Possessing “a fresh, firm tone and good stage presence” (L’Opera), bass Andrew Funk is generating excitement in opera houses and concerts halls throughout the country. With a large and varied repertoire, he has performed music from the Baroque and classics of Beethoven, Berlioz, Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and Wagner, to works of contemporary composers. He is a frequent guest artist with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, making his debut in the world premiere of the opera Amistad, and since appearing in the companies’ productions of La Gioconda, Roméo et Juliette, Tosca, The Magic Flute, Salome and Aida, among others.

Noted engagements over the past two seasons include Banquo in Macbeth with Opera Lyra Ottawa, First Soldier in Salome at the San Francisco Opera, Kaspar in Der Freischutz with Opera Boston, bass soloist in the L’Opera de Montreal Gala, and three roles with Chicago Opera Theater: Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Besso in Cavalli’s Giasone and Publio in La Clemenza di Tito. He also returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago in performances as Pistola in Falstaff and One Armed Man in Die Frau ohne Schatten, as well as covering Gremin cover in Eugene Onegin, Osmin in Abduction from the Seraglio and King Mark in Triston and Isolde. Next, he performs Rocco in Fidelio at Opera Boston, Osmin in Abduction from the Seraglio with the Arizona Opera, and returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago to cover Heinrich in Lohengrin.

Mr. Funk made his debut with the Los Angeles Opera in 2004 in a John Cox and David Hockney production of Die Frau ohne Schattenunder the musical direction of Kent Nagano. Later that year, he performed the role of Don Pedro with The Santa Fe Opera in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict, and subsequently made his debut with the Anchorage Opera in Don Giovanni. During the summer 2005, Andrew Funk was engaged by the Seattle Opera for their Ring Cycle where he sang Hagen in Götterdämmerung and covered the role of Fafner in both Das Rheingold and Siegfried. In 2006, Mr. Funk returned to the Santa Fe Opera in the role of Zuniga in Carmen, as well as the First Nazarene in Salome.

In the contemporary repertoire, Mr. Funk was chosen by Philip Glass and the Tony Award winning director Mary Zimmerman to sing the world premiere performances of Glass’ opera Galileo Galilei in both Chicago and New York. For this opera, Andrew Funk portrayed four characters–Pope Urban VIII, Cardinal Barberini, Simplicio and the Father of Merope–and received acclaim from the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.

In the past, Mr. Funk has sung with the Sarasota Opera in the French version of Il Trovatore, Le Trouvère. Critics described his performance of Fernand as “reverberant” and “sonorous.” He also sang Plutone in the Chicago Opera Theater’s production of Orfeo, which toured to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Previously with Chicago Opera Theater, he sang the title role in Britten’s Noye’s Fludde. Mr. Funk has performed numerous major bass roles, including Rocco in Fidelio, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Colline in La Bohème. Besides the companies already mentioned, Andrew Funk has sung with the Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Virginia Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera.

In addition to his opera engagements, Mr. Funk is a frequent orchestral soloist. He has sung Berlioz with Maestro Zubin Mehta and Deborah Voigt with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall, Messiahwith the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and performances of Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins at the Aspen Music Festival.

Mr. Funk is a graduate of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s prestigious Ryan Opera Center, and has participated in distinguished training programs at the Juilliard School, Music Academy of the West, the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Santa Fe Opera. Andrew Funk received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California in Los Angeles and completed his Master’s degree at The Juilliard School in New York.