5 Dec 2019

“Comic tour-de-force” makes NZSO debut

From Upbeat, 1:00 pm on 5 December 2019

Bass-baritone Hadleigh Adams has gone from humble beginnings in Palmerston North to performing with major orchestras around the world. He returns home for the first time in 11 years and will make his New Zealand Symphony Orchestra debut this week singing in Handel’s ‘Messiah’.

Baritone Hadleigh Adams

Baritone Hadleigh Adams Photo: Supplied

Adams has made a career of performing a varied repertoire including modern opera, musical theatre, classical and baroque.

Adams has performed 'Messiah' more than 45 times and will spend December traveling around the United States performing with various orchestras. He says he'd sing 'Messiah' every day if he could. This weekend's performance will also be the first time his family has seen him perform in a professional capacity.

His music education includes stints at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and with the San Francisco Opera Merola Programme. He was also an Adler Fellow and during that time he performed in more than 75 main stage performances and 20 concerts.

Kiwi baritone Hadleigh Adams in San Francisco Opera's Tosca

Kiwi baritone Hadleigh Adams in San Francisco Opera's Tosca Photo: Cory Weaver

In 2017 Adams impressed with his performances with the LA Philharmonic and was hailed a “comic tour-de-force” by The New Yorker. Since then he’s worked with San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; Colorado Symphony, Houston Symphony Orchestra and Nashville Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestra and at London’s Royal National Theatre, just to name a few.

He spends eight months a year on the road and documents his adventures on Instagram.

Hadleigh Adams chats with David Morriss about his career in the United States, why he’s been away for so long, his debut with the NZSO and what’s next.