One of today’s most sought-after lyric baritones on the international stage, Canadian-Italian Brett Polegato has earned the highest praise from audiences and critics for his artistic sensibility: "his is a serious and seductive voice" says the Globe and Mail, while the New York Times has praised him for his "burnished, well-focused voice", which he uses with "considerable intelligence and nuance". His career has encompassed over fifty operatic roles at the world’s most prestigious venues including La Scala, l’Opéra National de Paris, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, the Teatro Real, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Carnegie Hall.
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Island of Dreams (Prospero)
World Premiere at Grange Park Opera, July 2024
No composer could seek a better advocate for his new work than Brett Polegato, who sings the central role of Prospero with powerful projection and complete verbal clarity.
Nicholas Kenyon, The Telegraph
Some of Bolton's strongest music is given to Prospero, which was delivered with power and impressive energy by Brett Polegato.
Nick Boston, Bachtrack
Heroically sung
Richard Morrison, The Times
Roméo et Juliette (Capulet)
MusikTheater an der Wien, February 2024
The Canadian Baritone Brett Polegato as Capulet was a resolute mob boss
Harald Lacina, Opernfreund
Sharpless, Madama Butterfly
Bregenzer Festspiele, July 2023
“The Canadian baritone Brett Polegato, already heard in the role of Consul Scharpless in the year of the premiere, confirms his effectiveness as an actor and as a singer, casual and compliant, with a large voice and an enchanting timbre.”
Irina Sorokina, L’ape musicale
“Brett Polegato's Sharpless is entirely in the tradition, giving to the consul, in a confident voice, all the necessary authority and humanity.
Jean-Marcel Humbert, Forum Opera
“An exceptional talent is the Canadian baritone Brett Polegato with a masculine, melodious voice..."
Dr. Charles E. Ritterband, Klassik Begeisterr
"Brett Polegato as Consul Sharpless also shows real empathy with his cantabile baritone.”
Georg Rudiger, Stuttgarter Nachrichten
Scarpia, Tosca
Grange Park Opera, June 2023
"Brett Polegato was the best of the cast, in commanding voice. His baritone has the vocal chops for the Te Deum and he snarled and taunted menacingly in Act 2."
Mark Pullinger, bachtrack
Ironicially, since he’s supremely vicious, the most relaxed and engaging performance is of Scarpia. Marvellously assured, Brett Polegato holds things in reserve, using suggestion rather than over-display. Polegato never overplays his hand, a restraint that pays off yet more strongly in the second act. Polegato’s navy-suited Scarpia controls everything with ideal, deliciously smooth-voiced subtlety."
David Benedict, The Stage
"the best of the main trio was the Canadian baritone Brett Polegato, making his role debut. He sang with authority, and with a strange and disturbing blend of menace and urbanity, aloof from, or contemptuous of, even his closest associates."
Claire Seymour, Opera Today
"Scarpia himself – Brett Polegato, making his debut in the role – was oddly attractive, a silver fox in an elegant suit, not so much evil as desperately world-weary: no one likes him, and he doesn’t care. He rather took the edge off Tosca’s despairing “Vissi d’arte” by pawing the heroine throughout as if examining a purchase."
Fiona Hook, The Telegraph
The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs
Calgary Opera, January 2023
"Central to the success of the show was the impressive performance of Canadian baritone Brett Polegato in the title role. Moving easily around the stage, in the loping manner of Jobs himself, Polegato projected a persona that was the very incarnation of Jobs. He was able to bend his mode of singing to the different kinds of vocal demands required in the score, from the histrionic style of the show-stopping central monologue, to the intimacy of his scenes with his wife. Polegato was equally successful as the tortured, dominating entrepreneur as in the complex scenes with his long-suffering wife Laurene."
Kenneth DeLong, Opera Canada
"Central to the success of the show was the impressive performance of Brett Polegato in the title role. At home in traditional baritone roles, Polegato is a singer with many arrows in his artistic quiver. He moved easily around the big stage, the very incarnation of Jobs, who always seemed to be in motion. Polegato is able to bend his mode of singing to different kinds of demands, from the histrionic style of his big, central monologue, to the intimacy of his scenes with his wife..."
