Hailed by The New York Times for his “robust singing” and Opera News for his “exquisite vocal beauty,” Grammy-winning Canadian baritone Elliot Madore has established himself as an international artist in demand at the leading opera houses and orchestras of the world. The 2023–24 season sees Madore’s return to Opernhaus Zürich as Oreste in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, with George Petrou leading the Orchestra La Scintilla, as well as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd, opposite Bryn Terfel in the title role. Madore also makes his house debut with Boston Lyric Opera as Orpheus in Matt Aucoin’s Eurydice, conducted by the composer, and returns to the title role in Don Giovanni with Edmonton Opera. Concert appearances include baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with the Baltimore Symphony, Fauré’s Requiem with the Alabama Symphony and Duruflé’s Requiem with the Cincinnati May Festival. This season Madore also continues his position as a performing Associate Professor of Voice with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music faculty.
The 2022–23 season saw Madore’s return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic to sing Ramón in a semi-staged production of John Adams’ Girls of the Golden West, and his debut with Concertgebouw Amsterdam as The Captain in John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer, conducted by the composer. Madore made his much-anticipated debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to sing Messiah under the direction of music director Gustavo Gimeno, as well as his debut with both the Seattle Symphony and the Edinburgh Festival as the baritone soloist in Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion. Madore also returned to the Tanglewood Festival to sing Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, conducted by music director Andris Nelsons, and sang the title role in Don Giovanni in concert with the National Arts Center in Canada.
Additional appearances in the 2022–23 season include as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana in a special co-presentation by the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Hong Kong Ballet, as well as with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä, the New World Symphony Orchestra conducted by Patrick Dupré Quigley, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leo Hussain, as well as soloist in the Brahms Requiem with the Kalamazoo Symphony. Madore also made his debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony in Brahms’ Requiem.
Highlights of previous seasons at the Metropolitan Opera include performances of Mercutio in a new production of Roméo et Juliette which was broadcast live in HD, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Schaunard in La bohème, as Lysander in Jeremy Sam’s Baroque pasticcio The Enchanted Island and Novice’s Friend in Billy Budd. Madore made his European operatic debut at the Glyndebourne Festival singing Ramiro in L’heure espagnole and Le chat and L’horloge comtoise in a new production of L’enfant et les sortilèges, and he returned to the company later to sing the title role in Don Giovanni. He has also been seen in a return to Dutch National Opera for the European debut of John Adams’ Girls of the Golden West as Ramón; in his house debut in the world premiere of Giorgio Battistelli’s new opera Julius Caesar with Teatro dell’Opera di Roma; in his role debut as Figaro in Manitoba Opera’s production of Il barbiere di Siviglia; as the title role in Don Giovanni with Opera Philadelphia, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and with the Tanglewood Festival; and as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos with the Bayerische Staatsoper, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and with the Tanglewood Festival. Additional roles include Anthony in Sweeney Todd and Ramón in the world premiere of Girls of the Golden West with San Francisco Opera, Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd and Germano in La scala di seta with Opernhaus Zürich, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Santa Fe Opera, his Salzburg Festival debut as the Japanese Envoy in concert performances of Stravinsky’s Le rossignol, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Kansas City Opera, his role debut as Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus with the Sieji Ozawa Music Academy in Japan, and his Dutch National Opera debut as Prince Hérisson de Porc-Epic in Chabrier’s L’étoile, which was video recorded.
Additional highlights include his signature role of Pelléas in Pelléas et Melisande with the Bayerische Staatsoper, The Cleveland Orchestra with music director Franz Welser-Möst conducting Yuval Sharon’s production, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit, Opéra-Théâtre de Limoges, Bremen Kammerphilharmonie, and with the Croatian National Opera in Stéphane Braunschweig’s production. As a featured member of the ensemble at Opernhaus Zürich, roles included Valentin in a new production of Faust, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Schaunard in La bohème, Andrei in a new production of Peter Eötvös’s Three Sisters, Silvio in Pagliacci, Silvano in Un ballo in maschera, and Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos under Fabio Luisi.
Orchestral highlights include his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic as Ramiro in L’heure espagnole and Le chat and L’horloge comtoise in of L’enfant et les sortilèges, Bernstein’s Songfest with the Tanglewood Festival, his debut at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts singing Carmina Burana with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by music director Gianandrea Noseda, Carmina Burana with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop and with the Houston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Further highlights include the role of Emile de Becque in South Pacific with Cleveland Orchestra, a solo concert with the Edmonton Symphony, L’heure espagnole and L’enfant et les sortilèges with Charles Dutoit and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, as Adario in Rameau’s Les Indes galantes marking the opening of the new Philharmonie Hall in Paris with Les Arts Florissants, and his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic singing selections from Die Zauberflöte conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Madore has also sung Carmina Burana with the Cleveland Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Kalamazoo Bach Festival and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
On the recital stage, Madore has appeared at Carnegie Hall as part of Marilyn Horne’s The Song Continues series, as well as with Cleveland Art Song Festival and with Music Toronto, which was broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. His Canadian recital debut took place at the National Arts Centre in Canada, which was recorded and broadcast on the CBC Radio Two’s "Next! Canada's Music Future" Series.
Madore was part of the Grammy-winning recording from the Saito Kinen Festival as Ramiro in L’heure espagnole and Le chat and L’horloge comtoise in L’enfant et les sortilèges, conducted by Seiji Ozawa.
Honors and awards include being named a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a recipient of the 2010 George London Award from the George London Foundation, a winner of the Palm Beach Vocal Competition, and a recipient of the ARIAS Emerging Young Artist Award from Opera Canada. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Madore currently resides dually in Toronto, Canada and Zürich, Switzerland.