Robert Burt was born in London and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Since graduating his career has taken him to opera houses and concert halls around the world. He is most associated with the role of Iro in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria which he has sung for Chicago Opera Theater‚ Opera North‚ Deutsche Oper am Rhein‚ Geneva Opera‚ Teatro Real de Madrid, the Aix-en-Provence Festival and a pan-European and North American tour of a semi-staging with Sir John Eliot Gardiner. He has filmed the role twice for DVD‚ conducted by William Christie and recorded it for Gardiner on CD. Christie has also conducted him in Cesti’s Il Tito (Opera National du Rhin), Purcell’s The Fairy Queen at The Glyndebourne Festival (filmed for DVD and cinema release in Jonathan Kent’s production) and as Arnalta in the Teatro Real De Madrid production of L’Incoronazione di Poppea (filmed for DVD).
Recent and future plans include Menashe Mamzer Bastard (world premiere) and Dancing Master Manon Lescaut (Royal Opera House‚ Covent Garden and on DVD)‚ Pirelli Sweeney Todd (Chichester Festival and the Adelphi Theatre‚ London)‚ Apollo Orfeo and Secondo Soldato L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi Choir with Sir John Eliot Gardiner‚ 2017 World Tour)‚ Mopsa & Flute The Fairy Queen (Glyndebourne Festival under Laurence Cummings)‚ Peachum The Beggars Opera (William Christie, Les Arts Florissants and Thèâtre Des Bouffes du Nord)‚ Arnalta L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Montpellier)‚ Beadle Bamford Sweeney Todd (Nederlandse Reisopera)‚ Dr Blind Die Fledermaus‚ Red Queen Alice in Wonderland (released on CD)‚ Abbé de Chazeuil Adriana Lecouvrer‚ Goro Madama Butterfly and Biaso I Gioielli della Madonna (Opera Holland Park) and Mr Fiorentino Street Scene (The Opera Group in London‚ Théâtre du Châtelet‚ Paris and Teatro del Liceu‚ Barcelona).
Further engagements include Federico L’amico Fritz (Opera Holland Park)‚ Evangelist in a fully staged St. John Passion (Nationale Reisopera)‚ Kittywake/ Landlord Ludd & Isis (Royal Opera House Production Park)‚ Mopsa/Flute The Fairy Queen at the Opera Comique in Paris‚ Caen and B.A.M. in New York with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants; King Bobeche Bluebeard at Grange Park‚ Snout A Midsummer Night’s Dream for ENO‚ L’Incredibile Andrea Chenier‚ Fiorello Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Hadji Lakme at Opera Holland Park‚ Ximenez in David Pountney’s Opera North production of Kurt Weill’s Arms and the Cow‚ and the world premieres of both Family Matters for Tête à Tête Opera and Stephen Barlow’s King - a Cathedral Opera‚ as Henry II‚ in Canterbury Cathedral.
Other operatic roles include Monostatos Magic Flute for Opera 80 and 1st Armed Man in Parma‚ Ferrara and the QEH with Gardiner; Tanzmeister/Scaramuccio Ariadne auf Naxos for ETO and at Broomhill in Jonathan Miller’s production; Goro Madama Butterfly with both the RLPO and Mid- Wales Opera. With MWO he sang Dancairo Carmen and has also performed the role of Remendado at the Bermuda Festival. On several occasions he has portrayed women‚ three of which were in works by Cavalli; Flerida in L’Erismena for Opera Theatre Company‚ Ireland‚ Atrea Pompeo Magno at the Varazdin Baroque Festival in Croatia and‚ Delfa Giasone at the Iford Festival with the Early Opera Company. As well as these‚ he portrayed Bragherona in Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria for the Nationale Reisopera to whom he returned to sing Bob Boles in Peter Grimes‚ Kevin in the world premiere of Snow White and The Queen of England in another world premiere of Hôtel de Pékin by Willem Jeths (later recorded at Het Concertgebouw for CD release).
