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Photo: Rob Mann (robmannphotography.com)

Derek S. Henderson

Primary Skill:

Bass-Baritone

Nationality:

Italian, American, Panamanian

Country:

United Kingdom

Languages (fluent):

English, Italian, Spanish

Opera

Sparafucile
Rigoletto (Verdi)
Bare Boards Opera
2019
Colline
La bohème (Puccini)
LPMAM — London Performing Academy of Music
2024
Abimélech
Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns)
Aylesbury Opera
2019
Colline
La bohème (Puccini)
Aylesbury Opera
2024
Dulcamara
L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti)
Villa in Canto
2018
Walter
Luisa Miller (Verdi)
Midsummer Opera
2018
Wurm
Luisa Miller (Verdi)
Midsummer Opera
2018
Oroveso
Norma (Bellini)
Aylesbury Opera (Kelvin Lim)
2018
Polyphemus
Acis and Galatea (Handel)
Aylesbury Opera (Kelvin Lim)
2017
Bartolo/Antonio
Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
East London Opera Company
2017
Basilio
Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
Villa in Canto
2017
Micha
The Bartered Bride (Smetana)
Guildford Opera
2016
Basilio
Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
East London Opera Company
2016
Leporello
Don Giovanni (Mozart)
Opera Seria
2016
Omar
Abu Hassan (Weber)
Guildford Opera
2016
Basilio
Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
Villa in Canto
2015
Luka
The Bear (Walton)
Operaview
2015
Bottom
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Britten)
Opera in the City
2015
Colline
La bohème (Puccini)
Guildford Opera
2014
Father
Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck)
The Singing Salon
2014
Dulcamara
The Elixir of Love (Donizetti)
Brent Opera
2014
Colas
Bastien und Bastienne (Mozart)
Ad Parnassum
2013
Colas
Bastien und Bastienne (Mozart)
L'Offerta musicale (Venice, Italy)
2013
Don Magnifico
Cinderella (Rossini)
Suffolk Opera
2012
Don Magnifico
Cinderella (Rossini)
Brent Opera
2012
Dulcamara
The Elixir of Love (Donizetti)
Southgate Opera
2011
Bartolo
Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
West Sussex Opera
2011
Bartolo
The Barber of Seville (Rossini)
OperaUpClose
2011
Bottom
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Britten)
Operaplayhouse
2010
Agamemnon
Le belle Hélène (Offenbach)
Suffolk Opera
2010
Don Cassandro
La finta semplice (Mozart)
Opera at Home
2010
Zaretsky
Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky)
Suffolk Opera
2010
Don Cassandro
La finta semplice (Mozart)
Opera Petit
2009
Colline
La bohème (Puccini)
Southgate Opera
2009
Olin Blitch
Susannah (Floyd)
Hampstead Garden Opera
2009
Don Alfonso
Così fan tutte (Mozart)
Cambridge City Opera (Boston, USA)
1996

Oratorio/Concerts

Bass soloist
Requiem (Mozart)
Mosaic Chamber Choir (Ben Gaughran)
2019
Bass soloist
Symphony No. 9 ('Choral' Symphony) (Beethoven)
Ludlow Orchestra (Thomas Payne)
2018
Soloist
Operatic Adventures & Decadent Dining (Various)
Royal Pavilion, Brighton (Pippa Longworth)
2018
Bass Soloist
Suite on Words by Michelangelo Buonarotti (Shostakovich)
The Pushkin House (Julian Gallant)
2012
Bass soloist
Missa in Angustis (a.k.a. Lord Nelson Mass) (Haydn)
The Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra (Adam Balkwell)
2010
Bass soloist
Songs and Dances of Death (Mussorgsky)
The Pushkin House (Julian Gallant)
2010
Bass soloist
Messiah (Handel)
Aylesbury Civic Centre (Richard Heason)
2010

Session Work

Soloist
ITV Tweetstar (improvising sung Tweets in an operatic style)
ITV's Popstar to Operastar
2011

Covered Covered & Performed Scenes Premiere of New Work Concert COVID-cancelled

Derek S Henderson - Auf dem Kirchhofe (Brahms)

Derek S Henderson - Geht mir meinen Jesum wieder from St Matthew Passion (Bach)

Derek S Henderson - Silva aria and cabaletta from Ernani (Verdi)

Abimelech, Samson et Dalila (Aylesbury Opera, 2019)

Agamemnon, La belle Hélène (Suffolk Opera, 2010)

Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Opera in the City, 2015)

Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Opera in the City, 2015)

Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Opera in the City, 2015)

Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Opera in the City, 2015)

Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Opera in the City, 2015)

Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Opera in the City, 2015)

Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Opera in the City, 2015)

Don Cassandro, La finta Semplice (Opera Petit, 2009)

Don Cassandro, La finta Semplice (Opera Petit, 2009)

Don Magnifico, Cinderella (Suffolk Opera, 2012)

Don Magnifico, Cinderella (Suffolk Opera, 2012)

Don Magnifico, Cinderella (Suffolk Opera, 2012)

Dulcamara, The Elixir of Love (Southgate Opera, 2011)

Luka, The Bear (Operaview, 2015)

Olin Blitch, Susannah (Hampstead Garden Opera, 2009)

Olin Blitch, Susannah (Hampstead Garden Opera, 2009)

Olin Blitch, Susannah (Hampstead Garden Opera, 2009)

Competitions

3rd place, NATS-Boston Song & Aria Competition (2004)

"These three main characters are ably supported by an excellent supporting cast, notable among whom are Derek S Henderson’s grimly malevolent Sparafucile" Rob Spence (Northwestend, https://northwestend.co.uk/index.php/professional-reviews/manchester/4152-rigoletto-waterside-arts-sale) (2019)

"Derek S Henderson’s voice is a deep rich bass-baritone and his portrayal of a slightly inept conman, who can’t believe he got away with it, was fully rounded." Ian Nethersell (https://markaspen.wordpress.com/2018/09/23/elisir/) (2018)

"Derek S Henderson is the deepest of bass baritones, singing a little known aria from Halévy’s La Juive, in the thrilling resonant rich tones which we associate with Russia, although he is in fact a Panamanian by birth. ... Derek S Henderson singing so movingly as [Massenet's] Don Quichotte ... the glorious trio from Offenbach’s Les Contes D’Hoffmann, with such exciting melodies and again so well acted and sung by ... Derek S Henderson." William Vine (https://markaspen.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/soft-serenity-and-powerful-passion-french-opera/) (2017)

"Panamanian bass-baritone Derek S Henderson treated us to a gripping rendition of Caspar’s aria, Schweig! Schweig! Damit dich niemand warnt. ...this is pretty formidable stuff. But we had already seen Henderson at the end of the first half and knew what he could do. The aria was Leb’ wohl (farewell), Wotan’s Farewell, the culmination of Die Walküre, the second opera in The Ring. ... Henderson’s imperious voice was outstanding for this moving piece, wide and rich in range, powerful, the scale epic." Mark Aspen (https://markaspen.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/german-opera1/) (2017)

"Panamanian Bass-Baritone Derek S Henderson, a big bear of a man with a deep rich voice that sets the furniture vibrating." Richard Davies (Essential Surrey & SW London, https://www.essentialsurrey.co.uk/theatre-arts/review-opera-foundry-german/) (2017)

"The singer I would most expect to see performing next week at the Royal Opera House was bass baritone Derek Henderson, a twinkly-eyed bear of a man from Panama with great stage presence and rich, resonant vocal tones. He brought such a sad dignity to the role of Don Quichotte and also performed a wonderful trio from Offenbach’s 'Tales of Hoffmann'...." Richard Davies (Essential Surrey & SW London, http://www.essentialsurrey.co.uk/theatre-arts/french-opera-foundry/) (2017)

"Colline (Derek S. Henderson) acting and singing the bass baritone role was very majestic as the philosopher." Mrs Betty Haslam (Noda) (2014)

"Derek S. Henderson was an imposing Colline" Chris Abbott (Sardines Magazine) (2014)

"Derek S Henderson (Agamemnon) all first-rate" Kerry Burn (onesuffolk) (2010)

"it works for me, as did the considerable authority that Derek Henderson stamped on the character of Olin Blitch" David Karlin (BachTrack) (2009)

Diploma in Concert Singing
Birkbeck College
2008
Opera Workshop
New England Conservatory
2003–2004
Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Music
Amherst College
1992–1996

Derek S. Henderson, bass-baritone, is from the Republic of Panamá. He moved to England in 2006 to study voice with David Pollard. Derek regularly performs throughout England and has performed in Italy, Kenya, the USA, and Panamá. In addition to opera – where he’s equally at home with the old and the new, the comic and the dramatic – Derek enjoys exploring the modern song repertoire, especially that of late Shostakovich.

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