JOHN ANTHONY CUNNINGHAM
Bass-baritone
John Anthony Cunningham was born in Wigan, Lancashire. He graduated as a chartered librarian from Manchester Polytechnic whilst also studying singing with John Cameron. He then embarked upon a professional singing career.
His roles for English National Opera include Angelotti Tosca, Bonze Madam Butterfly, Krusina Bartered Bride, Morales Carmen, Johann Werther and Donald Billy Budd and he has understudied Kurwenal Tristan and Isolde, Klingsor Parsifal and Don Pizarro Fidelio. He also created the role of Mars in David Poutney’s innovative production of Orpheus in the Underworld with designs by Gerald Scarfe. John has also appeared in such diverse roles as The Colonel Die Soldaten and The Prince of Homburg, also for ENO.
He has sung the title role in Flying Dutchman for the Brighton Festival. For Kentish Opera he has sung Germont Pere La Traviata, Tomsky Queen of Spades, Ankerstroem Masked Ball, Ramfis Aida, Escamillo Carmen and the title role in Nabucco. His roles with The Mastersingers Company include Donner Das Rheingold, Hunding Die Walkure and he recently sang Hagen Gotterdammerung with the Northern Wagner Orchestra.
John has a busy concert career, in oratorio and recital, throughout the country examples of which being the Requiems of Mozart in the Royal Albert Hall, Donizetti in the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Verdi in Guildford Cathedral and Leeds Town Hall. He is noted for his Elijah having appeared in a staged performance for the Sevenoaks Festival and in concert performances throughout the country including at Ampleforth Abbey with Opera North Orchestra. In July 2010 he featured as the guest soloist for the Last Night of the Proms with the South Bank Sinfonia and has also sung Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the London Chamber Orchestra.
As well as opera and oratorio, John also performs regularly in the light music field. Radio and Television appearances include Michael Parkinson’s ‘All Star Secrets’, Harry Enfield’s ‘Guide to Opera’ and a two-part Radio 2 programme entitled ‘Love’s Old Sweet Song’, culminating in a recital at the Purcell Rooms.
He has recently worked for Opera North for whom he has sung Caspar Genoveva, Zaretsky Eugene Onegin, High Priest Nabucco, Fifth Jew Salome, Monterone Rigoletto and Angelotti Tosca. John created the role of The Drum Maker in Jonathan Dove’s Pinocchio which was then released on DVD. He is also a founder-member and principal bass-baritone for the Barrandov Opera in Suffolk.
John recently made his debut at Royal Opera House Covent Garden in Don Carlo and has subsequently appeared as a guest principal performing the roles of The Aged Gambler in Prokofiev’s The Gambler and a Cappadocian in Strauss’ Salome.
