Marc Molomot
Tenor
“The performance was dominated by the wondrous high tenor of Marc Molomot….it was hard to imagine French Baroque singing more beautifully or stylishly alive to music and text.”
— Chicago Tribune
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Possessed of a rare high-tenor voice and a winning stage persona that comfortably embraces both comedic and dramatic roles, Marc Molomot enjoys an international career on opera and concert stages. Though Mr. Molomot was originally known for appearances with the world’s leading early music ensembles, and conductors including William Christie, John Eliot Gardiner, Nicholas McGegan, John Nelson and Andrew Parrott, the “hugely charismatic” and “superb actor… capable of winning our affections with a depth of expression once he begins to sing” (Los Angeles Times) is now in demand for repertoire of all eras.
An acclaimed concert performer, Molomot’s recent engagements have included Britten’s Serenade with Omaha Symphony and Britten’s St. Nicholas Cantata with Berkshire Choral International, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Mobile Symphony Orchestra and Nashville Symphony, Bach’s Magnificat with Israel Camerata Jerusalem, Messiah with Rhode Island Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, and Symphony Nova Scotia, and Mozart’s Coronation Mass at Alice Tully Hall with American Classical Orchestra, and created the role of Francis O’Rourke in Martin Rokeach’s oratorio Bodies on the Line, which he sang with the Oakland Symphony. Following his role debut as tenor soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Houston Symphony, Molomot has reprised it with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica and Kansas City, Pacific and Omaha Symphonies. He is also known worldwide for his heartfelt portrayal of the Evangelist in Bach’s Passions, with recent appearances including a St. John Passion with Berkshire Choral Festival, and a St. Matthew Passion at King’s College, Halifax.
This season, he rejoins the Saint Andrew Music Society (SAMC) for Vaughan Williams Hodie. SAMC has also presented him in recital with Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise.
In the 2024-25 opera season Molomot will bring his “fine, style-appropriate voice” (WQXR) to the title role of Rameau’s Pygmalion with Kentucky Opera, a role he last performed with On Site Opera; and Davus in Keiser’s Octavia with the Boston Early Music Festival. Other recent operatic highlights have included the roles of Bardolfo in Falstaff with Opera San José, Mime in Wagner’s Das Rheingold in Berlin, Truffaldino in Busoni’s Turandot with Bard Music Festival, 1st Jew in Salome at Bard and with Tulsa Opera, the title role of Purcell’s King Arthur and as Puck in Purcell’s Fairy Queen with Long Beach Opera (the latter a co-production with Chicago Opera Theater), Sailor in Dido and Aeneas with Angel’s Share in New York City, and Arnalta in Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea with Florentine Opera. A recent production of Charpentier’s Orphée at Haymarket Opera was “dominated by the wondrous high tenor of Marc Molomot,” with the Chicago Tribune reviewer concluding that “it was hard to imagine French Baroque singing more beautifully or stylishly alive to music and text.”
Also possessing an affinity for contemporary works, Molomot has created roles including Leonard Lev in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakenings with Opera Theatre of St. Louis; and Le Cochon in Jean-Marc Singier’s acclaimed Chat perché, which he performed at Paris’ Amphithéâtre Bastille and on a multi-city tour of France. His premiere performance as the protagonist in Evan Ziporyn’s opera A House in Bali was considered “rapturously sung” (Wall Street Journal) and “powerful” (San Francisco Chronicle). He sang the role of John Adams in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of us All at Hudson Hall, which was named a New York Times “Best Classical Music Performance of 2017,” and sang the role of Der Hauptmann in the live recording of Berg’s Wozzeck with the Houston Symphony, which won a GRAMMY® Award and an ECHO Klassik Award for Best Opera Recording.
Molomot’s comedic talents have been showcased with performances as Adolphe de Valladolid in Offenbach’s Les brigands, Le Fils in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias, and le Mari in Auber's Fra Diavolo at Opéra Toulon, Opéra de Lyon, and the Opéra Comique in Paris.
In addition to Wozzeck, Molomot’s discography includes the GRAMMY® nominated recording of Lully’s Thésée with the Boston Early Music Festival; GRAMMY® nominated Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria on Linn Records with Boston Baroque; Charpentier’s Judicium Salomonis with Les Arts Florissants, conducted by William Christie; Handel’s Acis and Galatea with Les Boréades conducted by Eric Milnes; and Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with Apollo’s Fire led by Jeannette Sorrell.
*Exclusive representation for concert engagements. For opera engagements contact Athlone Artists.
