Career
Norman Garrett earned his B.M. degree in voice from Texas Tech University and his M.M., also in voice, from The College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He is a former winner of the George London Foundation Competition (2014), and has received top prizes in more than a dozen international vocal competitions. In the early part of his career he performed with the Kentucky Opera and the Cincinnati Opera. He became a member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera and appeared in several roles on this stage.
His repertoire consists of distinctive roles in his vocal range — Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and the title role in Don Giovanni , the title role in Verdi's Macbeth , Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen and Jochanaan in Salome by Richard Strauss. He also appears regularly in rarities and contemporary works. For example, at the 64th Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland he took on the title role in Koanga , a very rarely performed opera from 1904 by Frederick Delius.
His signature role became the Crown in Porgy and Bess although he first sang the role of Jake in this opera (at the Lyric Opera of Chicago) and he debuted in the role of Jim at the Metropolitan Opera (in 2019). When he appeared as Crown at Glimmerglass Festival's 2017 production of Porgy and Bess, Norman Garrett was applauded by the audience and praised by the press. Bachtrack wrote that he ″was fully credible as Crown, the other malefic character in Bess’ life. Scary and exulting dark confidence, he justified the sway Crown held over her.″ [1] Thereafter he was invited to sing this role in Vienna, Ann Arbor, Fort Worth, Des Moines and Washington. Opera Today about his performance in Des Moines: ″Norman Garret was a colossal Crown. Not only is he an imposing and (in context) dangerous physical specimen, his booming, brooding baritone perfectly communicated his deadly serious intentions. “A Red-Headed Woman” was delivered with zesty menace.″ [2]
Also in Des Moines, in 2018, he was part of the cast of Flight by Jonathan Dove. [3] In 2019, the singer was invited to the Munich Opera Festival where he sung the role of Jim Larkens in Puccini's La fanciulla del West . In November 2022, he personified Malcom X. in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X , the 1986 opera by Anthony Davis, at Opera Omaha. Great praise also in June 2023 for his portrayal of Ned in Treemonisha by Scott Joplin, reimagined by composer Damien Sneed and librettist Karen Chilton at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Opera Today: ″Mr. Garret’s polished baritone brought authority and aural pleasure to his key moments, none more so than in his definitive, beautifully controlled melismatic rendering of When Villains Ramble Far and Near, which almost stopped the show.″ [4] In 2024, he participated in an excellent production of Tesori's Blue at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, performing as the Reverend. [5]
Norman Garrett appears regularly also in concert halls. In the early part of his career he sung with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Southwest Florida Symphony in Ft. Myers and with the Penn Symphony Orchestra. He has also been a recitalist with the Dolce Suono Ensemble. He was resident artist of Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts for one year. He sung Haendel's Messiah in Ottawa, the bass solo in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the National Philharmonic Orchestra and in Phoenix, Orff's Carmina Burana at the Hollywood Bowl and in Toronto, Waltons Belshazzar’s Feast with the Phoenix Symphony and a Gershwin program with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Cristian Măcelaru.
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