Dominic Michael Aquilino        Baritone

 

This past few seasons were bright and busy for the versatile young baritone!

 

He starred as Johnny Cash, playing guitar and singing, as well as, Musical Directing Million Dollar Quartet in two regional productions, as Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game, Bert in Mary Poppins, realized the role of Moses Cone in the Blue Ridge Parkway funded The Denim King in Banner Elk, NC, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as Oberon the King of the Faeries, Michael Snow in the two-person show I Do, I Do, and Ring of Fire: The Legend of Johnny Cash, Eddie Flagrante in Zombie Prom, Del Delmonico in Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and Signor Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza. He also debuted another new classic as Billy Bigelow in Rogers’ and Hammerstein's Carousel and Masetto in Don Giovanni, and Angelotti and Scarpia (cover) in Asheville Lyric Opera's Tosca.

 

Dominic Aquilino has also most recently starred in Asheville Lyric Opera’s Cosi fan Tutte as Don Alfonso, La Boheme as Marcello, and other leading roles in Carmen, Rigoletto, Elixir of Love and Romeo et Guiliette, as well as, being seen as both the title roles in Dracula and Robin Hood:The Legend of Sherwood, Curly in Oklahoma, Franklin Hart Jr. in Dolly Parton's 9 to 5, Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and Kodaly in She Loves Me at the Historic Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville, NC.

 

A Professional Opera Singer and Singing-Actor, Mr. Aquilino travels throughout the United States singing and acting principal and supporting roles with various opera and theater companies. In addition, as a Professor of the Arts, helping young performers hone their craft in the professional and collegiate world, working with all ages in all styles throughout all walks of life.

 

The baritone reprised one of his favorite roles as the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance at Virginia Opera and also returned to Ohio, where this time he was heard as Captain Corcoran in Dayton Opera’s H.M.S. Pinafore.

 

That same season, Utica, NY enjoyed the baritone as a featured soloist in a recital series at the prestigious Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute, as well as, at Brevard Music Center, where he was asked to return as a featured soloist on Maestro David Effron's Farewell Concert .

Some other recent reprisals include Marcello in La Boheme, a role for which he is widely recognized, in Washington D.C., and again in New York City, while simultaneously returning to the role of Shaunard in La Boheme with Dicapo Opera Theatre.

 

Dominic was asked to return to Cleveland where he had a very successful run as the Pirate King in Opera Cleveland’s The Pirates of Penzance, a role that, à la Captain Jack Sparrow, made him a huge audience favorite with it's debut at Dayton Opera. There the singing-actor also portrayed the unctuous Kodaly in She Loves Me with Lyric Opera Cleveland to rave reviews.

In his debut season with Dayton Opera he also sang Marullo in Rigoletto. As a hand-picked member of Cincinnati Opera's Young Artist Program he covered Teddy Tahu Rhodes' Don Giovanni, Erwin Schrotte's Escamillo in Carmen and the Loudspeaker in The American Premiere of The Emperor of Atlantis,while performing excerpts of these roles for Cincinnati audiences in Opera Insights later that season.

 

Mr. Aquilino was a member of the very prestigious Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, and in a production specifically mounted with him in mind, at Lyric Opera Cleveland, he made his debut in the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni to great acclaim.

 

For his Central City Opera debut The baritone again portrayed Shaunard in La Boheme, under the baton of Maestro John Moriarty. There he was also cover to Lord Mountjoy in the American Premiere of Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana and was able to again sing The Bartender role in Henry Mollicone;s Face on the the Barroom Floor where it was conceived. He had the privilege to sing Dancairo and cover Escamillo at Orlando Opera to Denyce Graves’ Carmen.

 

He has been a featured performer at The Santa Fe Opera, Central City Opera, Dayton Opera, Orlando Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Cleveland, Utah Festival Opera, Asheville Lyric Opera, Brevard Music Center, Lake George Opera Festival, to name a few, and has starred on stage and studio with the likes of such premier artists as Denyce Graves, Sherrill Milnes, Mark Delavan, Tim Noble, Greer Grimsley, Richard Leech and Catherine Malfitano.

 

His favorite roles to date are Marcello in La Bohéme, The Don in Don Giovanni, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance, Silvio in Pagliacci, Curly in Oklahoma, Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, Lescaut in Manon, Valentine in Faust, Count Robinson in Il Matrimonio Segreto, Dimitri in Richard Wargo’s The Music Shop, Pavayokyasi in Henry Mollicone’s Coyote Tales, and of course, Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

 

Mr. Aquilino created the role of Jaffrey in the World Premiere Production of Scott Eyerly’s The House of the Seven Gables in New York City and again portrayed the villain on the opera’s Albany Records release. Of his portrayal of this lago-like character Opera News said: “Dominic Aquilino conveys both the power and menace of Jaffrey- his outward righteousness and his interior villainy through purely vocal means.”

 

Dominic is winner of the Heinz Rehfuss Singing Actor’s Competition and a Merit Scholar and holds his Masters of Music and Professional Studies Certificate from The Manhattan School of Music. He is a former Professor of Voice, Drama and Musical Theatre at Mars Hill University, Western Carolina University, Emory and Henry College, and at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City as an Instructor for the Department of Music, Theater and Storytelling Departments in various capacities.

 

2019 is already shaping up to be a year of interesting and fulfilling projects!

 

In May the singing-actor will be debuting the role of Robert Kincaid in Jason Robert Brown’s Bridges of Madison County at HART and in June he will be returning to Lees McRae Summer Theater starring as Sam in Mamma Mia. Later that month he will be returning to Asheville to star in another production...Stay Tuned!