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John Shirley-Quirk (Bass-Baritone)
Born: August 28, 1931 - Liverpool, England
The distinguished English bass-baritone, John (Stanton) Shirley-Quirk, sang at the school choir of Holt High School, Queen's Drive, Childwall Five Ways, Liverpool. His music teacher there was Dr Marshall. He first studied the violin and was awarded a scholarship for that instrument. Later at Liverpool University, where he read chemistry and physics, he studied singing with Austen Carnegie. Service in the Royal Air Force interrupted these studies until, in 1957, he came to London to work under Roy Henderson. His hyphenated name is composed of the place-name Shirley, in Derbyshire, where his ancestors lived, and the Celtic appellation in the Manx language, used in the channel Isle of Man.
John Shirley-Quirk made his operatic debut in 1961 as the Doctor in Pelléas et Mélisande at the Glyndebourne Festival. From 1964 to 1976 he was a leading member of the English Opera Group, where he became well known for his outstanding performances of many of Britten’s works, including The Prodigal Son which was presented at the Aldeburgh, Versailles, City of London, Flanders and Edinburgh Festivals. He premiered roles in all of Benjamin Britten's last five operas. In June 1973 he created all the baritone roles in Britten’s Death in Venice. In 1973 he sang at London’s Covent Garden. In October 1974 he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in New York, as the Traveller in Death in Venice. In July 1977 he created the role of Lev in Tippett’s The Ice Break at Covent Garden.
John Shirley-Quirk is renowned for his masterful performances in orchestral and recital repertoire ranging from the baroque to 20th-century works. He performs regularly with major orchestras world-wide, especially in England, Europe and the USA. He appeared with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra several times (1965, 1970). Opera performances include major roles at London’s Covent Garden, Milan’s La Scala, New York’s Metropolitan Opera. He also toured widely as a concert artist.
John Shirley-Quirk has also taken part in productions of opera for television, with notable performances in Billy Budd and Eugene Onegin. He has made over one hundred recordings on major international labels, including works by Monteverdi, Bach, Händel, Haydn, Mendelssohn and Berlioz. Many of which have received awards.
In 1975 John Shirley-Quirk was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Source: Theatre Chamber Player Website; Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Classical Musicians (1997); Message from Eric Cowell (August 2001); Programme notes to a concert of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Istvan Kertesz performing War Requiem by Britten (May 1970)
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Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works |
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Carlo Maria Giulini |
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Short Biographies: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | Explanation | Acronyms |
Last update: ýOctober 19, 2004 ý07:45:20