Andrew Wilkowske, baritone, is a singer of broad range and character. A gifted actor as well as singer, Wilkowske’s Papageno in The Magic Flute “stole the show” according to the Washington Post, and was a “lusty-voiced fellow,” according to Opera News.
Engagements this season include singing the part of a Scientist in the North American premiere of Howard Shore’s The Fly at Los Angeles Opera, directed by David Cronenberg and conducted by Placido Domingo. He will star as Geppetto in the North American premiere of Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio with Minnesota Opera. Additionally, he will reprise the role of Noah in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath with Pittsburgh Opera and Opera Pacific. Wilkowkse created the role of Noah in 2007 with the Minnesota Opera. As a member of the original cast, he was featured on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion radio show and is included on a complete recording of the opera, available on P.S. Classics. On the concert stage, Wilkowske will sing Baron Duphoul in La Traviata with the Minnesota Orchestra, and Rachmaninov’s The Bells with the Helena Symphony.
Other recent appearances include Germont in La Traviata with Skylight Opera Theatre; Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeri and the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro with Minnesota Opera; Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with the Indianapolis Opera and Eugene Opera; soloist in Rachmaninov’s The Bells with the Buffalo Philharmonic; soloist in the 2006 Richard Tucker Gala at Avery Fisher Hall; Papageno in excerpts of Die Zauberflöte with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Yamadori in Madama Butterfly and Sciarrone in Tosca with Los Angeles Opera; Henry Kissinger in Nixon in China with Minnesota Opera; and, Marcello in La Bohème with Lyric Opera San Antonio.
Also active on the musical theatre stage, Wilkowske’s performance in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris was called “chilling” and “deeply moving” by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and his performance in the world premiere of Sleeping Beauty with the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati earned him a nomination for a Cincinnati Entertainment Award.
Wilkowske has participated in the Merola Opera Program, Glimmerglass Opera’s Young American Artist Program and the Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Program. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), earning an artist diploma in opera and a master’s degree in voice. He earned his bachelor’s degree in voice from the University of Minnesota Duluth.