David Stout has rapidly established himself as one of the UK’s most versatile baritones, with a formidable reputation for not only his vocal prowess, but also for his refined acting and charismatic stage presence. Formerly a Senior Chorister at Westminster Abbey, David grew up in southern Africa, which inspired him to read zoology and go on to teach biology at Epsom College before studying singing with Rudolf Piernay at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Recent highlights include Bluebeard (title role) with the São Paulo Symphony; Wolfram Tannhäuser at the New National Theatre, Tokyo; and Kurwenal Tristan und Isolde for Grange Park Opera. In the 2023/24 season he will sing Bartolo The Barber of Seville for Scottish Opera; Papageno The Magic Flute for English National Opera; and Stárek Jenufa at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and in Antwerp and Ghent.

In recent years, David has gained critical acclaim for his interpretations of Sancho Pança (Bregenz Festival and Staatstheater Darmstadt); Baron Jaroslav Prus The Makropoulos Affair (Národni divadlo Brno and Welsh National Opera); Leporello Don Giovanni and the title role in Elena Langer’s Figaro Gets a Divorce (Grand Théâtre de Genève); Barnaba La Gioconda, Ford Falstaff and Posa Don Carlo (Grange Park Opera); as well Marcello La bohème for Scottish Opera, Roucher Andrea Chènier (Bregenz Festival and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden); Dulcamara L’elisir d’amore for Theater St Gallen; and Bartolo Il barbiere di Siviglia for Den Norske Opera. Other roles include the title role in Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno The Magic Flute, Gratiano The Merchant of Venice, Ping Turandot, Falke Die Fledermaus, and Napoleon War and Peace for Welsh National Opera; Fritz Kothner The Meistersingers of Nürnberg, and Pish-Tush Mikado for English National Opera. The Dark Fiddler A Village Romeo and Juliet, Axel Oxenstjerne Cristina di Svezia, and Douglas Guglielmo Ratcliffe for the Wexford Festival; and Don Pasquale for Longborough Opera Festival.

On the concert stage he has sung Frank Edgar and Renzo Silvano for Scottish Opera; War Requiem at the Brangwyn Hall; The Dream of Gerontius with the Polish National Radio Orchestra in Katowice; he made his Concertgebouw debut as The Dark Fiddler in A Village Romeo and Juliet; Aeneas Dido and Aeneas with the English Concert in Lausanne; Belshazzar’s Feast, Sea Symphony and Verdi’s Requiem with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; The Messiah in Madrid with the Gabrieli Consort; Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem and The Apostles with the Hallé Orchestra; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; and Carmina Burana at the Gustav Mahler Sala and also with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Three Choirs Festival.

Recordings include Haydn’s Creation; Bussy Zazà and Sandoval Le Duc d’Albe for Opera Rara; Donner Das Rheingold (Elder/Hallé); Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Orchestra of the Swan; Rochester in John Joubert’s Jane Eyre, Wolf’s Eichedorff Lieder with Sholto Kynoch; and Sullivan’s The Beauty Stone with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Upcoming for ENO: The Magic Flute