Krishna in Satyagraha by Glass and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte. Frequently engaged by all the major opera companies in Canada, his extensive repertoire includes Mikado and Pooh Bah in Mikado, Rocco in Fidelio, Publio in La clemenza di Tito, der Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg, Tovey in Mines of Sulphur, Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nikitich in Boris Godunov, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Tod in Der Kaiser von Atlantis and in the world premiere of Bramwell Tovey’s Lillian Alling at Vancouver Opera.
In the United States, he has appeared with the Cincinnati Opera, Virginia Opera, Washington Opera, Bard Festival, Central City Opera and Glimmerglass Opera.
An accomplished oratorio singer, Goerz’ repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Johannes Passion (Christus & arias),Weihnachtsoratorium, and Magnificat, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, and Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with groups such as the Toronto Symphony, Les Violon du Roy, Vancouver Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Québec Symphony, Mendelssohn Choir, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Vancouver Bach Choir, and the Grand Philharmonic Choir. Mr. Goerz has also performed with the Japan Philharmonic at the Takefu International Music Festival under Chosei Komatsu. He made his debut with the Costa Rica Symphony singing the Mozart Requiem and can be heard on NAXOS’ recording of Bach Cantatas for Advent.
Several key roles at the Banff Summer Festival marked Mr. Goerz’s earliest successes, starting with his personal favourite – Bottom in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by the late Colin Graham, George III in Eight Songs for a Mad King by Maxwell Davies, and Ari Onassis in the Canadian premiere of Jackie O directed by Nicholas Muni.
Mr. Goerz’s range is further demonstrated in an extensive repertoire of operetta and musical theatre. With Vancouver Opera he has performed Mr. Peachum in Weill’s Threepenny Opera directed by Morris Panych. His Gilbert & Sullivan roles now number 17 including Dick Deadeye in H.M.S. Pinafore at Canada’s renowned Stratford Festival. He is well remembered as the villainous Inspector Javert in the original Canadian cast of Les Misérables at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre. He fought many windmills as Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha with Theatre Aquarius and toured to Singapore and Hong Kong as M. Firmin in Phantom of the Opera.
August 2024
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““It’s Canadian bass Thomas Goerz, as the craven prison warden, Rocco, who shines brightest in Hundeling’s [as Leonora] glow. Goerz, who gave a delightful comic performance as Pooh-Bah in Edmonton Opera’s Mikado earlier this year, is subtle and moving here, as a low-level official, corrupted by love of money, who rediscovers his humanity and redeems his soul, thanks to the moral example of his prospective son-in-law Fidelio — who is, of course, Leonore in disguise.”
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““VO favourite Goerz makes a hilariously bumbling Bartolo, while grounding the ensemble numbers in his rich bass-baritone.”
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