Engagements postponed or cancelled due to Covid include Zirkusdirektor/Principal The Bartered Bride (Bruid Te Koop) with Reisopera.
In recent years Robert has found himself in demand as an actor. Having been a member of Sir Trevor Nunn’s National Theatre Ensemble in 1999/2000 on Candide‚ Troilus & Cressida‚ Money, Summerfolk and completing three Winter seasons at the RSC playing the role of Father Christmas in their adaptation of The Lion‚ The Witch And The Wardrobe he returned to Stratford in 2007 for the Complete Works Festival in Merry Wives‚ The Musical as The Host of the Garter Inn‚ understudying Simon Callow as Falstaff.
Kraig Thornber incarne un Lockit merveilleux en chef de police véreux‚ s’enfilant des lignes de coke à l’envi avant de filer aux trousses de Mr Peachum. Celui-ci est incarné par un Robert Burt plein de verve en chef de meute‚ d’une énergie fantastique‚ avec un timbre superbe et une projection divine. La mise en scène parvient merveilleusement à faire douter de qui est le plus pourri des deux… /// Kraig Thornber embodies a marvelous Lockit as a crooked police chief‚ shoving coke lines at will before heading to Mr Peachum’s heels. This one is embodied by a Robert Burt‚ a full of verve pack leader‚ a fantastic energy‚ with a superb tone and divine projection. The staging marvellously manages to cast doubt on who is the most rotten of the two...
Bachtrack (October 2018)
Burt’s acting and singing are both flawless and one cannot help noticing a strong resemblance between the appearance and tone of his character and the stereotypical image of a wealthy and immoral bourgeois of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Broadway World (September 2018)
The performers were generally trained in music theatre...An exception to this‚ and also a performer with wide operatic experience‚ was the tenor Robert Burt. Remembered happily from last year’s Monteverdi cycle‚ he is an excellent character actor‚ and properly dominated the opening scenes as Peachum.
Opera Scotland (September 2018)
Robert Burt carried authority as a suited fixer Peachum‚ sharing lines of cocaine with Kraig Thornber’s oily policeman Lockit as both get their just desserts.
Bachtrack (August 2018)
However‚ the show belonged to Robert Burt’s larger-than-life Peachum‚ who owned the stage every time he walked on and whose character seemed to expand to inhabit the space.
Seen & Heard International (August 2018)
Le plus à l’aise est le rond Peachum (Robert Burt) au timbre de beau baryton.
Culture Box (May 2018)
Mr. Peachum dispose du beau timbre clair de Robert Burt...///Mr. Peachum has the beautiful‚ clear tone of Robert Burt...
Olyrix (April 2018)
Chaque rôle est parfaitement distribué. Peachum est campé par un Robert Burt...
sceneweb.fr (April 2018)
...and the tenor Robert Burt offered a focused portrayal of her second husband‚ Manashe.
Opera Magazine (August 2018)
...Robert Burt and Anna Dennis each shone in multiple contributions.
The Guardian (September 2017)
And then we come to the overweight Falstaff here‚ Robert Burt.‚ He does have the funniest line in this play‚ when shepherd Francisco Fernández-Rueda warbles on about the joys of his pastoral animals.
“I‚” says the ravenous Mr. Burt‚ “eat your companions.”
He also has that overlong (but still entrancing) monologue about his woes‚ which could have come directly from Merry Wives of Windsor. It was a showpiece‚ to be sure‚ but a delightful one
ConcertoNet (October 2017)
Iro‚ the gluttonous servant of the suitors‚ was amusingly sung by Robert Burt‚ who taunted the shepherd Eumete with sheep impersonations; later his challenge to fight Ulisse confirmed him as a braggart.
Opera Critic (August 2017)
The staging and music came together best for Iro’s mock lament... He hid himself in the orchestra to escape the suitors’ fates and groaned out the first notes of his lament from there. As he did‚ the lights in the Felsenreitschule turned red in an overdone parody tragedy. This matched the music: overly long notes and extreme weeping effects‚ delivered by Robert Burt in a coarse‚ nasal character tenor. His desperate search for sympathy took him to the harpist‚ who repulsed him in annoyance. Finally‚ he resigned himself to death and slunk away.
