Baritone Weston Hurt is enjoying a busy season of opera performances, including Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) with the New York City Opera and his debuts with Arizona Opera as Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor) and the Michigan Opera Theater as the Count (Le nozze di Figaro). He recently made his debuts at the Bard Music Festival and at the New York City Opera as Frank in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, the Opera Orchestra of New York as Baldassare (L’Arlesiana), and the American Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Der ferne Klang at Avery Fisher Hall. 
     Also a prolific concert singer and recitalist, Mr. Hurt’s large repertoire also includes Messiah, Carmina Burana, Bach’s Mass in B minor and Magnificat, Mozart’s Mass in C minor and Coronation Mass, Haydn’s Paukenmesse, and Britten’s War Requiem. He has performed in recitals sponsored by the Marilyn Horne Foundation as well as in international concerts, including a South American tour of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem in summer 2006. This season, he is again presented in recital by the Marilyn Horne Foundation and makes his debut with the Nashville Symphony.
     A graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center, Mr. Hurt has received many awards including the first place and People’s Choice awards from the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition, the Vienna Prize from the George London Foundation, various awards from the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Competition, Liederkranz Foundation, Metropolitan Opera National Council, Opera Index, Inc., Palm Beach Opera Competition, and two career grants conferred by the Santa Fe Opera. He was also the first place winner in the 2003 Oratorio Society Solo Competition. Tonight marks his debut with the Oratorio Society of New York.