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American baritone William Olson was born in Miami, FL, and sang in his first opera at age 8 as a boy soprano, playing a street urchin in Carmen. He has been a professional musician from that day in venues as varied as playing sax in a jazz band to singing lead in a hard rock band. But opera has always been his one true love. William most recently enjoyed singing Johann in Werther with the National Lyric Opera, while covering the Albert in the same production. Also this season he performed Elder Ott in Susannah, with the Liederkranz Opera Theatre, Simon from Judas Maccabaeus excerpts in an orchestra concert, covered Silvio in Pagliacci, with Dicapo Opera Theatre, and sang both Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte and Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Opera Company of Brooklyn. Mr. Olson wrapped up the season in a Champagne Orchestra Galla singing Eisenstein in a scene from Die Fledermaus at the Dicapo Opera Theatre Last season he revisited the roles of Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus with the New York Metro Vocal Arts Ensemble, and both Figaro and Firello in Il barbiere di Siviglia as a guest artist with New York Opera Forum. In previous seasons William has performed Procolo in Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali with New York Chamber Opera, Hermann/Schlemil in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Silvio in Pagliacci, Lescaut in Manon, Schaunard in La boheme, and the Father in Hansel and Gretel. While on tour in the Midwest, the baritone sang the role of King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors with the annual Aiken Productions, Inc. tour, which started in Bloomfield, Indiana. Mr. Olson grew up in South Florida where he worked in the family avocado groves and raised palm trees in the family nursery. He studied voice at Florida State University, and at Brevard Music Center where he sang the role of Alcindoro in La boheme. He continued his operatic studies at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. While in Austria, he was selected to perform in the AIMS Opera Galas with orchestra under the direction of Cornelius Eberhardt and Steven Mercurio in Graz and surrounding cities. Upon returning to the United States, he performed Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the South Florida Opera Company. In the Spring of 1998, Mr. Olson was an Apprentice Artist with the Sarasota Opera. Mr. Olson has also performed David in L’amico Fritz, the Father in Hangman, Hangman, The Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood with Opera on the Go, and Escamillo in an adaptation of Carmen for the Educational Outreach Program of Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts in Little Rock, Arkansas. His operatic repertoire includes Don Giovanni, Belcore, Don Alfonso, and Marcello. |