Scottish tenor Harry Nicoll has become one of the UK’s leading character tenors, appearing with all the major UK companies, as well as widely across Europe.
In the current season Harry returns to the Royal Opera House as Erster Priester in David McVicar’s classic production of Die Zauberflöte.
Highlights in recent seasons include Major-domo Pique Dame, Mr Bobo Coraline and Missail Boris Godunov for The Royal Opera; Anfinomo Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patiria for The Grange Festival; Pirelli Sweeney Todd for the Nederlandse Reisopera; and Reverand Horace Adams Peter Grimes in his debut with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Sir Antonio Pappano.
In character repertoire he has performed Goro Madama Butterfly, Don Curzio Le nozze di Figaro, Remendado Carmen and Erster Priester Die Zauberflöte, Doyen de la Faculté Cendrillon and Joe La fanciulla del West (The Royal Opera); Eryka/Wind L’Ormindo for The Royal Opera at The Globe; Guillot de Morfontaine Manon, Goro Madama Butterfly, Schmidt Werther and Don Basilio Le nozze di Figaro (Scottish Opera); Sellem The Rake’s Progress, the title role in Platée and Spalanzani Les contes d'Hoffmann (Nederlandse Reisopera); Monostatos Die Zauberflöte, Monsieur Triquet Eugene Onegin and Don Basilio Le nozze di Figaro (Glyndebourne Touring Opera).
Earlier roles include Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia (Scottish Opera, Opera North, Israeli Opera); Ramiro La Cenerentola (Scottish Opera, City of Birmingham Touring Opera); Simpleton Boris Godunov (Opera di Roma, Israeli Opera); Vašek The Bartered Bride (Welsh National Opera, Oper Köln, Israeli Opera); Soliman Zaïde and Tenor arias St. John Passion (Teatro la Fenice); Médor Lully’s Roland (Théâtre des Champs Elysées); Nanki-Poo The Mikado (English National Opera, directed by Jonathan Miller & Opera North); Gonzalve L’heure espagnole (Opera North); Pedrillo Die Entführung auf dem Serail (Angers Nantes Opéra, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Opera voor Vlaanderen); Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw (Batignano Festival); Tanzmeister/Brighella Ariadne auf Naxos (Welsh National Opera); and Rodrigo Otello (Oper Frankfurt). In contemporary opera, appearances include the world premières of Facing Goya by Michael Nyman, in Spain and The Vanishing Bridegroom by Judith Weir for Scottish Opera.
His concert repertoire is extensive, ranging from Monteverdi to Mathias, and incorporates all the major choral works of Bach (Evangelist in the St. Matthew and St. John Passions), Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Berlioz and Mendelssohn. He has appeared in concert with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Hallé, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, and Bayerischer Rundfunk and the London Mozart Players, at venues including the Barbican, the Royal Albert Hall and around Europe. He has made several recordings for labels including Hyperion and has recorded for the BBC.
Reviews
Tanzmeister / Ariadne auf Naxos / Longborough Festival Opera / 2018
“Harry Nicoll’s wickedly funny Dancing Master.”
(Opera)
“Harry Nicoll’s unflappably cynical Dance Master was a joy…”
(Bachtrack)
Mr Bobo / Coraline / The Royal Opera at The Barbican / 2018
“Harry Nicoll has an engaging cameo as the obligatory eccentric elderly gentleman with a foreign accent.”
(The Telegraph)
“Harry Nicoll is a joy to watch as the eccentric Mr Bobo dances around with his conductor’s baton.”
(MusicOMH)
Sellem / The Rake’s Progress / OperaGlass Works at Wilton’s Music Hall / 2017
“luxury casting… a rouged Harry Nicoll bringing sharp detail and pinging diction…”
(Opera)
“Harry Nicoll camps it up pointedly as Sellem.”
(The Stage)
Gallery
Mr Bobo - Coraline, The Royal Opera at the Barbican (© Tristram Kenton, 2018)
Missail - Boris Godunov, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (© Neil Gillespie, 2016)
Eryka - L'Ormindo, The Royal Opera at The Globe (2015)
Erster Priester - Die Zauberflöte, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (2013)
