Jonathan Summers

{{short description|Australian operatic baritone (born 1946)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=July 2015}} '''Jonathan Summers''' (born 2 October 1946) is an Australian operatic baritone who has mainly worked in the United Kingdom. He sang the role of Captain Balstrode in the 1980 recording of Benjamin Britten's ''Peter Grimes'' which won a Grammy award for Best Opera recording.

== Early life ==

Summers was born in Melbourne, where he studied art at Prahran Technical College (1964–9) and trained as a vocalist with Bettine McCaughan (1964–74).<ref name="Ashton 1">{{cite news | url=http://www.smh.com.au/comment/obituaries/girl-from-a-country-church-choir-became-an-inspirational-teacher-of-singing-20161004-grunia.html | title=Girl from a Country Church Choir Became an Inspirational Teacher of Singing | first=David | last=Ashton-Smith | website=The Sydney Morning Herald | date=4 October 2016 | via=National Library of Australia | archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20161013162637/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/155983/20161014-0203/www.smh.com.au/comment/obituaries/girl-from-a-country-church-choir-became-an-inspirational-teacher-of-singing-20161004-grunia.html | archive-date=13 October 2016 | access-date=25 March 2023 | url-access=subscription | url-status=live }}</ref> From 1970 to 1974, he worked as a technical operator and recording engineer with the Radio Division of the Australian Broadcasting Commission. In September 1973 he won the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition.<ref name="CanTimes Sep73">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110745739 |title=In Brief: Musicians |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=48 |issue=13,530 |date=3 September 1973 |access-date=25 March 2023 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia }}</ref> He followed with winning the Sun Aria competition in the next month.<ref name="CanTimes Oct73">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110750751 |title=In Brief: Aria Win |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=48 |issue=13,558 |date=5 October 1973 |access-date=25 March 2023 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia }}</ref> The same year he won the television talent quest BP Showcase.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.operafolks.com/Summers/summers%20biog.pdf | title=Jonathan Summers | website=www.operafolks.com | date=2006-05-16}}</ref> In 1974, he moved to London, where he studied with Otakar Kraus until 1980.

== Career ==

Summers's professional debut in opera took place in 1975, when he sang the title role in ''Rigoletto'' with Kent Opera. He was a member of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, from 1976 to 1986, singing such roles as Albert in ''Werther'', the Animal Tamer in the British premiere of the three-act version of ''Lulu'', Demetrius in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', Papageno in ''The Magic Flute'', Ford in ''Falstaff'', Sharpless in ''Madama Butterfly'' and Marcello in ''La bohème''. He has also appeared with English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North and Welsh National Opera.

==References==

*{{cite book| editor-last = Adam| editor-first = Nicky | year = 1993| title = Who's Who in British Opera| publisher = Scolar Press| location = Aldershot| isbn = 0-85967-894-6| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinbritish0000adam}}

==Notes==

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Jonathan}} Category:1946 births Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Australian operatic baritones Category:Helpmann Award winners