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BACH | B minor Mass | Portland Baroque
“...tenor Marc Molomot's Benedictus, cast as a trio with flute and cello, as among the loveliest moments, ending on a note of ineffable tenderness…” — The Oregonian
| Easter Oratorio | Apollo’s Fire
“...the approach brought immediacy to the text, sung in English, and the soloist…and tenor Marc Molomot were distinctive and stylistically alert.” — The Plain Dealer
| St. John Passion | Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra
"Marc Molomot, as the Evangelist...his voice transparent and engaging, was a brilliant narrator.... This performance of Aria No. 20 was delicate and mellifluous, pensive and moving." — Pamela Hickman's blog
| St. Matthew Passion | Tafelmusik
“Bravos, too, go to Molomot, whose vivid projection of text and emotion made his aria, Geduld! Wenn mich falsche Zungen stechen, memorable. — National Post
BRITTEN | Albert Herring | Orlando Opera
“Especially Albert, one of opera’s least glamorous title characters. Marc Molomot’s singing was full of feeling: It could have delicacy, a cutting edge or many qualities in between, and through it Albert’s shyness, frustration, sweetness and longing were all able to strike home. And while Molomot’s Albert was sometimes clumsy, as the story demands, in his key scenes he also had a formidable presence.” — Orlando Sentinel
“Marc Molomot brought the right touch of neediness to the title role and used his pleasant tenor tellingly.”
— Opera News
CHARPENTIER | La Descente d'Orphée aux Enfers | “Orphée” | Haymarket Opera Company
“The performance was dominated by the wondrous high tenor of Marc Molomot….it was hard to imagine French Baroque singing more beautifully or stylishly alive to music and text.” — Chicago Tribune
“Fluid and delicate Baroque gesture was used at all times; the Doctrine of the Affections was heeded via both these gestures and the vibrant acting – a true spectacle showcasing a wide spectrum of subtle and strong emotions ranging from demonic fury to tender infatuation which wonderfully echoed the real world.” — Bachtrack
GLUCK | Armide | Carmel Bach Festival
"It was in an aria from Gluck's opera Armide that this tenor's true worth was best appreciated. The voice was well colored, flowed easily and was vibrantly projected." — Carmel Pine Cone
HANDEL | Acis and Galatea | “Damon” | Les Boréades | Eric Milnes, conductor
“The excellent tenor Marc Molomot, elegant in ‘Consider, fond shepherd’…” — Opera News (CD review)
“Standing out was Marc Molomot as Damon. His agile tenor covered Handel’s florid writing with ease, and his subtle acting linked the various scenes.” — Vancouver
| Israel in Egypt | New York Collegium
“…and Marc Molomot both made nice work of their arias and were truly lovely in their duet toward the end; Molomot sang his bits of Evangelist-like narration with marvelously clear diction.” — Andante.com
| Messiah | Portland Baroque
“The tenor, Marc Molomot, who boasts a luscious voice, brought Callas-inspired drama to his part. He punctuated words with sforzandi and ritardandi delivered in creative abandon, tempered somewhat by the piece’s tasteful conservatism.” — The Oregonian
MOZART | Le Nozze di Figaro | Western Opera Theatre
“…the singing was engaging and occasionally magnificent. In a small but pivotal role, Marc Molomot gave a sterling performance, that, for the first time, showed us that someone up there was having fun.” — The Chapel Hill News
MONTEVERDI | Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria | Boston Baroque
“the cast was impeccable, with standouts including Marc Molomot’s loathsomely funny Iro.”
— Boston Classical Review
“Also outstanding…Marc Molomot’s stuttering sponger Irus.” — Boston Globe
| L’incoronazione di Poppea | “Arnalta” | Opera de Lyon
“Marc Molomot was by turns touching and hilarious as Arnalta.” — Opera Japonica
“Someone to follow is New YorMarc Molomot, who sings the midwife Arnalta in a high tenor…an excellent actor-singer, capable of playing derision as well as murmuring his lullaby to make it the emotional heart of the opera.” — Le Monde
| L’incoronazione di Poppea | “Arnalta” | Early Music Vancouver
“On a musical level, Early Music Vancouver’s presentation for Festival Vancouver is nothing less than spectacular. The over-all vocal standard is remarkably high and just as remarkably consistent…and Marc Molomot in scene-stealing drag as Poppea’s sly nurse and confidant, are no less stunning.” — Vancouver Sun
| L’incoronazione di Poppea | “Arnalta” | Boston Baroque
“…and Marc Molomot brought down the house with his portrayal of Poppea’s ambitious nurse, Arnalta.”
