8
May
2022
Carmina Burana
Soloist
Orlando Philharmonic
Orlando, FL
Gabriel Preisser
GRAMMY® Award winning baritone Gabriel Preisser has been praised by Opera News for his “handsome voice, charismatic energy, and timbral allure.” His resume includes over 40 operatic and musical theater roles including Danilo in The Merry Widow with Utah Festival Opera, Billy Bigelow in Carousel with Minnesota Orchestra, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with St Petersburg Opera, Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Tampa, Escamillo in Carmen with Lyric Opera of the North, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Shreveport Opera, Le Mari in Les Mamelles de Tiresias with Opera Parallele, Albert in Werther with Minnesota Opera, Mercutio in Romeo et Juliette with Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera, Tommy in Brigadoon with Gulfshore Opera, Silvio in Pagliacci with Opera Naples, Harold Hill in The Music Man with Colorado Symphony, and Bob Baker in Wonderful Town with Skylark Opera. He has been praised for having a “matinee idol’s charm and charisma” (Star Tribune), “a beautiful, luscious baritone” (Pioneer Press) and “a compelling, commanding stage presence” (Houston Chronicle).
In 2020, Preisser returned to Canterbury Voices as soloist for a socially distanced performance of Brahms’ Requiem while also taking on the role of Eisenstein for Opera Orlando’s production of Die Fledermaus. He was to perform the title role in Sweeney Todd with Helena Symphony in a production postponed due to COVID-19. In the 2021-2022 season Preisser returns to the role of Danilo in The Merry Widow making his company debut with Opera Idaho and makes his role and company debut with Las Vegas Opera as James in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The House without a Christmas Tree. He will also be seen as Belfiore in Verdi’s Un Giorno di Regno with Opera Orlando and as a soloist in Carmina Burana with the Orlando Philharmonic. In May 2023, Preisser joins the Helena Symphony to perform the title role of Sweeney Todd in concert.
Preisser has made a name for himself as a versatile, crossover performer and has been especially active in new works. He created the role of Lt. Gordon in Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer Prize winning Silent Night at Minnesota Opera with subsequent performances at Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre. His performance with the Minnesota Opera as Lt. Gordon, deemed “wonderful” by The New York Times, was also broadcast nationally on PBS in 2013 and 2014. He also took on the role of Farmer Bean in Tobias Picker’s Fantastic Mr. Fox both with Opera San Antonio and Odyssey Opera of Boston. He can be heard on the original cast recording of Fantastic Mr. Fox under the baton of Gil Rose with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project that won the GRAMMY® Award for best new opera recording in 2020. He has also been seen as the title character in Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry, Tom Joad in Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Riolobo in Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas, Antonio in Hagen’s New York Stories, John Brooke in Adamo’s Little Women, and the Shoe Salesman/Puppet role in Argento’s Postcard from Morocco. He is a frequent recitalist throughout the US and a proponent of American composers including Charles Ives, Carlisle Floyd, Aaron Copland and John Duke.
A 2016 League of American Orchestras Emerging Artist, Preisser is known for his dynamic interpretation of Orff’s Carmina Burana performed with the Winter Park Bach Festival, Atlanta Ballet, Gulf Coast Symphony, and others. He has also been heard as a bass soloist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Colorado Symphony and Cristian Macelaru, soloist in William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with Jacksonville Symphony and the Canterbury Chorale, Schlendrian in Bach’s Coffee Cantata with Orlando Philharmonic, bass soloist in Bach’s St. John’s Passion with the Houston Bach Society, and bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Ars Lyrica and The Messiah Choral Society.
He was a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition and won the American finals of the International Lirico Concorso Competition. Mr. Preisser was a resident artist at Minnesota Opera, Kentucky Opera, Pensacola Opera, and an apprentice artist at Des Moines Metro Opera. He graduated summa cum laude from Florida State University with degrees in Vocal Performance and Commercial Music and completed a Masters in Voice at the University of Houston.
Outside of his performance career, Mr. Preisser serves as General Director for Opera Orlando.
