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Geoffrey Manning - Lyric Baritone |
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Geoffrey has performed widely as a lyric baritone across the disciplines of opera, musicals, oratorio and recital. He made his stage debut in 1982 as Lancelot in Camelot and has since then performed roles ranging from Marcello in La Boheme to Carl Magnus Malcolm in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. A memorable highlight amongst his oratorio performances was Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem for Australia’s bicentennial year. He has performed several pieces written for him by Australian composers: Richard Mills’ Five Meditations on the Poetry of David Campbell; Hans Günter Mommer’s The Armistice Requiem and two song cycles. After a six-year break from the stage, Geoffrey returned in 1996, playing Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro. The next year he started working with Stopera, playing the Tsar in The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken and performing lieder in Heinrich Heine, I, Fool of Fortune. These were followed by the successful Con Brio and Stopera productions of Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto, the triple bill The Cook, the Fox and the Bride, and Viva Verdi!. 2002 year saw a return to working with Canberra Philharmonic in the lead role of Jean Valjean in the highly successful Les Misérables followed by acclaim for his performance of Schubert's demanding song cycle Winterreise with Phillipa Candy for the Canberra Lieder Society. After a break for the arrival of Geoffrey and Catherine’s son Alexander, Geoffrey has performed in two oratorios, of John Stainer’s Crucifixion in 2003 and Maurice Durufle’s Requiem in 2004. The Canberra Philharmonic Gala Concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Canberra Theatre was an opportunity for Geoffrey to perform a song he’s always wanted to try – The impossible dream from The Man of La Mancha. The arrival of Alex into the household has supplanted much of the time devoted to song for a while. When Geoff works out how to be a Dad, this biography may start to grow again, unless he makes a squillion from a "how to" book... Awards
Performances - Stage
Performances - Oratorio
Performances - Recital
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