Gaétan Laperrière makes his Cincinnati Opera debut in 2008 as Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor (Lucie de Lammermoor).

The breadth of Gaétan Laperrière’s lyric baritone repertoire reaches into the heroic Italian roles so suited to his instrument. He is consistently praised by journalists worldwide, and has been described by the Ottawa Citizen as having “just the right darkness and weight on the one hand and expressive flexibility on the other.” The Boston Globe praised his “...outstanding for nobility of tone, line and characterization.” He has performed the title role of Rigoletto and Scarpia in Tosca with acclaimed performances around the world, and additionally in the U.S. he performs leading roles with the San Francisco Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Washington Opera, Minnesota Opera, Dallas Opera, Baltimore Opera, Santa Fe Opera and Boston Lyric Opera.

Upcoming, Mr. Laperrière performs Lebret and covers Cyrano in the World Premiere of Cyrano with Michigan Opera Theatre, as well as Pandolfe in Massenet's Cendrillon with the Florida Grand Opera, Amonasro in Aida with Opera Carolina, Germont in La traviata with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Scarpia in Tosca with Calgary Opera, Henri in Lucie de Lammermoor with Cincinnati Opera. Most recently in the 2006-2007 Season, he has performed Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Opera Carolina, Athanael in Thais with Palm Beach Opera, Fauvre’s Requiem with the National Arts Center, Germont in La traviata with the Sugar Creek Symphony and Song, Scarpia in Tosca with Opera Ontario, and Opera Lyra Ottawa/National Arts Center Opera Gala.

Recent European engagements include Les Dialogues des Carmélites with Opéra de Paris Bastille, Renato in Un ballo in maschera at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Germont in La traviata and Escamillo in Carmen at the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz, Escamillo in Carmen in his debut with Opéra de Nice, Ottone in L’Incoronazione di Poppea in his Opéra de Marseille debut, Krusina in The Bartered Bride at the Grand Théâtre de Genève and Marcello in a new Pierre Audi production of La bohème at the Netherlands Opera. At the Spoleto Festival (Italy), Mr. Laperrière performed Le Directeur in Les Mamelles de Tirésias, made his debut at Teatro Comunale di Bologna as Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande, and returned to Italy for Billy Budd at Teatro La Fenice.

Mr. Laperrière made his New York debut in Nicholas Muni’s controversial staging of La traviata at the New York City Opera, and his Carnegie Hall debut as Valdeburgo in a concert performance of Bellini’s La straniera with the Opera Orchestra of New York. Other noted performances in the United States include Germont in La traviata, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, and the title role in Hamlet all with Florida Grand Opera, as well as with Germont and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with the San Francisco Opera. With the Washington National Opera has performed Sharpless, Marcello in La bohème, and Athanael in Thaïs, as well as Germont in the Jonathan Miller production of La traviata with the Minnesota Opera, Sharpless and Marcello with the Houston Grand Opera, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles with the Baltimore Opera, and Albert in Werther with New Orleans, Santa Fe Opera and Boston Lyric Opera. In Canada, he recently performed the title role in Falstaff and Capulet in Romeo et Juliette with Opera Lyra Ottawa, Emilio in Filumena with Edmonton Opera and National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Anchorage Opera, Renato in Un ballo in maschera with Opera Quebec, the title role in Rigoletto with Manitoba Opera.

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