CRAIG IRVIN
BARITONE
BIOGRAPHY
Craig Irvin brings a vibrant sound and commitment to character to a wide variety of repertoire. Opera News has praised his “rich, resonant baritone” while the Dallas Morning News has noted his “truly commanding baritone.” Mr. Irvin most recently returned to The Atlanta Oper in his role début as Jack Torrance in The Shining, to Madison Opera as Scarpia in Tosca, and reprised his Older Thompson in Glory Denied with Annapolis Opera and his Pirate King in The Pirate of Penzance with Kentucky Opera. Additional recent engagements include his role début as Jochanaan in Salome with Madison Opera, his role début as Older Thompson in Glory Denied with Knoxville Opera and Permian Basin Opera, Maximillian in Candide with the Atlanta Opera, the Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods with Tulsa Opera, and an appearance with the New West Symphony in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. In the summer of 2024 Craig made his Glimmerglass Opera début singing the Pirate King in their Pirates of Penzance as well as Giove in La Callisto. The 2024-2055 season brings his Pirate King in Knoxville Opera’s Pirates of Penzance, a role and house debut as Kenny Kencaid in Shawn Okpebholo and Mark Campbell’s The Cook Off with Nashville Opera, Maximillian and Captain in Candide with Opera Tampa, Thalasso in the premiere of The Pigeon Keeper with Opera Parallèle, and concert appearances with the Des Moines Symphony for Orff’s Carmina Burana and the Madison Symphony Orchestra for their Christmas Concert.
READ MORE
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"... rings into the hall like a clarion call…” – The Cap Times
Salome – “Sparks fly between Majeski and the impressive baritone Craig Irvin as Jochanaan, aka John the Baptist. Irvin’s voice bounces off the “cistern” below stage where the prophet is being kept, and rings into the hall like a clarion call. Prepare ye, indeed."
__________
"... a beautiful edge of lyricism…” – Arts Knoxville
Glory Denied – “Irvin’s character has been burnished vocally, displayed here by Irvin with a golden richness carefully twisted by powerful pangs of angst and disappointment. . . An aria from the older Thompson listing his irritations with the cultural changes in American life, was not just melodic, but strangely comic at a moment that was anything but light-hearted. . . Irvin sang it with a beautiful edge of lyricism.”
__________
"... superbly cast..." – Opera News
Elektra – “Baritone Craig Irvin. . . was superbly cast as Orest, Elektra's long-lost brother. Orest gets one scene, but what a scene—Irvin and Hogrefe were mesmerizing and entirely convincing as they slowly recognized each other and embraced this moment that both have been awaiting."
__________
"... vocal and emotional power..." – Opera Omaha
Faust – “Craig Irvin, whose Valentin evinced a soldier’s strength and assuredness throughout. The vocal and emotional power of Irvin’s death scene in Act IV was wall-shaking.”
__________
"... his singing was robust and virile..." – Seen and Heard International
Dinner at Eight – “Craig Irvin’s Dan Packard was a highly driven, unsentimental career animal and his singing was robust and virile.”
REPRESENTATIVES
Vice President | Classical & Creatives
Agent | Classical & Concert
Operations & Finance Manager