Bachtrack (July 2017)
Just as much thought and care has gone into the smaller roles. Robert Burt makes a real tour de force of Irus’s parody lament aria in the final act;
The Guardian (April 2017)
And so on: the 16 soloists‚ five of them doubling roles‚ were all vivid creations. Robert Burt did a virtuoso act as the drunken gluttonous coward Iro...
The Spectator (April 2017)
Rick Fisher’s chiaroscuro lighting evokes the dramatic painted canvases of the era‚ while the rub of high emotion with low comedy is deliciously done. Every yearning sigh of desperate love is balanced with a belch‚ every tender expression of affection echoed by a lustful lunge and a fumbled zip. Robert Burt’s hungry‚ larger-than-life Iro even jostles with the instrumentalists arranged‚ tableau-like‚ either side of the stage: annoying the harpist‚ tapping a chitarrone‚ weeping on the conductor.
The Times (April 2017)
Iro can be a problem on disc. The vocal burlesque and caricature needed to propel the glutton’s scenes on stage can jar in the inevitably music-privileging context of a recording. There’s plenty of the grotesque to Robert Burt’s performance. Wheedling, whining and storming his way through his Act 3 lament, he’s an uncompromising figure, but never less (or more) than human – pitiable, rather than horrifying even at his blustering extremes.
Gramophone (September 2021)
Robert Burt brought a lovely pompousness to Dr Blind.
Planet Hugill (July 2016)
Robert Burt’s Queen of Hearts - all heaving indignation and histrionic solipsism - corpulently real
Opera Magazine (December 2015)
There is not a weak link in the cast‚ in terms either of singing or acting...Robert Burt’s Queen of Hearts‚ while larger than life‚ is a cut above the typical pantomime dame
The Stage (November 2015)
Director Laurence Dale evidently worked extensively on characterisation with the soloists...Robert Burt was inflection- and gesture-perfect as the abhorrent marriage broker‚ Goro
Bachtrack (September 2015)
Kleine maar uitstekende bijdragen waren er van Ruth Willemse (Kate Pinkerton)‚ Robert Burt (Goro)‚ Peter Brathwaite (Yamadori) en Vitali Rozynko (Il Commissario Imperiale) /// Small but outstanding contributions were received from Ruth Willemse (Kate Pinkerton)‚ Robert Burt (Goro)‚ Peter Brathwaite (Yamadori) and Vitali Rozynko (Il Commissario Imperiale)
Place de L’opera.nl (September 2015)
Among the individual performances...Robert Burt generated a storm of synthetic ‚bustling outrage as the Red Queen – very much a sister to Miss Trunchbull
British Theatre (August 2015)
Robert Burt was the cynical and scheming Abbé de Chazeuil
Classical Source (July 2014)
...one of the joys of this performance. So was Richard Burt as the Abbé de Chazeuil — his slightly camp stage presence was a source of continual amusement‚ and his attempts to rearrange the flowers were a hoot
Mark Ronan (July 2014)
Simon Wilding and Robert Burt excel as the Prince de Bouillon and Abbé respectively
Music OMH (July 2014)
Simon Wilding and Robert Burt make an entertaining Prince and Abbé
The Times (July 2014)
More roundedly written are l’Abbé de Chazeuil (the ever-dependable Robert Burt)
What's On Stage (July 2014)
I very much enjoyed the Queen of Hearts’ song giving a brief history of beheading...The transformation of Alice’s affectionate but slightly frazzled parents into the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter‚ equally well acted and sung in each role‚ is a nice take on more traditional doubled roles in older operas
Bachtrack (July 2014)
