Michael Sokol
Baritone
Michael Sokol has had great success in opera and music theatre here in the United States and in Europe, in venues from the Metropolitan Opera, to the Philadelphia Orchestra, to Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. As a performer in theatre and opera, he has performed roles from Mozart’s Count in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Puccini’s Marcello in LA BOHEME, Shaw’s Henry Higgins in Lerner and Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY and Emile de Becque in SOUTH PACIFIC. Very active in the creation of new music theatre, he created the role of Frank Lloyd Wright in the world premiere of Darren Hagen and Paul Muldoon’s opera SHINING BROW, directed by Stephen Wadsworth and the role of the Magician in the American premiere of Stephen Oliver’s MARIO AND THE MAGICIAN, directed by Francesca Zambello. A devoted admirer of the work of Stephen Sondheim, Mr Sokol has participated in many revues of his music and was music director for MARRY ME A LITTLE at Centerstage Santa Barbara. An expert in the comic masterpieces of Gilbert and Sullivan and Offenbach, he has appeared in and directed over 17 of their respective works. Among Mr. Sokol’s collaborators and mentors are Martial Singher, Italo Tajo, John Reed and Charles Anthony, conductors Charles Dutoit, James Levine, Julius Rudel, Marko Letonja, and directors Fabrizio Melano, Keith Warner, Christopher Alden, Ken Cazan and Angelina Réaux.. He is frequently seen at San Diego Opera most recently as the Sacristan in TOSCA and this season will be seen as Benoit/Alcindoro in LA BOHEME, as well as in SALOME and LA TRAVIATA.