In a prestigious career built on impeccable technique and innate musicality, Grammy-nominated tenor Barry Banks’ core repertoire of bel canto and classical roles have taken him to the major stages of the world including appearances as Don Narciso (Il turco in Italia) at the Wiener Staatsoper, the title role in Mitridate, re di Ponto at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Ernesto (Don Pasquale) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Idreno (Semiramide) at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Arnold (Guillaume Tell) at Welsh National Opera, Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) at the Salzburg Festival, and the title role of Candide in his US stage debut at Chicago Lyric Opera.
In a 25 year relationship with Metropolitan Opera, key roles have included Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Tonio (La fille du régiment), Elvino (La Sonnambula), Lindoro (L’italiana in Algeri), Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Italian Tenor (Der Rosenkavalier), and Hades in Matt Aucoin’s acclaimed new opera Eurydice, earning him the highest of praise, the Washington Post writing, “his tenor is white-hot, piercing through the orchestra, threatening to burst into flames as Hades.”
Barry Banks’ distinguished concert career has included Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts under Sir Colin Davis with London Symphony Orchestra, Britten’s War Requiem at the Teatro alla Scala under Xian Zhang to mark the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, and The Dream of Gerontius with Münchner Philharmoniker under Sir Andrew Davis.
An impressive discography includes three recordings of Mahler’s Symphony No.8 – with Utah Symphony Orchestra (Fischer), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Jurowski), and Minnesota Orchestra (Vänskä). He has recorded variously with Sony, EMI, Phillips, Telarc, Teldec, Harmonia Mundi, Opera Rara, Erato and Classical Opera and has had a long and fruitful association with the Chandos label with numerous releases on the Opera in English series and a featured solo album of bel canto arias.