Simon Duus

Bass-baritone

Born in 1983 and raised in Frederiksværk, North Zealand.

He trained at the Opera Academy with Susanna Eken and graduated from the soloist class at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus with Bodil Øland. He made his debut at the Royal Danish Theatre in 2011. He was a guest soloist at the Royal Danish Theatre from 2015, and since the 2017/2018 season he has been a member of its soloist ensemble.

Simon has performed Seneca in The Coronation of Poppea at Copenhagen Music Theatre, Leporello in Don Giovanni and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte at Opera Hedeland, Colline in La bohème at Den Jyske Opera, and Domingo in Farinelli and Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore at Tivoli Concert Hall.

At the Royal Danish Theatre, Simon Duus has sung roles such as Henrik in Maskarade, Zeta in The Merry Widow, Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Guglielmo and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Escamillo in Carmen, Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville, Jens Grand in Drot og Marsk, Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, and Colline in La bohème.

Simon also has an extensive career as a concert singer and has performed, among other venues, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and the European Union Baroque Orchestra.

He has received several awards, including the Reumert Talent Prize and the Danish Music Critics’ Artist Award. In 2013, Simon Duus was also awarded the prestigious “Bayreuth Scholarship” by the Danish Wagner Society.

Why is opera important?

Because opera demonstrates the result of a large community working together to give the audience an experience that combines unfiltered, direct sound with stories that both fascinate, entertain, and make us reflect on our own existence. Music and singing enhance the expression with a unique intensity and intimacy.

The most unusual thing you have experienced on stage?

Okay, this may be a somewhat introspective answer: every time I have sung Leporello in Don Giovanni and experienced the final scene, I am always emotionally affected afterwards. Several times I have felt that the music and staging “take over” my imagination, so I don’t have to produce the emotions—they arise on their own. It genuinely feels as if Don Giovanni is being dragged down to Hell. Quite surreal. Bravo, Mozart!

In which direction should opera develop between tradition and renewal?

It is important that we continue to perform the classics—they anchor us in history, and their quality is the reason they have survived for centuries. At the same time, we must ensure that there is an ongoing, vibrant contemporary creative process. When it comes to staging, both traditional productions and innovative interpretations have their place.

Who are your favorite singers?

Bryn Terfel and Ildebrando d’Arcangelo. And if I may mention two actors as well: Chris Pratt and Neil Patrick Harris.

What is your favorite opera?

The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. When I one day—hopefully many years from now—end my career as an opera singer, I hope I will have sung all the roles for the lower male voice in the three brilliant operas by Mozart and da Ponte: Figaro, the Count, Bartolo, and Antonio in The Marriage of Figaro (1786); Leporello, Masetto, the Commendatore, and the title role in Don Giovanni (1787); and Don Alfonso and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (1789). Two down, eight to go.