Andrew Tees
Baritone
Andrew Tees is one of the most dynamic and charismatic singers of his generation. Blessed with a rich ringing chocolate toned baritone, Andrew is the rare performer whose infectious love of singing is able to leap across an orchestra pit and embrace an audience whether singing opera, oratorio, or pops.
On the operatic stage Tees has performed the title role in the Nozze di Figaro for many companies including Opera Ontario and Pacific Opera. The swarthy baritone has proven a great success as Don Giovanni for Ottawa’s Opera Lyra and Opera York. He has been Silvio for Edmonton Opera’s Pagliacci. He has brought down the house as Escamillo, another familiar role, in Carmen for Manitoba Opera, Opera York and Maritime Concert Opera. He was given top vocal honours by Opera Canada for his portrayal of Marcello in Opera York’s La Boheme. Andrew portrayed the Father in Hansel and Gretel first for the Canadian Opera Company’s school tour and then with Opera York under the baton of Alain Trudel. He sang a charming Danilo for Orchestra London’s Merry Widow. Andrew debuted with Opera York as Rossini’s Figaro, a role he a previously understudied with the Canadian Opera Company. While a member of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio Tees made frequent appearances on the main stage. He won tremendous praise for the rapist Tarquinius (Rape of Lucretia) Donald in Billy Budd, and Sonora in La Fanciulla del West, a role he has since repeated for Vancouver Opera. Since leaving the Ensemble Studio Andrew has returned to the COC to sing several roles including the Mill Hand in Lady McBeth of Mtstensk and Marquis D`Aubigny in La Traviata. For Zweigroschen Oper in Germany Andrew made a vengeful Monterone in Rigoletto. Mr. Tees’ repertoire is broadening into more dramatic roles. He made a commanding Scarpia in Maritime Concert Opera’s Tosca as well as Giorgio Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata for the same company and Don Carlos in Forza Del Destino for Toronto’s Opera by Request.
No stranger to debuting new works, Tees has premiered Ian McAndrew’s Cassandra for Amphion Opera. He played the unprincipled Oil Executive Walter in Isa Suarez’ Carpe Diem to be aired on Bravo Television this fall. He played Gandalf in Dean Burry’s The Hobbit with the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus. For the Stratford Summer Music Festival he depicted a tyrannical Claudius in the Premier of Mark Richard’s Hamlet. He was a Madrigalist in Henze’s Venus und Adonis for the Canadian Opera Company, a role he repeated at Amsterdam’s Concertgebou. He made a sympathetic Stash in the North American premiere of And the Rat Laughed by Israeli composer Ella Milch-Sheriff.
Andrew won rave reviews as Private Willis for Toronto Operetta Theatre’s Iolanthe. Other Gilbert and Sullivan roles include a swashbuckling Pirate King (Pirates of Penzance) for Cleveland Opera and Pooh bah (Mikado) and Giuseppe (The Gondoliers) for Montreal’s Savoy Society. Andrew played Old Bill in a production of Rogers and Hammerstein with Hart for Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius. Other roles include Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls) Lun Tha (The King and I) Maximillian (Candide) and Carl Magnus (A Little Night Music). For Bravo Television he recorded an Evening with Cole Porter. His film credits include John Masterson in Film 4’s True Blue and Polar Bear in Masato Harada’s Rowing Through.
Andrew has been a frequent guest of many choirs and symphonies singing Handel’s Messiah. He received tremendous praise for his portrayal of the title character in Handel’s Saul. For his most recent Carmina Burana with the Great Lakes Symphony, he was reviewed with the simple WOW. He has sung Brahms Requiem for the Oakville Symphony and Toronto Choral Society. He has performed the Duruflé Requiem with Hamilton’s Bach Elgar Choir and the Kingston Chamber Choir. Andrew made a majestic Elijah for the Northumberland Symphony and sang a moving St Paul for Toronto’s Pax Christ Chorale. A great admirer of the works of Haydn, Tees has performed The Creation, The Seasons, Mass in a Time of War and the Nelson Mass. He received great praise for his interpretation of Verdi’s Requiem for Masterworks of Oakville. For Hamilton’s Redeemer College Choir he sang Jean Gilles haunting Requiem. He has performed Beethoven’s Mass in C with many organizations most recently with Sarnia’s International Symphony. Among his other highlights are Arvo Pärt’s Passio with Toronto’s Mendelssohn Choir and Christos Hatzis' Kyrie with Soundstreams Canada.
A natural on the pops stage he has sung with the Toronto Symphony, the National Arts Center Orchestra, Windsor Symphony, Oakville Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Oshawa Symphony, Guelph Symphony and has been a frequent guest of the Canadian Opera Company’s Orchestra in their Altamira Outdoor Concerts.
