A graduate of The Royal Northern College of Music where he was a Peter Moores Scholar, Barry Banks (Nadir) has established himself as one of today’s finest interpreters of the Italian bel canto repertoire. He is much in demand on the international opera platform, performing at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera, Opéra National de Paris, English National Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, the Salzburg Festival, La Monnaie, The Santa Fe Opera and Teatro Communale di Bologna amongst others. His roles include Lindoro (L’italiana in Algeri), Nemorino (The Elixir of Love), Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Oreste (Ermione), Tom Rakewell, Tamino (The Magic Flute), Don Narciso (Il turco in Italia), Belfiore and Libenskof (Il viaggio a Reims), L’Astrologue
(Le Coq d’or), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Uberto (La donna del lago).
As a concert artist Barry Banks has sung Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Daniele Gatti, Jaquino (Fidelio) with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Walter Weller, Bruckner’s Requiem with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras, and Rossini’s Armida at the Edinburgh Festival under Carlo Rizzi. Other highlights have included Britten’s War Requiem with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg under Jan Latham-Koenig, Rossini’s Ermione in concert at Carnegie Hall and Donizetti’s I puritani and Linda di Chamonix at Caramoor Festival.
Barry Banks’ discography includes, for Chandos’ Opera in English series, Nemorino (The Elixir of Love), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Giannetto (The Thieving Magpie) and Tamino (The Magic Flute) as well as a disc of Great Operatic Arias. Other recordings include La Bohème, Un ballo in maschera and Trial by Jury.