+++
date = "2017-01-22T19:02:00+00:00"
discipline = "Bass"
lastmod = "2017-01-22T19:11:00+00:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1485111837245/2017-01-22---Kristinn-Sigmundsson.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2017-01-22T19:11:00+00:00"
related_companies = ["scene/companies/opra-national-de-paris.md","scene/companies/bayerische-staatsoper.md","scene/companies/semperoper-dresden.md","scene/companies/la-monnaie.md","scene/companies/los-angeles-opera.md","scene/companies/san-francisco-opera.md","scene/companies/houston-grand-opera.md"]
slug = "kristinn-sigmundsson"
title = "Kristinn Sigmundsson"
+++

Lauded for his portrayal of Baron Ochs in *Der Rosenkavalier* that he “dealt in revelations,” the Financial Times further praises Icelandic bass Kristinn Sigmundsson, “His tone dark and his dynamic range broad, he exuded raw power, crusty lust and comic bravado, all reinforced by a trace of gravitas.” 

In the 2015-16 season, he joins the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for Hunding in excerpts of *Die Walküre* and sings Melchthal in *Guillaume Tell* and the Grand Inquisitor in *Don Carlos* at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Rocco in *Fidelio* at the Caramoor International Music Festival, and Don Basilio in *Il barbiere di Siviglia* with Íslenska óperan. In addition, his summer performances include returns to the Cincinnati May Festival for the final season of Music Director James Conlon, in which he will sing Dvořák’s *Stabat Mater* and the Grant Park Music Festival for Méphistophélès in *La damnation de Faust*. Future seasons include performances at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Staatsoper Hamburg, and with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Last season, he joined Los Angeles Opera for its trilogy of Beaumarchais operas as he sang Don Basilio in *Il barbiere di Siviglia*, Louis XVI in Corigliano’s *The Ghosts of Versailles*, and Doctor Bartolo in *Le nozze di Figaro*. He also sang King Philip in *Don Carlo* with Íslenska óperan and returned to both the Ravinia Festival as Daland in *Der fliegende Holländer* and the Cincinnati May Festival for Haydn’s *Creation*. 

As one of the world’s most sought after basses, Mr. Sigmundsson has sung nearly his entire repertoire with the Opéra National de Paris. His performances at the Metropolitan Opera include Baron Ochs in *Der Rosenkavalier*, Osmin in *Die Entführung aus dem Serail*, Hundig in *Die Walküre*, Rocco in *Fidelio*, Frère Laurent in *Roméo et Juliette*, and Vodnik in *Rusalka*. He has sung leading roles regularly with the Staatsoper Wien, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Semperoper Dresden, where his most recent performances include Méphistophélès in *La damnation de Faust*. Other recent engagements include Il Commendatore in *Don Giovanni* in Munich, Berlin and New York; Baron Ochs in *Der Rosenkavalier*, König Heinrich in *Lohengrin* and Pogner in *Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg* in Berlin; Creonte in *Medea* in Salzburg; Gurnemanz in *Parisifal* in Cologne and Florence; Zaccaria in *Nabucco* in Copenhagen, King Heinrich in *Lohengin* in Madrid San Fancisco, Los Angeles, and with the Bayerische Staatsoper both in Munich and on tour to Japan; King Marke in *Tristan und Isolde* in Santiago, Dallas, and Berlin; Hunding in *Die Walküre* in Naples, Venice and Köln; Landgraf in *Tannhäuser* in Geneva, Amsterdam, and Tokyo; Méphistophélès in *La damnation de Faust*, König Marke in *Tristan und Isolde*, Sparafucile in *Rigoletto*, Il Commendatore in *Don Giovanni*, and Baron Ochs in *Der Rosenkavalier* in San Francisco and Florence; König Heinrich in *Lohengrin* and Raimondo in *Lucia di Lammermoor* in Munich; Osmin in *Die Entführung aus dem Serail* in Naples, Sarastro in *Die Zauberflöte* in Houston, San Francisco, Toulouse, and Santiago; and Walter in concert performances of *Luisa Miller* in Cincinnati.

His concert performances include collaborations with many of the world's leading conductors including James Levine, Riccardo Muti, James Conlon, Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Charles Mackerras, Christoph von Dohnányi, Jeffrey Tate, Christoph Eschenbach, Ivor Bolton, and Marc Minkowski. He recently joined the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Budapest Festival Orchestra on tour at Avery Fisher Hall for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and sang Elgar’s *Dream of Gerontius* with the Hamburger Symphoniker, Schumann’s Geburtstag at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and Dvořák’s *Requiem* with the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale. Among his discography are commercial recordings of *Don Giovanni* and *Die Zauberflöte* with Arnold Östman (Decca) and Schreker's *Die Gezeichneten* (Deutsche Grammophon). With Frans Brueggen he has recorded both Bach’s *St. John Passion* and the *St. Matthew Passion* (Phillips). He has recorded Schumann's *Faustszenen* with Philippe Herreweghe (Harmonia Mundi) and *Fidelio* with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis.

In the early part of his career he performed principally in his native Iceland before joining the Hessische Staatstheater in Wiesbaden. His initial training was as a biologist and he taught for a few years before becoming a singer, studying first at the Reykjavik Academy of Singing and then at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria.
