Saluted
by The New York Times for having a "distinctively American
presence" baritone Andrew Garland is known for his engaging performances, and
particularly for his interpretations on the recital stage. His recent recital
debut at Carnegie Hall, where he debuted several works by living American
composers, was praised for his "grace, fervor and intelligence" (Seen And
Heard International) and for
his "lean, fine-grained, vibrant baritone." (Opera News Online)
During the 2009 - 2010 season, Garland can be heard as the title role in Don
Giovanni with Opera New Jersey, Dancairo in Carmen with Boston Lyric
Opera, and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Knoxville Opera.
Concert engagements during the season include Carmina Burana with the
Quad Cities Symphony, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem with the
Plymouth Philharmonic, and recitals in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and
Montreal, among others.
Of important note is his recently released recording, On the Other Shore,
a disc of folk songs setting by Steven Mark Kohn on the Azica label. The disc
has been praised for his "virile, luxuriantly warm and beautiful" baritone and
for his "positive, confident attitude with a vibrant personality, subtle and
boisterous as needed, that makes each song into a mini-drama or comic scene." (American
Record Guide) 2009 also saw the release of his disc of songs by Lee Hoiby
entitled A Pocket of Time on the Naxos Label.
Recent highlights on the opera stage include Hermann in Les contes d'Hoffman,
The Gamekeeper in Rusalka, and Schaunard in La Bohème all with
Boston Lyric Opera. He stepped in with one day's notice as Dandini in La
Cenerentola with Opera Company of Philadelphia, and also has sung the
role with the Fort Worth Opera and Opera Company of North America. He
made his debut with the Seattle Opera when he stepped in at the last
minute for Nathan Gunn as Riolobo in Catàn's Florencia en el Amazonas,
and returns to the prestigious company in 2013 to sing Schaunard and in 2015 for
Harlekin in their production of Ariadne auf Naxos. He has sung Figaro in Il
Barbiere di Siviglia with both Dayton Opera and Bob Jones University, and
the role of Giuseppe in The Gondoliers with the Utah Symphony and Opera.
On the concert stage Garland has sung Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia
with the National Philharmonic, Carmina Burana with the Dayton
Philharmonic and the Delaware Symphony, Handel's Messiah with the Tucson
Symphony, University of Michigan's University Musical Society and the Virginia
Symphony Orchestra, selections from Kiss Me Kate with the Atlanta
Symphony, Mozart's C Minor Mass with the Washington Master Chorale at the
Kennedy Center, Brahms' Requiem with the University of Massachusetts, the
World Premiere of Jonathan Sheffer's Red Couch Floating on Lake Erie with
Red {an orchestra}, Handel's Samson with the Dartmouth Handel Society, and
Meyerbeer's Les Hugenots with the Bard Festival.
Throughout his professional career Garland has focused on offering lively and
inventive recital programs comprised of music by living American composers. This
project has taken him to stages across the United States, including New York
City, Washington DC, Seattle, Cincinnati, Madison, and Santa Monica, among
others. His dedication and commitment to highlighting classical songs in recital
has brought him great critical acclaim, including: "Garland's instrument is
flexible, supple, light of timbre, and agreeable, the singing never less than
polished. But his trump card is communication: he sang with a clarity to render
printed texts mostly superfluous, and the range of expression, from sharply
honed comedy to solemn introspection, from dramatic outburst to tender lyricism
was limitless yet free of self-consciousness, of artifice. The fine art of
poetry in music has found a rare ambassador." (Opera Now)
Garland is the winner of the Washington International Music Competition,
American Traditions Competition, the William C. Byrd Competition, the Opera
Columbus Competition, NATS New England competition and was a prize winner in the
Jose Itrubi and Gerda Lissner and Palm Beach Opera competitions. In 2009 he took
third prize in the Montreal International Music Competition. Garland is a
graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of Music. His teachers and coaches have included William
McGraw, Paulina Stark, John Humphrey, Oren Brown, Elizabeth Mannion, Martin
Katz, Donna Loewy, Kenneth Griffiths and Terry Lusk.