Erik Tofte
Erik Tofte is a baritone from Binghamton, New York. He holds a Professional Studies Certificate in Opera from the Curtis Institute of Music, a Master’s Degree in Voice from Mannes School of Music (The New School), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Binghamton University.
This summer, Erik is a Festival Artist with Opera Saratoga, performing in various concerts and performances throughout the Saratoga, NY area. He is playing the role of Calvin, covering the role of Sky Masterson, and also covering the role of Big Jule in the company’s production of Guys and Dolls (June 29th-July 7th, 2024). Following his time at Saratoga, on July 20th Erik will be a Guest Artist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, in Lenox, MA. He will sing as a Vassal in Act III of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung with the BSO, conducted by Andris Nelsons.
In 2022, in his first year at Curtis Institute of Music, Erik performed the role of Sergeant Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Curtis Opera. In the 2023-2024 season with Curtis, Erik made his Verizon Hall debut in Philadelphia, performing scenes from Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos with maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra (Oct. 2023, The Kimmel Center). In March of 2024 Erik also tackled the challanging role of Le Mari in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias (Mar. 2024, Philadelphia Film Center).
Throughout his career, the young baritone has been on the forefront of exciting new operatic repertoire. Last spring, Erik was a guest artist with Beth Morrison Projects for the 2023 workshop premiere of Sensorium Ex (Prestini, Shaughnessy) at Performance Space in the East Village, NYC , and was the Baritone Soloist in Donald McCullough’s Holocaust Cantata: Tales from the Camps with Arcadia Chorale, under the baton of Matthew Rupcich. Other new music engagements include “The Villain” in the world premiere of the chamber opera, The End: A Fairytale, by J.P. Redmond and Julia Hoch (Concordia Conservatory, 2022) and “The Outlaw” in In a Grove by Christopher Cerrone/Stephanie Fleischman (Mannes Opera).
In summer of 2023, Erik performed the role of Schaunard in Puccini’s La boheme with Delaware Valley Opera. Just two weeks after the conclusion of this opera, he portrayed the role of Robert Bravo in a new work with the company entitled The Audition – a pastiche with dialogue and arias based on Mozart’s The Impresario. Erik has performed many other roles with DVO such as: Count Ceprano (Rigoletto, 2022); Sergeant of Police (The Pirates of Penzance, 2022); Henry (The Gift of the Magi, 2021); Ben/Mr. Gobineau (The Telephone and The Medium, 2019) and the Marquis (La traviata, 2019).
Erik has performed with Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY as the Boatswain in a production of H. M. S. Pinafore (2019, The Forum) and as the Registrar in Madame Butterfly (2018, the Forum).
He has performed with the SUNY Binghamton Opera Ensemble as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, The Shoe Salesman in Postcard from Morocco, and Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas. While at Binghamton University, Erik placed first in several vocal competitions, including the NATS Regional Competition (2016, 2017, 2018) and the Northeastern Division of the CS Music Competition (2018). He was also a semifinalist in the national rounds of both competitions.