A special plaudit goes to soprano Fflur Wyn‚ who embodies innocent and playful Alice‚ and to Robert Burt‚ who plays both Alice’s father and the Red Queen. Both their voices combine perfectly with their facial and bodily expressions‚ turning them into the most expressive characters
Londonist (July 2014)
Each eccentric character is brilliantly realised...and Robert Burt is pure caricature as the Red Queen lending her a fierce but delightful theatricality
The Upcoming (July 2014)
The star of the performance was the Evangelist‚ played by Robert Burt. He lived the story as he told it‚ breaking down as Jesus is chastised and seeking refuge with Mary as they weep over him. This light‚ pleasant tenor is a narrator through and through
Bachtrack (April 2014)
The evangelist (gripping Robert Burt) is a chronicler - journalist - writer behind a desk with a few books
De Stentor (April 2014)
Tenor Robert Burt raakte aan de uiterste grenzen van zijn expressiviteit‚ verend tussen schrille uitroepen en fluisterzachte verzuchtingen /// Tenor Robert Burt touched the borders of its expressiveness‚ cushioned between shrill cry and whisper soft sighs. His huge commitment‚ both vocally and scenically‚ changed the Evangelist from a neutral outsider to the beating heart of the evening
Place de l’Opera / Opera Magazine.nl (March 2014)
Robert Burt flounced mightily as the Red Queen‚ with a climactic‚ decapitatory number of considerable force
Opera Magazine (October 2013)
...when the Red Queen comes on to sing ‘Off with their heads’ – Robert Burt as a high-camp psychopath – we’re almost back in the world of “The Mikado”
The Independent (July 2013)
The show climaxes in a reappearance of Robert Burt’s properly terrifying Red Queen‚ whose Off With Their Heads! number provides one of several moments that arouse spontaneous applause...Opera Holland Park has gone for a high-quality cast‚ several of them regulars at this venue in full-scale operatic productions...Burt steals his scenes as an alarming Red Queen but without actually scaring the kids away
The Stage (July 2013)
...there were excellent contributions from Robert Burt‚ Neal Cooper and Barnaby Rea
Opera Britannia (July 2013)
Robert Burt revealed a useful character tenor as Goro
Classical Source (June 2013)
The Goro of Robert Burt was commendably annoying (and better sung than most)... This is no ordinary production of Butterfly‚ despite its traditional garb. It is a must see for the exceptionally high level of artistry from all involved and‚ if London’s aberrant weather holds‚ for the experience of a lifetime
Musical Criticism (June 2013)
...a first-rate pool of supporting singers including Patricia Orr’s protective Suzuki ‚ Robert Burt’s cross-dressing marriage broker Goro
What's On Stage (June 2013)
The singing was at a very high level and the “Ice Cream Sextet” by itself was worth the price of admission
Musical America (February 2013)
The closest we get to aria are the comedic solos for the two nurses‚ Octavia’s unnamed nurse and Arnalta‚ (José Lemos and Robert Burt‚ respectively). Indeed‚ Arnalta is the character who steals the show with her song about how her own fortunes rise along with Poppea’s
The Examiner (August 2012)
Mention tout à fait spéciale pour la remarquable Arnalta de Robert Burt /// A very special mention for the outstanding Arnalta of Robert Burt
Utmisol.fr (August 2012)
This entertainment for Titania and Bottom celebrates the harvest and fertility‚ with randy Coridon (David Soar) attempting to steal a kiss from Mopsa (Robert Burt)‚ who’s having none of it. Emerging from a tumble in the haystack‚ the pair played the comedy for all it was worth...
