Born in Newfoundland, tenor Michael Barrett is a former member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio. Performing regularly now for the COC, his engagements there include Third Jew in Salome and the First Commissary in Dialogues of the Carmélites, the Witch in the Canadian Opera Company’s touring production of Hänsel and Gretel, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, High Priest of Neptune in Idomeneo, El Remendado in Carmen, Lieutenant Bonnet and Aide de Camp to General Compans in War and Peace, First Prisoner in Fidelio, the Gamekeeper in Rusalka, Captain of Archers in Simon Boccanegra, Parpignol in La bohème, Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ferrando in the Ensemble Studio production of Così fan tutte. He was in the world premier of Taptoo! for Toronto Operetta Theatre, Messiah with the Newfoundland Symphony and at the University of Toronto Opera School he performed many roles including Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus. Michael regularly appears with the Aldeburgh Connection, where he performed in Our Story for the 25th Anniversary celebrations.

Further assignments include Spalanzani in Les contes d’Hoffmann for the COC and Quint in The Turn of the Screw for Against the Grain Theatre. He reprised the rolse of Spalanzani and Nathanael in Les contes d’Hoffmann for Edmonton Opera and later he returned as the Third Jew. Mr. Barrett recently sang Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte for Vancouver Opera and Saskatoon Opera, Basilio and Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro for Pacific Opera Victoria, Ottavio in Don Giovanni for Opera Nova Scotia reprised his Monostatos, this time for in Edmonton Opera’s Die Zauberflöte. He was most recently heard for the Vancouver Opera as the Beadle in Sweeney Todd.