— Opera News
“Marc Molomot gave an uninhibited comic performance as Arnalta, the old nurse, then surprised us with a very suave, almost-countertenor delivery of her lullaby. — The Boston Globe
| L’incoronazione di Poppea | “Arnalta” | Florentine Opera | Jory Vinikour, cond.
“Marc Molomot (Arnalta) was a complete comic delight.” — Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Molomot was an Arnalta who upheld Seventeenth-Century conventions but set a standard of his own in the rôle…Arnalta’s lullaby for Poppea, ‘Oblivion soave,’ is one of the most exquisite pieces in Seventeenth-Century opera, and Molomot sang it with piercing expressivity that so entranced the audience that merely breathing seemed to disturb the scene’s serenity.” — Joseph Newsome, Voix de Arts
| L’Orfeo | Apollo’s Fire | Jeanette Sorrell, cond.
“Marc Molomot was impressive in the roles of the Shepherd I and Apollo.” — The Akron Beacon-Journal
“As Apollo and First Shepherd, Marc Molomot brings a ringing tenor, more forceful and conventionally operatic than that of G. Morell, but flexible, impressively controlled, and delicate where it needs to be.”
— Fanfare Magazine (CD review)
ORFF | Carmina Burana | Omaha Symphony
“There’s almost nothing childlike about ‘Carmina Burana,’ however, except for a humorous verse about an unfortunate swan roasting on a spit (gestured as well as sung by Molomot with great hilarity).”
— Omaha World-Herald
| Carmina Burana | Houston Symphony
“Tenor Marc Molomot deftly handled the challenge of the most unusual solo, that strange lament of a swan being roasted, mostly pitched in a tortured falsetto.” — Houston Chronicle
| Carmina Burana | Oregon Symphony
“The fellow who almost stole the show was tenor Marc Molomot. He turned his one solo, “Olim lacus colueram” (the swan who is being roasted on a spit), which is normally done as a lament, into a self-deprecating, humorous event that included terrific interaction with the men of the choir.” — James Bash, Northwest Reverb
| Carmina Burana | Paficic Symphony | Carl St. Clair, Cond.
“Tenor Marc Molomot (the passenger) managed the Swan’s song evenly and eloquently, without, it would appear, resorting to falsetto.”— Timothy Mangan, OC Register
PICKER | Awakenings “Leonard Lev” | Opera Theatre of St. Louis
“Molomot came to the role of Leonard on apparently very short notice and did a hero’s job of making him a sad, wholly believeable boy in a man’s clothing.” – Musical America
“Tenor Marc Molomot’s charismatic portrayal of Leonard, an immobile patient who could read was exceptional…”
– Operagene
“You would never know that tenor Marc Molomot came late to the production process to portray the (at first)
sympathetic, then later, bitter incarnation of Leonard Lev. As he ‘awakens’, Mr. Molomot is a combination of lovable nebbish and pitiable gay man. His tenor deftly meets the initial lyrical demands of the role, but it is when he gets riled to defiance and short-lived self-assurance that he unleashes a potent, Mime-like, laser-focused projection that is rock solid in its delivery.” – Opera Today
PURCELL | Dido and Aeneas | New York Opera Festival
“Marc Molomot led the sailors’ song with aplomb…” —Operawire
“Tenor Marc Molomot’s sailor injected a touch of humor and lightness in the tragedy with his boisterous singing of ‘Come away, fellow sailors’.” —Seen and Heard International
PURCELL | King Arthur | Long Beach Opera
“Marc Molomot is a hugely charismatic Arthur. A superb actor, he is as much Jimmy Durante as a Trump wannabe, capable of winning our affections with a depth of expression once he begins to sing.” —The LA Times
"Conceptually, King Arthur is at its best when most playful. Early on, projections of comic-book graphics and superhero dolls provide a lite, enjoyable aesthetic. Molomot’s whininess amuses...the quality of Molomot’s clear tenor comes as a surprise considering how incongruous it is with his intentionally nasal dialog. —Random Length News
"As Arthur King (sic), Marc Molomot firmly grounded the tale. Mr. Molomot is a highly skilled actor who also happens to sport a firmly delivered tenor voice. He superbly delineates between the mentally troubled inmate, and the grandiose, willful monarch. Mr. Molomot’s sizable tenor had an assured presence, and he easily filled the house with ringing tone...a vocal presentation of secure beauty." —Opera Today
"Completely inhabiting the delusional Arthur King is tenor Marc Molomot, whose uninhibited physical movement and soft, clownish presence elicit both laughter and sympathy. We see him combine slanted news commentary with his beloved comic books, adopting a superhero persona to defend against all those shape-shifters among us who would do us harm....exceptional acting and singing..."—Signal Tribune
PURCELL | The Fairy Queen | Chicago Opera Theater | Jory Vinikour, conductor
“The nucleus around which the supercharged particles of this Fairy Queen whirred was the Puck of tenor Marc Molomot… The tenor’s voicing of the epithalamium ‘Thrice happy lovers’ was the performance’s finest instance of Purcellian vocal authenticity.” — Joseph Newsome, Voix des Arts
“Things got really heated when pink-haired Puck gave the characters the famous love-juice, rebranded by the COT as “mecstasy.” Molomot, with a rare high-tenor voice, displayed not only command of baroque technique but great aptitude as a comic actor. In particular, his scene suggesting (not very subtly) raunchy gay sex with Shakes, the Poet, was certainly the most laughable moment of the evening.” — Chicago Maroon
| The Fairy Queen | Long Beach Opera | Martin Haselböck, cond.
