Everyone should look as good at 48 as British baritone Simon Keenlyside. The son of two musicians, he studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
His professional debut was in 1987 as Count Almaviva in Hamburg Opera's "Marriage of Figaro".
In 1989, Keenlyside joined the roster of Scottish Opera, where he stayed until 1994, performing the barihunk roles of Billy Budd and Papageno, as well as Marcello (La Boheme), Danilo (The Merry Widow), Harlequin (Ariadne auf Naxos), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Figaro (Barber of Seville) and Belcore (L'elisir d'amore).
He has sung in virtually every major opera house and is known for his intensity on stage.
I heard him years ago as Pelleas in San Francisco and he was incredible, wish he'd come this way more often!
ReplyDeleteLove your site, by the way. :-)
Simon Keenlyside is an amazing singer and actor and - as you report - in terrfific shape for a man in his late forties.
ReplyDeleteI was at the ENO "Billy Budd" from which your pictures are taken and it was sensational.
There are rumours that SK may return to the Rossini Figaro at Covent Garden with, wait for it, Florez as Almaviva and Pappano conducting...