One Of The World's Great Opera Voices Hails From An Unexpected Place

MUNICH, Germany — Nicholas Brownlee had conscionable fallen successful emotion pinch opera and was eager to spot if his emerging bass-baritone sound could grip Richard Wagner’s music. It did not spell well.

“I kept reference really you person to hold to singing this large repertoire,” Brownlee said. But location was 1 spot of Wagner — Wolfram’s “Song to nan Evening Star” from “Tannhäuser” — that’s “a small spot lighter. I figured it was much appropriate.”

So he brought it to his teacher, Thomas Rowell, astatine nan University of South Alabama and asked what he thought.

“I conscionable laughed astatine him and told him to spell away,” Rowell recalled. “He knew that large sound was there, and he was truthful eager to effort connected nan clothes, but they didn’t fresh for a while. It was still a very young instrument.”

Reminded of that speech astir 20 years later, Brownlee smiles. “I was a spot ambitious,” he said. “But this was conscionable me.”

Now that ambition — what he calls “a occurrence successful my belly that burns brighter each day,” — has helped propel Brownlee to nan very apical of his occupation astatine property 37. And he’s done it by singing a batch of Wagner.

Brownlee precocious made his debut arsenic Wotan, embattled king of nan gods, successful “Die Walküre” astatine nan Bavarian State Opera House, portion 2 of a complete “Ring” rhythm directed by Tobias Kratzer. He had antecedently sung nan domiciled successful “Das Rheingold,” nan opera that opens nan cycle.

The critics reached for superlatives. “A heroic baritone consecutive retired of a textbook,” wrote Markus Thiel successful Merkur, “with a powerful, resonant voice, a unit of nature.” Carlota Moseguí successful Platea Magazine praised his sound and said Brownlee “possesses each nan qualities to go nan definitive Wotan of his generation.”

Next, Brownlee heads to nan Wagner shrine successful Bayreuth, Germany, wherever he will prima arsenic nan title characteristic successful “Der Fliegende Holländer” (“The Flying Dutchman.”) And his upcoming play is 1 Wotan aft another.

“It’ll beryllium ‘Siegfried’ clip successful Munich, past ‘Walküre’ clip successful Buenos Aires, past ‘Rheingold’ clip successful Barcelona,” he said. Add to that 2 of nan “Ring” operas successful Frankfurt and past 2 complete cycles adjacent summertime backmost successful Munich.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime point to person a student who goes that far, particularly from a mini location authorities assemblage for illustration ours,” said Rowell, who remains adjacent friends pinch Brownlee and officiated his wedding to mezzo-soprano Jennifer Feinstein. “I person to pinch myself. I’m enjoying it vicariously.”

Does Brownlee interest astatine each astir damaging his sound from truthful overmuch dense singing?

“I don’t deliberation you’re expected to opportunity this, but no, not really,” he replied. “We for illustration to put this large stamp connected Wagner and opportunity ‘Be Careful!’” But he said he finds nan demands of each opera different capable to thief him debar burnout.

Still, he promises that his roles nan pursuing play will beryllium much varied, including a return to 1 of his favorites — Baron Scarpia successful Puccini’s “Tosca.” And down nan roadworthy are 2 Verdi roles — nan villainous Iago successful “Otello” and nan comic Falstaff.

Of nan latter, he said, “I want to flex a different muscle. I talk fast, I’m a bubbly, nosy guy, but what I do connected shape is truthful superior each nan time. Boy it would beryllium nosy to conscionable beryllium a jolly fat guy!”

Just really did a boy from a working-class family successful a mini municipality extracurricular Mobile, Ala., go 1 of a fistful of go-to singers successful nan world for these demanding roles?

His first occurrence arsenic a vocalist really came arsenic nan youngest grandchild successful a ample extended family, performing Conway Twitty imitations to drawback attention. Classical euphony had to hold until he fell nether nan spell of his precocious schoolhouse choral director.

When he went to college, he planned to study conducting, but Rowell heard him singing and cajoled him into joining nan Mobile Opera chorus.

“I went successful nan first time and I hated it,” Brownlee recalled. “I said, this is successful Italian, who cares? That’s for stuffy elite people, not for america blue-collar fellas.”

Still, his curiosity made him wished to fig retired why immoderate group loved nan creation form. So he sat by nan broadside of nan shape 1 nighttime to watch nan affectional last segment of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” erstwhile nan heroine dies aft being reunited pinch her lover.

“When she said, ‘O, gioia!’ and she fell into his arms, and now she’s dead, Alfredo’s weeping complete her, and Germont is emotion half-responsible, I was weeping uncontrollably,” he said. “And I didn’t moreover cognize what they were saying.”

That’s erstwhile he started taking sound lessons, and from location followed years of study and apprenticeships some successful nan U.S. and later successful Germany. Along nan measurement he competed doubly successful nan Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions.

The first time, still successful his early 20s, he made it to nan semifinals successful New York. “I did not spell connected to nan finals, which was perfectly correct,” he said. “Failure is simply a awesome lesson.” (Coincidentally, 1 of nan winners that twelvemonth was Ryan Speedo Green, who performed Wotan successful May astatine Walt Disney Hall and will bein nan Met’s upcoming “Ring” cycle.)

Brownlee returned successful 2015, and this clip he took location 1 of nan apical prizes. Other awards person followed, including successful 2025, champion antheral vocalist astatine nan International Opera Awards and nan Richard Tucker Award for astir promising American singer.

Yet this American vocalist is still hardly known to astir opera audiences successful his autochthonal country. Brownlee’s profession has truthful acold been mostly successful Germany, wherever he and Feinstein are raising their 2 daughters and are presently applying for dual citizenship.

“I tin execute anyplace successful Europe and beryllium location successful 2 hours to spot my girls,” he said. “In America that’s conscionable not thing you tin do.”

He whitethorn beryllium rooted successful Europe for now, but awesome U.S. houses are beckoning pinch expanding urgency.

When he appeared astatine Chicago’s Lyric Opera this past outpouring arsenic nan prophet Jochanaan successful Richard Strauss’ “Salome,” wide head John Mangum called his capacity “absolutely thrilling.” He said Brownlee is “definitely going beryllium astatine nan apical of our list” arsenic nan institution charts its early Wagner performances.

And Peter Gelb, nan Met’s wide manager, who heard him singing a awesome domiciled for nan first clip during nan Munich tally of “Walküre,” said “I was blown away. … We’ll decidedly beryllium offering him large roles astatine nan Met successful upcoming seasons.”

Silverman writes for nan Associated Press.