GRAMMY® Award-winning baritone Daniel Belcher has graced the stages of the world's foremost music capitals. His commanding presence and remarkable talent have left an indelible mark on audiences in cities that include Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid, Toronto, San Francisco and Houston. With a vast repertoire encompassing over 80 roles, Belcher's artistry spans from the rich compositions of the Baroque era to contemporary works composed expressly for him. His rise to international acclaim occurred in 2004 when he originated the role of Prior Walter in Peter Eötvös' Angels in America at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, prompting London’s The Guardian to declare that he possessed "the kind of powerhouse artistry that signals a star in the making." In the 2023-2024 season, Mr. Belcher is set to portray Gabriel von Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Pensacola Opera, make a role debut as Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohème at Utah Opera, and return to the Houston Grand Opera as Max Dettweiler in The Sound of Music. His previous season included performances as Lawrence in The Wreckers (Smith) at Houston Grand Opera and Frank/Fritz in Die tote Stadt with Opera Colorado.

 

A world-renowned interpreter of new works, Mr. Belcher created the roles of Inspector Kildare in Elizabeth Cree (Puts/Campbell) at Opera Philadelphia, James Addison III in The House Without a Christmas Tree (Gordon/Vavrek) at Houston Grand Opera (released on the Pentatone label), Lord Bellingham in The Scarlet Letter (Laitman) at Opera Colorado (released on the Naxos label), Brian Castner in The Long Walk (Beck) with Opera Saratoga, and Robert Kennedy in Waiting for Miss Monroe (de Raaff) for his debut at The Netherlands Opera and Holland Festival. Other world premiere roles include John Brooke in Adamo’s Little Women (released on the Ondine label and recorded by PBS’ Great Performances), Andy Warhol in Daughterty’s Jackie O (released by Decca on the Argo label), and multiple roles in Machover's Resurrection (released on the Ondine label), all with Houston Grand Opera. Additionally, he created the role of Alfred Stieglitz in the world premiere of Today it Rains (Kaminsky/Campbell/Reed) with Opera Parallèle.

 

 Mr. Belcher is similarly celebrated for his talent in bringing Rossini's music to life, with a strong association to the characters of Dandini in La Cenerentola, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri. His performances of these dynamic roles have been seen at prestigious venues such as San Francisco Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Arizona Opera, Opera Colorado, Utah Opera, Portland Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Florentine Opera, among others.

 

In recent years, Mr. Belcher appeared as William in The Fall of the House of Usher and Street Singer/Tiger Brown in The Threepenny Opera with Boston Lyric Opera; Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Fredrik Egerman in A Little Night Music at Madison Opera; Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors with On Site Opera; Older Thompson in Glory Denied with Berkshire Opera Festival; Beaumarchais in The Ghosts of Versailles (Corigliano) and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Chautauqua Opera; and Gabriel von Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus at Utah Opera. Internationally, he portrayed the Captain of the Guard in Henze’s The Bassarids for his first performances in Madrid with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España. His recording of Bill in Bernstein's A Quiet Place with Kent Nagano and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal was released on the Decca label in 2018.

 

Other past seasons saw Belcher return to Opera Philadelphia as Ping in Turandot, make a role debut as Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, perform as Brian Castner in The Long Walk at Utah Opera, take on the role of Orfeo in the Resphigi version of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo at Chautauqua Opera, and make house debuts at Michigan Opera Theatre as Father Palmer in Silent Night and at Atlanta Opera as Ping in Turandot. He also had the honor of debuting at Versailles’ Royal Opera House in Lully's Armide following performances of the same work in Toronto with Opera Atelier.

 

No stranger to the concert stage, Mr. Belcher made his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with the New York Choral Society. Additional concert highlights include performing Carmina Burana and Copland’s Old American Songs with the Pacific Symphony, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, a concert of Opera Favorites with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and an all-Bernstein concert as well as a “Night in Vienna” themed program with the National Symphony Orchestra.  His accomplishments extend to recording the world premiere of Saariaho’s chamber piece Sombre for Rothko Chapel with Da Camera of Houston, which marked his second collaboration with Saariaho after recording the leading role of Jaufré Rudel in her first opera L’amour de loin with Kent Nagano and Harmonia Mundi. Opera News praised his portrayal of Jaufré, stating, “Belcher gives a powerful, convincing portrayal of Jaufré, capturing expertly the troubadour’s mercurial disposition.” This recording garnered several accolades, including the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording, the Diapason d’Or by Diapason in France, and a nomination for Best Opera Recording by Gramophone.

 

Mr. Belcher made his highly acclaimed European debut with the Staatstheater Stuttgart in Reinhard Keiser’s Masaniello Furioso. Other European engagements featured him as Ned Keene in Peter Grimes with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Jaufré Rudel in L’amour de loin at Berlin’s Maerzmusik Festival with the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester, Gunther in Sacré Siegfried at the Opéra National de Montpellier, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte at Garsington Opera and London’s Barbican Center, the baritone soloist in staged performances of Carmina Burana with the St. Gallen Festspiele, Securo in the world premiere of Koukourgi (Cherubini) with the Stadttheater Klagenfurt (released on ArtHaus DVD), and the title role of Imeneo with Opera Ireland.

 

Belcher's contributions to the world of opera continue to earn him prestigious awards and recognition, including the Le Cercle International des Amis et Mécènes du Châtelet Award (International Circle of Friends and Patrons of Théâtre du Châtelet, CIAM) for his acclaimed performance of Prior Walter in Angels in America. He also received a Robert Jacobson Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation for his work with Wolf Trap Opera, the Apprentice Artist Award from the Santa Fe Opera, and the Young Artist Award and Outstanding Studio Artist Award from the Central City Opera. Mr. Belcher a proud graduate of the Young Artist program at Houston Grand Opera. He is currently on faculty at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music as a Professor of Voice.