Lawrence Zazzo


Lawrence Zazzo is an American countertenor. His repertoire includes roles in many Baroque operas and oratorios, as well as works of the 20th century. He lives in England.

Education and background

In his childhood Zazzo took part in school drama productions and choirs, including the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale, and also performed as the magician “The Great Zazzini” for smaller children in the neighbourhood. After his voice had broken, he noticed that he had kept his alto voice in the falsetto register and began to develop it. He sang in numerous barbershop ensembles, high school madrigal and a cappella choirs. This led to his decision to study English and Music at Yale University and at King’s College, Cambridge, England,.
Zazzo envisaged a career as a conductor, a concert singer or as an academic. While he was completing his vocal studies at the “Royal College of Music” in London, he made his debut as Oberon in Benjamin Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The same year he sang the title role in George Frederic Handel’s “Arminio” at the London Handel Festival. This was the beginning of his opera career which developed rapidly.

Performance

Zazzo has worked with numerous conductors including René Jacobs, William Christie, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Ivor Bolton, Christopher Hogwood, Trevor Pinnock, Christophe Rousset, Harry Bicket, Emmanuelle Haïm, Harry Christophers, Paul Goodwin, Péter Eötvös, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Hervé Niquet, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Jordi Savall, James Conlon and others for many opera houses and concert halls.
His major operatic roles include Giulio Cesare in Handel's Giulio Cesare, Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, Radamisto in Handel's Radamisto, and Gualtiero in Scarlatti's Griselda. He performed the title roles in Sosarme, in Alessandro, in Orlando and in Solomon.
He also appeared as Ottone in Handel's Agrippina, as Ottone in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, as Goffredo in Handel's Rinaldo, as Farnace in Mozart's Mitridate, re di Ponto, and as Ruggerio in Vivaldi's Orlando furioso. He was Cardenio in Francesco Bartolomeo Conti's Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena. He sang the alto part in Purcell's semi-opera The Fairy-Queen and the role of Arsace in Partenope. In the German premiere of Francesco Cavalli's Veremonda, he appeared as Delio. He performed the role of Arsamene in Handel's Serse, Unulfo in Handel's Rodelinda and Bertarido in Rodelinda Opéra National de Lyon.
His repertoire includes numerous oratorio by Georg Friedrich Händel, for example Messiah, Semele, Theodora, Jephtha, Acis and Galatea, Samson, Saul - He performed the alto parts in Bach's St Matthew Passion and St John Passion.
He has also appeared in several roles in contemporary works, among others as Oberon in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, as Trinculo in The Tempest, as the Refugee in Flight and as Masha in Tri sestry . He sang the role of Odysseus in the world premiere of Sirenen - Bilder des Begehrens und des Vernichtens by Rolf Riehm. Furthermore he sang in the world premiere performance of Riehm's The Deaths of Orpheus and of Geoff Page's monodrama Paradise Lost based on John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Discography