A native of Boston, baritone Nathaniel Watson is a graduate of the Eastman School and the Yale School of Music. He made his stage debuts in 1986—as Sid in Britten’s Albert Herring at the Aldeburgh Festival and as Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s opera at the Banff Festival. Since then he has appeared in more than thirty roles, ranging from Baroque to 20th-century. In concert with the New York Philharmonic, he sang the role of Kilian in Der Freischütz under Sir Colin Davis, and he also sang in Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 conducted by Kurt Masur. Some of his other notable concert appearances include the Beethoven Ninth with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and with the London Classical Players in its United States debut, both performances conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, and Handel’s Messiah with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Richard Hickox. Watson has sung in the premiere of several works by American composers and has recorded music from the 15th century (Busnoys with the ensemble Pomerium), the 18th century (Handel’s Sosarme under Johannes Somary), and the 20th century (works by American composers Samuel Barber, Philip Glass, Andrew Imbrie, and Claudio Spies).
