The 49th Annual Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Lecture-Performance: Nathan Gunn

Release date: March 01, 2009 |

Photo credit: Bill Phelps

Nathan Gunn, one of the most acclaimed and in-demand baritones performing today, will be the featured artist for Goucher College’s 49th Annual Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Lecture-Performance, held on Sunday, March 1, 2009, at 7 p.m. in Kraushaar Auditorium.

The performance is free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved in advance by calling 410-337-6333 or e-mailing boxoffice@goucher.edu.

Lauded by critics as one of “American’s most exciting young baritones” for his superb voice, remarkable artistry, commanding stage presence, and his charisma and appeal, Gunn has become one of the most sought-after vocalists. He also has attracted a loyal following of fans who refer to him as “Top Gunn.”

In 2008, he completed a demanding run of performances, starring as Figaro in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” as the title role in a concert version of “Billy Budd” at the London Symphony Orchestra, and as Lancelot in semi-staged performances of “Camelot” at the New York Philharmonic, which were broadcast live on PBS’s “Great Performances.”

A frequent interpreter of new works, Gunn created the role of Father Delura in Peter Eötvös’ “Love and Other Demons” at the 2008 Glyndebourne Opera Festival in East Sussex, England, and he conceived the character Alec Harvey in André Previn’s “Brief Encounter” at the Houston Grand Opera. Gunn made his début at the Los Angeles Opera as Papageno in “Die Zauberflöte,” and he returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Zurga in “Les pêcheurs de perles” and to the Opera Company of Philadelphia as Tarquinius in “The Rape of Lucrecita.”

He also made four separate appearances at Carnegie Hall: concerts with both the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Stern Auditorium, his recital début in Zankel Hall, and as Gaylord Ravenal in a concert version of the Broadway musical “Showboat.”

In 2007, Gunn helped bring opera to expanded audiences around the globe when he played Mercutio in “Roméo et Juliette” at the Metropolitan Opera. The show was broadcast live in high definition in movie theaters worldwide and was seen by nearly 100,000 viewers.

Since making his operatic début at the Metropolitan Opera in 1995, Gunn has appeared in such internationally renowned opera houses as San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Royal Opera House, Paris Opera, and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels.

Also a distinguished concert performer, he has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been presented in recital by Lincoln Center’s Art of the Song Series, the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Cal Performances, the Schubert Club, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Vocal Arts Society in Washington, DC.

Also a recording artist, Gunn most recently released a solo album titled “Just Before Sunrise” in August 2007. Other recording credits include the opera “Peter Grimes” with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, which was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award; “Il Barbiere di Siviglia;” “Kullervo” with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; and his début album, a collection of songs titled “American Anthem.” He also starred as Buzz Aldrin in “Man on the Moon,” an opera written specifically for television and broadcast on the BBC in December 2006. The program was awarded the Golden Rose Award for Opera at the Montreux Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Gunn won the first Beverly Sills Artist Award and the Pittsburgh Opera Renaissance Award. He is an alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artists Program and was the winner of the 1994 Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition. He is also an alumnus of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where he was awarded a professorship in 2007.

For almost five decades, the annual Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Lecture-Performance has featured notable musicians, including Marilyn Horne, Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, Aaron Copland, Ravi Shankar, and Cyrus Chestnut. Established in 1959 with a gift from the Louis and Henrietta Blaustein Foundation, the Rosenberg Lecture-Performance honors the late Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg, the latter a 1921 Goucher alumna.