Opera Britannia (August 2012)
Soprano Carolyn Sampson‚ tenor Robert Burt and bass David Soar are outstanding among the cast of young singers
Sunday Express (August 2012)
The triumph of this production lies in the imagination and wit with which these potentially tricky masques are handled. They’re impeccably sung by a large cast – among whom Carolyn Sampson‚ Robert Burt and David Soar provide some of the highlights
The Guardian (July 2012)
Some of the cast are familiar...Robert Burt’s Mopsa / Flute‚ who has us in stitches with his merry cavorting and flirtatious singing – and that was before the interval and its customary lubrication
What's On Stage (July 2012)
Tenor‚ Robert Burt who sung Arnalta was very good. This role is Poppea’s nanny and was originally written for tenor because it is comedic clown role. He got to sing the best aria in this opera‚ “Oblivion soave” and he sung it wonderfully
baroque opera diary (April 2012)
And there’s some assured support‚ chiefly from Robert Burt as rival barber Pirelli
Evening Standard (March 2012)
Robert Burt delights as flamboyant‚ extravagant Pirelli
Fourthwall Magazine (March 2012)
The supporting roles were all well cast‚ with tenor Robert Burt as the Italian barber and Dr. Dulcamara-like character Pirelli
Mark Ronan (March 2012)
Strong support from a few cast members helps to move this musical along. Robert Burt’s Pirelli should remind the audience of the Go Compare ad‚ except he is more funny and less irritating
Passion for Theatre (March 2012)
...with Robert Burt giving an excellent cameo as Pirelli the fake Italian barber
Rage Offstage (March 2012)
Robert Burt had some good notes and considerable comic gifts as Pirelli
Seen & Heard International (March 2012)
...and Robert Burt makes a particularly comical Pirelli
The Void (March 2012)
Other strong performances come from Robert Burt as Pirelli...
Theatre Blogspot (March 2012)
Todd’s first victim Pirelli is well played by Robert Burt
Westendwhingers.com (March 2012)
Pirelli (Robert Burt) was a delight and he‚ of course‚ gets the first blooding which this production does not avoid‚ there is blood and plenty of it‚ no representational deaths here!
Seat Choice (November 2011)
Todd’s first victim‚ the itinerant barber and purveyor of bogus medicaments‚ gives Robert Burt some effective moments‚ which he seizes with both hands so one is quite sorry in a way when he is laid to rest in Todd’s trunk
Indie London (October 2011)
There’s strong support from...Robert Burt as that grandstanding pseudo-Italian shyster Pirelli. What else can I say? Book your haircut now
London Evening Standard (October 2011)
...and there were lively cameos from Robert Burt and Simon Wilding as Fritz’s drinking companions Frederico and Hanezo
Classical Source (June 2011)
The small roles of Federico and Hanezò‚ Fritz’s friends‚ were fleshed out by Robert Burt and Simon Wilding respectively
Opera Britannia (June 2011)
Ces effets de scène rendent possibles des touches comiques‚ notamment de la part de Robert Burt‚ qui‚ à l’instar de la production madrilène‚ se donne à corps perdu dans le comique et le grotesque lors de son dernier air‚ ce qui lui vaut d’ailleurs des applaudissements fort nourris
Concerto Net (May 2010)
Robert Burt‚ comédien‚ et aussi ténor‚ se tire fort bien du rôle travesti - et désopilant - d’Arnalta‚ et rend justice au recitativo cantabile Oggi sarà Poppea
Concerto Net (May 2010)
...and Robert Burt‚ interpreting a stupendous Arnalta‚ which made the audience laugh when he sings of his joy at being turned into a confidante of the Empress
El Imparcial (May 2010)
One of the most memorable scenes comes right at the end of Act III‚ Corydon and Mopsa (a hilarious Robert Burt‚ who skips about the stage like a little girl)...
Brooklyn Eagle (March 2010)
...and Mr. Burt‚ here making a speciality of hilarious cross-dressing‚ was Flute/Thisbe as well as the falsetto Mopsa
Wall Street Journal (March 2010)
Kent emphasizes the farcical aspects. One highlight is the love duet between two peasants‚ Corydon (Andrew Foster- Williams) and Mopsa (sung by tenor Robert Burt)
Bloomberg (January 2010)
...le public hurle de rire à chacune de leurs interventions (notamment à celles des géniaux Desmond Barrit‚ en Bottom‚ et Robert Burt‚ en Mopsa)
La Monde (January 2010)
Four artists were standouts in the cast of fifteen...Character tenor Robert Burt has made a speciality of Iro — considered the first true comic character in the history of opera — and it’s easy to understand why: he transformed this sketchy portrayal of a glutton and coward soldier at the service of Penelope’s suitors into an impersonation of human frailty with a depth akin to that of Shakespeare’s or Verdi’s Falstaff
Opera News (November 2009)
...and good acting. Very good acting indeed‚ especially in the case of Desmond Barrit and Robert Burt‚ hilarious in drag‚ who are primarily singers
Musical Pointers (July 2009)
There’s a very funny duet for Robert Burt and Andrew Foster-Williams as a pair of preposterous pastoral lovers
Daily Mail (July 2009)
...and Robert Burt was a very funny Mopsa... appearing as an hilarious Thisbe in the final act...
