Canadian bass-baritone Norman E. Brown is widely praised for his rich vocal colour and impressive range of repertoire.  Reviews speak of “his full, rich voice - a pleasure to the ear” and of a “voice .. extremely well projected”.  Norman has an extensive singing career performing as soloist in opera, oratorio and in concert across Canada, in the United States, in Europe (including a six city concert tour in Italy), and in Japan. 

Mr. Brown’s operatic roles include Don Giovanni (Mozart), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Bonze (Madama Butterfly), Michele (Il Tabarro), King Heinrich (Lohengrin), Raimondo (Lucia), Count Capulet (Romeo and Juliet), Melchior & Balthazar(Amahl & the Night Visitors), Marchese d’Obigny (la traviata), Speaker (Magic Flute), Medico/Notaro (Gianni Schicchi), Don Magnifico (Cenerentola), and Benoit/Alcindoro (La Boheme).  He has performed as soloist with Opera Lyra Ottawa, Stara Zagora State Opera (Bulgaria), Wakayama Opera (Japan), Opera by Request (Toronto), Southern Ontario Lyric Opera, Pellegrini Opera (Ottawa), Accademia Europea dell’Opera (Lucca, Italy), Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra-Tryptych Opera, Mississsauga Symphony, and Abridged Opera (Windsor).

For the past three years, Norman has split his musical time between singing and conducting.  He has been conductor for many Ottawa-based choirs, including conducting pieces with the Ottawa Choral Society at many Ottawa concerts and in Italy.  He has also been assistant conductor in Italy for the operas Suor Angelica and Cosi fan tutte with AEDO, was first conductor for Atlantic Voices (Ottawa), and conducted Musica Ebraica, Ottawa Folk Community Choir, the Gloucester Bell Ringers, and the Easter edition of the “CAMMAC Come Sing Messiah”.

Norman was the recipient of a Canada Council grant in conducting this past season and was mentored by Leslie Dala (Vancouver Opera and Vancouver Bach Choir). More recently, Norman conducted all three productions (Suor Angelica, Magic Flute and Requiem) in OperOttawa’s 11th Season, a company he founded.  He is currently shadow-conducting Jacques Lacombe in Montreal with L’Orchestre Classique de Montreal, and last weekend was an invited participant in a choral conducting workshop with the Elmer Iseler Singers. In June Norman will be in a conducting workshop with the Boise Baroque Orchestra (Idaho).

In his spare time Norman is an accomplished artist and teaches singing privately.