Current & Upcoming Performances
Upcoming Performance Schedule Coming Soon
Past Performances
7
May
2022
Carmina Burana
Soloist
Orlando Philharmonic
Orlando, FL
21
November
2021
The House Without a Xmas Tree
Opera Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
19
September
2021
Merry Widow
Opera Idaho
Boise, ID
1
May
2021
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Helena Symphony
Helena, MT
19
December
2020
Die Fledermaus
Eisentein
Orlando Opera
Orlando
Walt Disney Theatre
17
December
2020
Die Fledermaus
Eisentein
Orlando Opera
Orlando
Walt Disney Theatre
1
November
2020
Brahms Requiem
Soloist
Canterbury Voices
Oklahoma City
Civic Center Music Hall
13
September
2020
Solo Recital with Robin Stamper
Orlando Opera
Orlando
Trouble in Tahiti and Arias and Barcarolles – Orchestra Miami
“The charismatic baritone Gabriel Preisser was utterly captivating in “Oif Mein Khas’neh” (At My Wedding), a tribute to klezmer wedding bands. He vividly captured the irony in “The Love of My Life,” aided by Coughlin’s scoring of the Mahlerian undercurrent for solo violin and cello. Preisser commands the kind of voluminous baritone singers like John Raitt and Howard Keel used to bring to the Broadway stage. Sam’s aria “There are men” (after winning his handball game at the gym) was an ode to machismo, sung by Preisser with stentorian power.” – South Florida Classical Review 2019 (Trouble in Tahiti and Arias & Barcarolles with Orchestra Miami)
Carmina Burana – Orlando Ballet
“Soloists added to the work’s thrilling surprises… Gabriel Preisser whose range amazes and whose vocal power gives the choir a run for its money.” – The Orlando Sentinel 2018 (Carmina Burana with Orlando Ballet)
The Marriage of Figaro – Inland Northwest Opera
“This weekend’s Figaro, Gabriel Preisser… possesses the dramatic, heroic qualities more often heard in the operas of Wagner and Verdi, although the role of Don Giovanni could have been written for him… His assumption of Figaro was a triumph. He… managed the intricacies of the vocal writing with utter ease and naturalness. When, at an emotional climax, he released his full reserves of burnished, clarion tone, the effect was thrilling.” – The Spokesman Review 2018 (The Marriage of Figaro with Inland Northwest Opera)
The Barber of Seville – Utah Festival Opera
“Gabriel Preisser, who plays the titular barber Figaro, wove life and joy into the character of the town barber and matchmaker with his rich, easy-to-follow baritone…” – Deseret News 2018 (The Barber of Seville with Utah Festival Opera)
“Lyric baritone Gabriel Preisser returns to the UFOMT after too long an absence with a huge splash as Figaro. His characterization of the scheming barber is appealingly energetic, his singing is charismatic and his comic timing is impeccable.” – The Herald Journal News 2018 (The Barber of Seville with Utah Festival Opera)
The Secret Garden – Utah Festival Opera
“Priesser first presents Archibald as a brooding and ornery recluse, and does an impeccable job at gradually releasing details of his character’s pain. His rich vocals reach out into the audience and draw them into his world, particularly during the powerful and revealing duet with Reed, ‘Lily’s Eyes.’” – Front Row Reviewers 2018 (The Secret Garden with Utah Festival Opera)
The Barber of Seville – Opera Tampa
“Gabriel Preisser, one of last year’s mainstays, returns to play the title role of Figaro, a jack-of-all-trades and town fixer, as he introduces himself in the Figaro aria made famous in part by Bugs Bunny. Preisser’s versatile baritone covers the character’s demands, and his amiable swagger quickly won over a full Morsani Hall at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.” – Tampa Bay Times 2018 (The Barber of Seville with Opera Tampa)
Silent Night – Piedmont Opera
“Preisser’s performance is nuanced and sympathetic; his character caught between military duty and domestic bliss.” – Winston-Salem Journal 2017 (Silent Night with Piedmont Opera)
“Baritone Gabriel Preisser seemed perfect for French Lt. Audebert. His warm voice and quietly emotional acting set the bar for the other cast members.” – American Record Guide 2017 (Silent Night with Piedmont Opera)
Don Giovanni – Skylark Opera
“Preisser’s Giovanni was the evening’s standout performance, as it must be with this opera. Suave, caddishly handsome and worryingly convincing in his seductive maneuvers, Preisser combined an oak-solid baritone with a high-energy domination of the stage, generating consternation in all the characters around him.
Vocally, Preisser was indefatigable, as dominant in the climactic damnation scene as he was supple and insinuating in the serenade he sings to a serving maid in Act Two.” – Star Tribune 2017 (Don Giovanni with Skylark Opera)
LaCenerentola – Opera Tampa
“Gabriel Preisser’s rich baritone has made him eminently castable in several previous Opera Tampa productions. But as Dandini he reveals a comic dimension that played a critical role, like the third leg of a 400-meter relay. Many of the show’s current allusions come through him, (including) a hip-hop move in a dance sequence…” – Tampa Bay Times, 2017 (La Cenerentola with Opera Tampa
