Baritone Derek Welton
is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, Australia, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree
majoring in German and Linguistics, and of
the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, holding Master of Music (Vocal Studies) and Master of Music Performance (Opera Studies) degrees with Distinction. Having completed the School’s prestigious Opera Course, he is currently a Vocal Department Fellow and remains under the tutelage of Janice Chapman.Operatic roles Derek has performed include Silvano (Cavalli’s La Calisto, Early Opera Company), King Hildebrand/North Wind (Dove’s The Enchanted Pig, The Opera Group/ROH2/The Young Vic), Vertigo (Gluck’s La rencontre imprévue, Guildhall School), Mozart’s Figaro (Opera East Productions), Count Almaviva (In Good Company, Don Giovanni (Bloomsbury Opera), Masetto, Guglielmo and Papageno (Melbourne Opera Company) and Sprecher (Guildhall School), Farfarello (Prokofiev’s L’amour des trois oranges, Grange Park Opera), Bonzo (Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Grange Park Opera), Mill (Rossini’s La cambiale di matrimonio, Guildhall School), Salieri’s Falstaff (Opera Otago, New Zealand), Prince/King (Sallinen’s The King goes forth to France, Guildhall School) and Nick Shadow (Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, British Youth Opera).
Derek’s numerous competition successes include winning the Handel Singing Competition, the Australian Youth Aria, the Boroondara Eisteddfod Vocal Championship and the Geelong Aria. He has been runner up in the Herald Sun Aria and a finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, Richard Tauber Prize and the Australian Singing Competition.
A sought-after concert artist, Derek has performed as soloist at the Barbican, Bridgewater Hall, Cadogan Hall, Caird Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Sheldonian Theatre, Wigmore Hall, Hamer Hall (Melbourne) and Verbrugghen Hall (Sydney), with conductors including Nicholas Cleobury, Laurence Cummings, Christian Curnyn, Richard Egarr, Jonathan Grieves-Smith, Benjamin Northey, Paolo Olmi, Peter Robinson, Warwick Stengårds and Sir David Willcocks in the majority of the standard choral repertoire as well as a diverse range of song repertoire.
Forthcoming projects include Handel’s Messiah for the Early Opera Company in the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic in Melbourne Town Hall and the Harrow Choral Society in St Albans Cathedral, as well as Creonte in Haydn’s L’anima del filosofo, ossia Orfeo ed Euridice for Pinchgut Opera, Sydney, Pallante in Handel’s Agrippina for the Cambridge Handel Opera Group, and Donner in Wagner’s Das Rheingold for Opera North.
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Critical acclaim of Derek Welton’s performances includes the following:
‘Derek Welton, the Nick [Shadow], is a complete artist, odd to find so mature a figure in a youth opera, but one of those performers you can’t take your eyes off when he is onstage.’ (Spectator, 9 September 2009)
‘It also showcased a number of fine performances, none finer than … the baritone Derek Welton’s virile-voiced, authoritative King.’ (Opera, May 2009)
‘It portrays the transformation of the King (grippingly depicted by the fine Australian bass-baritone Derek Welton) from foppish idealist to boozed-up totalitarian monster.’ (The Times, 6 March 2009)
‘Derek Welton’s King sings with immense authority while morphing from infantile monarch to loud-mouthed sadist.’ (Financial Times, 6 March 2009)
‘In my review of the Bach Choir’s Messiah earlier this year I singled out the baritone Derek Welton for particular praise. At last Saturday’s concert Welton was again the star … Welton’s wonderfully controlled and expressive singing, clear enunciation and confident stage presence confirmed that he is a young artist with a great future … Welton’s voice seemed made for this music.’ (Oxford Times, 10 December 2008)
‘Rising Australian baritone Derek Welton is majestic in the title role … opulent, authoritative tone, liquid legato, impressive agility and near-flawless English diction combining to create a memorable performance … a natural stage animal in remarkable command of his material who deserves a shining future’ (Prima la musica, poi le parole, 27 March 2006)
‘A voice as rich and dark as the finest chocolate’ (Herald Sun, 24 October 2005)
‘A star in the making’ (The Age, 28 September 2004)
‘It also showcased a number of fine performances, none finer than … the baritone Derek Welton’s virile-voiced, authoritative King.’ (Opera, May 2009)
‘It portrays the transformation of the King (grippingly depicted by the fine Australian bass-baritone Derek Welton) from foppish idealist to boozed-up totalitarian monster.’ (The Times, 6 March 2009)
‘Derek Welton’s King sings with immense authority while morphing from infantile monarch to loud-mouthed sadist.’ (Financial Times, 6 March 2009)
‘In my review of the Bach Choir’s Messiah earlier this year I singled out the baritone Derek Welton for particular praise. At last Saturday’s concert Welton was again the star … Welton’s wonderfully controlled and expressive singing, clear enunciation and confident stage presence confirmed that he is a young artist with a great future … Welton’s voice seemed made for this music.’ (Oxford Times, 10 December 2008)
‘Rising Australian baritone Derek Welton is majestic in the title role … opulent, authoritative tone, liquid legato, impressive agility and near-flawless English diction combining to create a memorable performance … a natural stage animal in remarkable command of his material who deserves a shining future’ (Prima la musica, poi le parole, 27 March 2006)
‘A voice as rich and dark as the finest chocolate’ (Herald Sun, 24 October 2005)
‘A star in the making’ (The Age, 28 September 2004)
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