Simon Butteriss was a chorister at Westminster Abbey, ran away to play the title role in the first West End revival of THE WINSLOW BOY, was a choral scholar at Cambridge and studied at the RCM Opera School.
He has sung character tenor, baritone and bass roles at La Scala, Milan, Barcelona Liceu, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Paris Chatelet, ENO, Oper Kὅln, Muscat Royal Opera, WNO, Almeida Opera, Wiener Festwochen, Bregenzer Festspiele, Garsington, Grange Park Opera, Opera Holland Park, Aldeburgh, D’Oyly Carte, Carl Rosa Opera, MTL, at the BBC Proms and in many television and radio broadcasts worldwide. Roles include Don Basilio, Monostatos, Dr. Cajus FALSTAFF, Starveling A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Benoit and Alcindoro LA BOHEME, Sacristan TOSCA, Black Minister LE GRAND MACABRE, Andrès / Franz / Pitichinaccio / Cochenille LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN, Don Pedro LA PERICHOLE, Masetto, Baron Zeta THE MERRY WIDOW, Frosch/Orlofsky/Dr Blind DIE FLEDERMAUS, Bobinet LA VIE PARISIENNE, Jupiter ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD, Colonel Pickering MY FAIR LADY, Lady Crusoe / Jim Cocks ROBINSON CRUSOE, Menelaus LA BELLE HÉLÈNE, Pangloss CANDIDE and all the Gilbert and Sullivan patter roles, which he has sung throughout the world. At the Aldeburgh Festival he has performed Schoenberg’s PIERROT LUNAIRE, Walton’s FAÇADE, Strauss’s ENOCH ARDEN, the title role in Busoni’s ARLECCHINO, Haushofmeister ARIADNE AUF NAXOS and Sparrow THE CRICKET RECOVERS. He has appeared as a concert soloist with the Phiharmonia, RLPO, CBSO, Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment, BBC Concert Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, RTE Concert Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and for Raymond Gubbay.
He has written, translated and directed for stage, screen, opera house and radio. Credits include the the TV series GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: A MOTLEY PAIR (Sky Arts), the new play for LET’S MAKE AN OPERA (Britten Estate commission), the BBC drama series I AM THE VERY MODEL OF A MODERN MAJOR GENERAL and he has made translations of numerous operas commissioned by Philharmonia, Boston Symphony Orchestra, OAE, RTE, Brighton Festival, Covent Garden Festival, Wigmore Hall and others .
Recent performances include Russell Paxton LADY IN THE DARK (Opera Zuid, Netherlands), Benoit and Alcindoro LA BOHEME (ENO), Blueskin and Jonathan Wild JACK SHEPPARD (Retrospect Opera CD recording), Ko-Ko THE MIKADO (also directing), Bunthorne/PATIENCE (also directing), Sir Joseph Porter HMS PINAFORE, Charles Pooter DIARY OF A NOBODY (all National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company), Carter/Dr Wyatt/WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (West End), Neil Gaiman’s PLAYING IN THE DARK (BBCSO/Barbican/BBC R3). Future plans include a return to NGSOC to sing Ko-Ko THE MIKADO, to direct and sing Jack Point THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD and to direct and sing Major General Stanley THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE.
