Andrew Collis
Bass-Baritone
Australian bass-baritone Andrew Collis was a member of the Cologne Opera from 1993, beginning in the Opera Studio and joining the soloist ensemble in 1995, where his roles included the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro, Schaunard and Colline in La bohème, Hobson in Peter Grimes, Mr Flint in Billy Budd, Dr Kolenaty in The Makropulos Case, Tchelio in The Love of Three Oranges, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, the Marquis in Dialogue of the Carmelites and Dr Falke in Die Fledermaus. Andrew has performed with the opera companies in Berlin, Frankfurt, Essen, Mannheim, Dortmund, Wiesbaden and Düsseldorf and in concerts in Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Bonn and in Cologne with James Conlon, including his participation in the award-winning recording of Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg for EMI.
Other international performances have included two appearances at the Hong Kong Festival in Tosca and Un Ballo in Maschera, the Lyric Opera of Singapore's production of The Magic Flute and the St John Passion, in the Canary Islands. In 2001, he appeared at the Vienna Festival in Luigi Nono's Intolleranza and in 1997 at the Perth Festival as soloist with the Prague Chamber Orchestra. More recent international engagements have included Colline (La Boheme) for San Diego Opera in 2005, Bartolo (Barber of Seville) and Flint (Billy Budd) for Cologne Opera in 2006.
In addition to his operatic repertoire, Andrew has an extensive list of concert and oratorio performances to his credit, including Magnificat, Coffee Cantata, and Mass in B minor of Bach, Messiah, Samson and Semele by Händel, Die Schöpfung, Stabat Mater and Masses by Haydn, Beethoven Missa Solemnis and Mozart Requiem. Recent engagements includeBeethoven’s 9th Symphony with the West Australian, Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony orchestras, St Matthew Passion for Perth Festival, Mendelssohn Erste Walpurgis Nacht for Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and St. John Passion for Sydney Philharmonia.
In 2011 Andrew performs the role of the Speaker in The Magic Flute for Victorian Opera, Ashby in La Fanciulla del West and Angelotti in Tosca for Opera Queensland, Count Rodolfo in La Sonnambula for State Opera of South Australia, Dr. Grenvil (La Traviata) for Brisbane Festival and will appear as soloist in Beethoven Symphony no. 9 with TSO.
Other recent engagements include Sonora (La Fanciulla del West) for MSO, Zaccaria (Nabucco) for Opera Queensland, Messiah for TSO, TQO and MSO, his debut appearance at the New Zealand International Arts Festival as Captain Cook in The Trial of the Cannibal Dog, Basilio (The Barber of Seville) for Opera Queensland, Bach B Minor Mass for Sydney Philharmonia, Messiah for The Queensland Orchestra,for Opera Australia Mr Flint (Billy Budd), and Dr Kolenaty (The Makropulos Affair),Leporello in Don Giovanni and Duke Bluebeard in Bluebeard’s Castle for Victorian Opera, Doctor Grenvil in La Traviata and Monterone in Rigoletto for Opera Queensland, Spalanzani, Luther and Crespel in The Tales of Hoffmann for State Opera of South Australia and a return to San Diego Opera as Hobson inPeter Grimes.
Andrew’s 2012 engagements include Speaker in The Magic Flute for Opera Australia, Zuniga in Carmen and Macbeth in concert for Opera Queensland, Nick Shadow in Rake’s Progress and Figaro in Marriage of Figaro for Victorian Opera and Mars in Orpheus in the Underworld for State Opera of South Australia.