Praised for his “authoritative bass” by Opera News and described as “simply breathtaking” by the Rheinische Post, American bass Andrew Nolen has performed a diverse repertoire in opera and concert venues spanning the globe. In the 2022-23 season, Andrew will sing the role of Urlias in Reinhard Keiser’s Ulysses with the Schwetzingen Festspiele, debut with Semperoper Dresden as Direktor Hummel in Aribert Reimann’s Die Gespenstersonate, and appear as bass soloist in Carnegie Hall in Beethoven’s Mass in C. In the 2021-22 season Nolen sang the role of Jagu in Paderewski’s Manru and the roles of Quarantänemeister and Universitätskanzler in Traumspiel by Aribert Reimann with Oper Halle, made his debut on the stage of Komische Oper Berlin singing various roles in Barrie Kosky’s production of Die Nase by Shostakovich, as well as singing the bass solos in Haydn’s Schöpfungsmesse in St. Bart’s Cathedral in New York City. In 2021 he also sang Banco in Macbeth with Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin and the world premiere of Im Stein by Sara Glojnarić and Clemens Meyer with Oper Halle.
Mr. Nolen has performed on international stages including Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf, Oper Bonn, Oper Dortmund, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, and has toured with The Wooster Group to Brussels, Rotterdam, Edinborough, Luxembourg, New York and Los Angeles. Mr. Nolen has recorded with Bridge Records and can be heard as the bass soloist on Naxos of America's box set of Haydn's complete masses with maestra Jane Glover. As an ensemble member of Theater Krefeld-Mönchengladbach from 2011 to 2018, he sang twenty-three roles including Leporello in Don Giovanni, Oroveso in Norma, Swallow in Peter Grimes, Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro.
Nolen trained at Oberlin Conservatory, Cincinnati Conservatory, and the Juilliard Opera Center, and was an apprentice artist with Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Opera Theater of St. Louis. He has worked under the direction of distinguished stage directors and conductors including Colin Graham, Elizabeth LeCompte, Frank Corsaro, Julius Rudel, Robert Shaw, Ton Koopman, Jane Glover, Robert Spano, and Stephen Lord, and is frequently the bass of choice for composers to premiere new works.