Classical Source (June 2009)
...Robert Burt displayed a winning comic touch in the cross-dressing dialogue between Coridon and Mopsa‚ an earthy duet that brought the house down
Mail on Sunday (June 2009)
Coridon and Mopsa (Andrew Foster-Williams and Robert Burt) are a priceless pair of rustics who can’t agree about kissing and eventually disappear into a haystack to settle their differences
The Observer (June 2009)
Much of the singing was immaculate and the variety of mood contained in the score immense‚ from the agonized melancholy of "The Plaint" to the rough-and-tumble rural humor of the duet between shepherd-and-shepherdess pair Coridon and Mopsa‚ hilariously delivered by tenor Burt and bass Foster-Williams
Opera News (June 2009)
...and of Robert Burt‚ who sings the role of Irus‚ raw‚ thick and rude‚ with a dramatic quality worthy of the deepest praise
Concerto Net (May 2009)
Robert Burt en Irus‚ rôle bouffe qu’il interprète à la perfection
Concerto Net (April 2009)
...the supporting cast‚ among them an engaging drag act (Robert Burt’s majestic Delfa‚ a lusty maidservant oblivious to her own grossness) are uniformly excellent
The Times (July 2008)
a superbly vain King Bobeche from Rob Burt
The Stage (June 2008)
Good support comes from...Robert Burt as Fiorello.
Classical Source (July 2007)
As the gluttonous and tragicomic Iro‚ Burt shows that Monteverdi was Shakespeare’s equal in the creation of truly comic characters.
Chicago Sun Times (March 2007)
Robert Burt was compelling in the emotional instability of Iro’s bravura suicide solo
Opera News (March 2007)
...Robert Burt’s hot-headed‚ high-pressure tenor for the passionate unstable monarch
Opera Now (September 2006)
Robert Burt nearly steals the show as the gluttonous Iro.
Gramophone (June 2007)
The direction is fluid and allows skilled actors (such as Robert Burt who plays Iro) to milk the audience a little.
BBC Music Magazine (June 2004)
Robert Burt a deftly comic Irus.
Opera Magazine (May 2002)
Particularly striking in the cast...Robert Burt as Iro.
New York Times (April 2002)
The singers in smaller roles contributed importantly as well. Among them...Robert Burt’s broadly comic rendering of Iro.
New York Times (April 2002)
Robert Burt hilariously brought Irus’s hunger aria at the beginning of the third act close to being the evening’s highlight.
The Guardian (March 2002)
The glutton Iro was a ripely comic portrayal by Robert Burt.
Sunday Telegraph (March 2002)
Acres more outstanding singing...Robert Burt‚ who has been a member of Trevor Nunn’s ensemble at the National Theatre‚ as the glutton Irus.
The Times (March 2002)
Robert Burt a deftly comic Irus.
Opera Magazine (May 2002)
Robert Burt en Iro‚ le parasite goinfre et patapouf des prétendants‚ fait un numéro comique irréstible
24 Heures (February 2002)
Robert burt’s pantomime-camp Flerida was not only the most alert of characterisations but showed a fluidity of inflection with word and music that was elsewhere in too short a supply.
Irish Times (October 2001)
All were upstaged by the obligatory comedy-nurse turn - a panto-dame trouser role - of tenor Robert Burt.
