Simon Lasker Wallfisch (http://www.simonlaskerwallfisch.com)
was born in London into the distinguished musical Wallfisch family and began playing the cello and piano at an early age. He went on to study cello and voice as a foundation scholar at the Royal College of Music, during which time he was awarded prizes from The Georg Solti Foundation, the Royal Overseas League, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), the English Speaking Union "Lord Menuhin Scholarship", the Countess of Munster Trust and the Emmy Destinn Foundation.
Simon Lasker Wallfisch continued his vocal studies at the "Hanns Eisler" Hochschule für Musik, Berlin, and the "Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy" Hochschule fuer Musik und Theater, Leipzig. His teachers have included Jeanette Favaro-Reuter, Laura Sarti, Russell Smythe and Gary Magby. He has attended master classes with Mirella Freni, Luana Devol and Francisco Araiza among others.
This season he was a prizewinner at the First Concorso Internationale per Cantanti Lirichi "Giuseppe Di Stefano" in Sicily.
From 2009-2011, Simon Lasker Wallfisch was engaged as a tenor at the Zurich Opera House in the International Opera Studio, where he performed among other roles: Tamino Die Zauberflöte für Kinder, Bobeche Barbe Bleu, Drunken Prisoner House of the dead, Nathaniel Les contes d'Hoffmann, Eunuco Il Corsaro and Offizier Ariadne auf Naxos. He has sung with conductors including Jordan, Metzmacher, Elder, Zanetti, Fasolis and worked with directors such as Konwichney, Michieletto and Pountney.
Among Simon Lasker Wallfisch's other operatic engagements he has appeared as Basilio/Don Curzio Le nozze di Figaro in the Oper Leipzig, Soldat Der Kaiser von Atlantis and 2 Tenor Die sieben Todsünden for the Bayerische Rundfunk and in Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, and Karl Die beiden Pädagogen (Mendelssohn) in Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspielen. On the concert platform, Simon Lasker Wallfisch has performed works by Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Saint-Saens, Britten, Janacek and Orff in Musikhalle Hamburg, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall London, Philharmonie and Französischer Dom Berlin, Thomaskirche Leipzig, Pier 2 Arena Bremen, the Fraumünster Zürich and Chiesa Santa Maria Rome, with orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Konzert Chor and the Frankfurter Sinfoniker. In 2010 he performed Schubert's "Die Winterreise" with Graham Johnson.
Simon Lasker Wallfisch's performing career began as a cellist, often playing with the English Chamber Orchestra, with whom he also sang as an oratorio soloist on several occasions. He was a founding member of the Bolivar Soloists Chamber Ensemble currently recording with Deutsche Grammophon. He has broadcast as cellist, singer and actor on BBC Radio 3, Arte, ZDF, Schweizer Radio DRS, NDR (North German Radio), and Bayerischen Fernsehen
(Bavarian Television).
In London geboren. Studierte am Royal College of Music Violoncello, Gesang und Dirigieren, am Guildhall School of Music and Drama Gesang und Jazz Piano. Vervollständigte seine Gesangsausbildung an den Hochschulen für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin und "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig. Russell Smythe, Gary Magby, Jeanette Favaro-Reuter.
Preistraeger der Sir Georg Solti Foundation, des Concorso internazionale di canto lirico "Giuseppe di Stefano", der Royal Overseas League und des DAAD. War als Cellist, Mitglied des English Chamber Orchestra sowie der Bolivar Soloists (Deutsche Grammophon).
Aufzeichnungen für BBC, Bayern4Klassik, ARTE, ZDF, Bayerischen Fernsehen, NDR und Schweizer Radio DRS2. Liederabende (u.a. Schuberts "Winterreise" mit Graham Johnson) in der Musikhalle Hamburg, in der Wigmore Hall, in Frankreich und Italien. Solist u.A. mit English Chamber Orchestra, Zürich Kammer Orchester, Frankfurter Sinfoniker.
Während sein Studium Zeit war Wallfisch an der Oper Leipzig (Basilio/Curzio), am Anhaltischen Theater Dessau (2. Tenor Die Sieben Todsünden), Bayerische Rundfunk/Stadttheater Fürth (Soldat "Der Kaiser von Atlantis") und bei den Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspielen (Karl "Die beiden Pädagogen"/Mendelssohn) zu erleben.
Am Opernhaus Zürich (2009-2011 Internationalen Opernstudio) als Tenor engagiert: u.a. Tamino ("Kinderzauberfloete"), Offizier ("Ariadne auf Naxos"), Betrunkene Sträfling ("Totenhaus"), Bobeche ("Barbe bleue"), Raflafla ("Die Damen auf dem Markt"). Wallfisch hatte die gute Chance mit Konwichney, Poutney, Michieletto sowie Metzmacher, Fasolis, Elder und Davis zu arbeiten.
Simon Wallfisch continues to play the cello and give concerts as well as teach. He began his cello studies at the age of five, and went on to become a foundation scholar at the Royal College of Music, winning prizes including the Countess of munster Trust, English Speaking Union, and the Lord Menuhin Banff Scholarship. His teachers included Aldo Parisot, David Geringas, Leonid Gorokhov, Natalia Gutmann, Franz Helmerson and of course his father, Raphael Wallfisch. Alongside other chamber music and solo activities, Simon occasionally played with the Royal Philharmonic orchestra, and regularly with the English Chamber Orchestra often touring across Europe and beyond.
Despite his busy singing activities, the cello still remains a central part of his life. Often concert programmes include cello and piano repertoire as well as song repertoire. He has been lucky to have two works written for cello and voice, by Christopher Mayo, and Max Charles Davies. |