- Brian Asawa
Japanese American
countertenor Brian Asawa (born 1966) studied music at UC Santa Cruz,UCLA and theUniversity of Southern California in Los Angeles. The singer's career was launched in 1991 when he became the first countertenor to win theMetropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. After a two year association as a young artist withSan Francisco Opera in 1991–92, he became the first countertenor to win thePlácido Domingo "Operalia" International Opera Competition (1994) and was chosen Seattle Opera's Artist of the Year (1996–97).Asawa's operatic season highlights include Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus at San Francisco Opera and San Diego Opera; Tolomeo in "
Giulio Cesare " at Metropolitan Opera, Bordeaux, Opera Australia,Royal Opera House ,Covent Garden , Paris Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, andHamburg State Opera ; Arsamene in "Serse" at Los Angeles, Cologne, Seattle, and Geneva; Admeto in Admeto at Sydney, Montpellier and Halle; Baba The Turk in "The Rake's Progress " at San Francisco and for Swedish television; Fiodor in "Boris Godunov" at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Endimione in La Calisto in Brussels, Oberon in "A Midsummer Night's Dream " at San Francisco, Houston, London Symphony Orchestra and Lyon; Ascanio in Ascanio in Alba at theLincoln Center ; Farnace in Mitridate at Opera National de Lyon and Paris Opera; Nero in L'incoronazione di Poppea in Sydney; Ottone in "L'Incoronazione di Poppea " atGlimmerglass Opera in New York; Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice, La Speranza inL'Orfeo and L'Umana Fragilita/Anfinomo in Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria at Netherlands Opera; David in "Saul" and Belize in "Angels" at theBavarian State Opera , and Sesto in Giulio Cesare at COC in Toronto.Mr. Asawa's discography includes four solo recital discs ranging from Dowland and Campion to Rachmaninov and Ned Rorem. Opera recordings include Farnace in Mitridate for Decca, Arsamene in Serse for Conifer and Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream for Philips with the
London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis.Asawa is the nephew of sculptor Ruth Asawa.
External links
* [http://www.brianasawa.com/ Brian Asawa's website]
* [http://www.culturekiosque.com/opera/intervie/rheasawa.html Interview with Brian Asawa in Culture Kiosque]
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