Allan James Monk, (born August 19, 1942) is a Canadian
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
singer. He appeared in the 1982 film adaptation of ''
La Traviata
''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...
''.
Early life
Monk was born in
Mission, British Columbia
Mission is a city in the Lower Mainland of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was originally incorporated as a district municipality in 1892, growing to include additional villages and rural areas over the years, adding the original To ...
, and grew up in
Burnaby
Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
, British Columbia, where both of his parents were involved in a musical chorus where Monk was first exposed to opera. In 1957 he and his family moved to
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
. He started voice training with Elgar Higgin and he participated in summer programs at the
Banff School of Fine Arts
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...
.
Career
He was also a member of the Calgary Theatre Singers and played roles in productions of Carousel, Oklahoma!, Annie Get and Guys and Dolls. His first principal role was with the
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California.
History
Gaetano Merola (1923–1953)
Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when he ...
in 1966. In the USA his voice became famous when he attended
Boris Goldovsky's summer workshops in 1963, 1964, 1966.
He moved to
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...
, in the mid-1970s to be able to perform with the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
.
[via ]The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
"Fortuitous timings helped singer"
''Leader-Post
The ''Regina Leader-Post'' is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and a member of the Postmedia Network.
Founding
The newspaper was first published as ''The Leader'' in 1883 by Nicholas Flood Davin, soon after Edgar Dewdney, Lie ...
'', June 12, 1984. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "He moved to Teaneck, N.J., in 1976 so that he could commute to the Met where he has sung such roles as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and Schaunard in Franco Zeffirelli's 1981 production of La Boheme."
He had his breakthrough in 1973, with ''
Lucia di Lammermoor
''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''.
...
,
Das Rheingold
''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), WWV 86A, is the first of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National ...
,
L’Africaine
''L'Africaine'' (''The African Woman'') is an 1865 French ''grand opéra'' in five acts with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer and a libretto by Eugène Scribe. Meyerbeer and Scribe began working on the opera in 1837, using the title ''L'Africaine'', bu ...
,
The Visit of the Old Lady
''The Visit'' (german: Der Besuch der alten Dame, English: ''The Visit of the Old Lady'') is a 1956 tragicomic play by Swiss dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt.
Synopsis
An enormously wealthy older woman returns to her former hometown with a dreadf ...
.''
In 1970s he performed at the Festival Canada for several years.
Having played various roles in different countries, he worked as visiting professor at the
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman.
It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...
in
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
, NY in 1997. After that he opened a private singing studio and teaching masterclasses.
Awards
* Outstanding Young Artist of the Year, ''Musical America'' (1971)
* Artist of the Year, Canadian Music Council (1983)
* Officer,
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
(1985)
*
Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...
, The Governor General of Canada (2012)
References
External links
The Canadian Encyclopedia: Allan Monk*
1942 births
Living people
Musicians from Calgary
Officers of the Order of Canada
Canadian operatic baritones
People from Mission, British Columbia
People from Teaneck, New Jersey
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