Noted by Opera News for his “strong dramatic energy,” bass Brian Kontes performs throughout this country and abroad. His current season begins with a return to Pittsburgh Opera, where he will sing the role of Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni and El Capitan in Florencia en el Amazonas. Additional highlights of the season include a return to the Metropolitan Opera in Manon Lescaut and Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Last season included debuts at San Diego Opera as Timur in Turandot, Don Fernando in Fidelio with Boston Baroque, and Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro at Pittsburgh Opera and Charlottesville Opera. He was also a guest soloist at the Shippensburg Music Festival for performances of the Brahms Requiem, and sang the role of Hogboy for the U.S. premiere of Charles Wourinenʼs Brokeback Mountain at New York City Opera. Career highlights with various orchestras and conductors at Carnegie Hall have included Mozartʼs Requiem, Haydnʼs Paukenmesse, Faureʼs Requiem, Mozartʼs Coronation Mass, Beethovenʼs 9th Symphony, Bachʼs Magnificat and Rossiniʼs Stabat Mater.