Philadelphia resident Joseph Barron, a bass-baritone, plays the title role in The Marriage of Figaro.
He recently debuted as Kaspar in Der Freischütz at the Virginia Opera. Last season, he returned to the Metropolitan Opera for productions of Salome and Rigoletto, made his debut with Bard Summerscape as Basmanov in Dvorak’s Dimitrij and played Don Pizarro in Fidelio with the Princeton Music Festival and the First Soldier in Salome with Pittsburgh Opera.
Here are a few of his thoughts on Figaro and how he relates to the character he plays.
What do you love about this opera?
The comedic timing and pacing of Le Nozze is incredibly fun to perform and sing. Mozart has a way of making each character seem relatable and real.
What do you love about Figaro, the character you play?
I love Figaro because of how much he reminds me of myself. While I am on stage as Figaro I feel that I can continuously draw on my own experiences.
When did you know you wanted to be an opera singer?
After my junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to go to the Carnegie Mellon University pre-college program. After spending six weeks on campus as a vocal major, I knew I wanted to pursue singing.
What’s your dream role?
The Dutchman in Wagner’s Flying Dutchman