Kenneth DeLong , Calgary Herald
"Polegato embodied the beast of a role as grippingly as any singer taking on such an unsympathetic character could. Polegato was on stage continuously, and Tomer Zvulun, who also directed the opera at his home company in Atlanta, created a seamless flow that took Polegato all over the Jubilee Auditorium stage..."
Bill Rankin, Classical Voice North America
William Tell (Title role)
Irish National Opera, November 2022
"Brett Polegato brought an impressive presence and rich tone to the title role."
Irish Examiner, Alan O’Riordan
"Brett Polegato made for a memorable Tell, his unctuous, rich baritone voice a pleasure to hear. His one aria “Sois immobile” was sung with great depth of feeling, while he brought great nobility to the role overall."
Bach Track, Andrew Larkin
"The title role was played by Canadian-Italian lyric baritone Brett Polegato who brought passion and sensitivity to the role."
No more work horse, Gearoid O’Byrne
"...certain performers nevertheless stood out. Lyric baritone Brett Polegato anchored the opera with a convincing performance as Tell"
The Journal of Music, Adrian Smith
de Brétigny, Manon
Metropolitan Opera, September 2019
Padding out the progressively tragic love duets of Manon and des Grieux are comical scenes about the wicked and moralistic men of Paris, all excellently sung at the Met: … the baritones Brett Polegato and Artur Rucinski, Mephistophelean as de Brétigny and Lescaut, respectively...
Joshua Barone, The New York Times, 26 September 2019
Brett Polegato made a fine debut as De Brétigny with a clear baritone...
Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review, 25 September 2019
Posa, Don Carlo
Grange Park Opera, June 2019
Posa was the Canadian baritone Brett Polegato, who has previously sung fine Onegins for the festival. He was in excellent voice here, plenty of muscle to his juicy baritone sound, his Posa every inch the fiery idealist....
Mark Pullinger, Opera magazine, August 2019
‘…and most thrilling of all, Brett Polegato, utterly involving as the heroic firebrand Rodrigo – a true Verdian baritone, with a warmth and directness in the voice that made his character profoundly convincing.’
Ashutosh Khandekar, Opera Now, September 2019
Canadian baritone Brett Polegato returns to Grange Park Opera, where he sang Onegin and Marcello (Bohème). His Marquis of Posa is a confident man, an idealist with a healthy dose of realism, a friend and soldier with a strong sense of honour. His warm and dark timbre is the perfect match for Capalbo’s ringing top notes in their duets in Acts I and III. His final aria is particularly moving.
Valeria Vescina, Seen and Heard International, 8 June 2019
As Posa, Brett Polegato was the surprise packet of the evening, a proper Verdian baritone producing a big sound with enormous warmth and feeling, without faltering when moving into the higher parts of the baritone range so loved by Verdi. The ebb and flow of the discourse between two strong men was riveting.
David Karlin, Bachtrack, 7 June 2019
Brett Polegato's Rodrigo was very much the old soldier. His performance robust and vigorous, and in their Act One duet he and Capalbo seemed to almost be vying with each other for who could phrase the most robustly. There is no doubting the vehemence and power of his Act One outburst to Filippo about the Low Countries. His final death scene was moving indeed.
Robert Hugill, Opera Today, 10 June 2019
the superb baritone of Brett Polegato as Rodrigo. Mr. Polegato’s final aria was sung with heart-breaking lyricism as he lies mortally wounded from an off-stage gunshot.
Mark Ronan, The Article, 10 June 2019
Sharpless, Madama Butterfly
Irish National Opera, March 2019
Brett Polegato made an excellent Sharpless, the sweet heft of his baritone voice announcing Butterfly's cruel fate
Andrew Larkin, Bachtrack, 25 March 2019
... Brett Polegato a deeply concerned and worried Sharpless
Ian Fox, Opera magazine, July 2019
Amfortas, Parsifal
Lanaudière Festival, August 2017
Brett Polegato had a great success in his role debut as Amfortas. The remorse and anguish of the king could be heard in his plangent voice and seen in his pained expression.
Arthur Kaptainis, Classical Voice America
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