It is Puck who undergoes the most touching transformation. Moreover, the example of a brilliantly Falstaffian performance by French tenor Marc Molomot seems to lift the level of everyone around him. — Marc Swed, LA Times
The voices were magnificent…Mark Molomot, a pink-haired Puck, sang numerous arias with a gleaming tenor, and cut a very funny figure. — Jim Ruggirello, Gazettes
RAMEAU | Pygmalion | On Site Opera
“He has both the high range required of the part and the nimbleness to navigate its runs and ornamental flourishes with ease.” — New York Times
“…Marc Molomot brought his fine, style-appropriate voice to the title role, resourcefully scaling the considerable upper reaches, expressively molding the French text…” — WQXR
SINGIER | Le chat perché (WORLD PREMIERE) | "le cochon/the pig" | Opera Bastille
"Marc Molomot brings comedy to the work along with his bel canto tenor, full of fire." — Le Monde
"Marc Molomot is marvelous. We remember his magnificent tenor from Mamelles de Tiresias at the Opera Comique earlier this season. His character, full of humor, and his voice conquered the Bastille hall." — Artistik Rezo
"The incredible Marc Molomot..." — Le Republique
"...irresistibly and magnificently played by tenor and accomplished comedian, Marc Molomot." — ResMusica.comTHOMPSON | The Mother of Us All | “John (Qunicy) Adams” | Hudson Hall | Tony Kieraldo, cond.
“Standouts included…Marc Molomot, droll as John (Quincy) Adams, who has to conquer his snobbery to woo a lady of lesser station.” — Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal
ZIPORYN | A House in Bali (WORLD PREMIERE) | “Colin McPhee” | Bang on a Can All-Stars
"McPhee's lines-all taken from the book-are clearly declaimed and on occasion rapturously sung by Marc Molomot, who possess the rare vocal timbre known as haute contre, He can shift from sweet, speechlike tenor to soprano outbursts to high D. I was reminded of Peter Pears playing Aschenbach in Benjemin Britten's opera based on Mann's novella." — The Wall Street Journal
"A powerful and beautifully sung performance by tenor Marc Molomot" — San Francisco Chronicle
RECORDINGS
BERG: WOZZECK | “Hauptmann” | Houston Symphony | NAXOS 8.660390-91
In this performance, that voice belongs to tenor Marc Molomot, whose intrepid singing of the Hauptmann’s angular, awkwardly high-lying music is one of this Wozzeck’s greatest strengths… Molomot, ever a shrewd artist with an uncanny ability to topple façades and reveal the most basic foundations of a character and his music, employs his incisive vocalism in the opening scene of Act One with aptly insinuating insipidity that contrasts with the enticing sheen of his timbre. Singing ‘Langsam, Wozzeck, langsam! Eins nach dem Andern!’ with absolute security and an uncommon degree of intonational accuracy, he endows the performance with a Hauptmann who both intrigues and repulses. The clarity of the tenor’s diction lends his utterance of ‘Es wird mir ganz angst um die Welt’ unanticipated dramatic force…His singing allows the listener to hear far more of the notes that Berg wrote for the rôle than is typical of most depictions, and, moreover, they are notes that one actually enjoys hearing. In many performances, the Hauptmann is more a pathetic jester than a serious combatant in the psychological contest that precipitates Wozzeck’s ultimate tragedy. Molomot’s Hauptmann is a three-dimensional figure…Vocally, not even Hugues Cuénod’s RAI Roma Hauptmann in italiano is more distinguished. — Joseph Newsome, Voix des Arts