‘With his brilliant, sonorous vocal power, he delivered
an impressive role interpretation.’
Opernglas.

Guest performances took the bass baritone Derrick Lawrence to Philadelphia, Santa Fe, Dallas, the Charlotte Opera, the Piemond Opera, the Opera North, the Zurich and the Budapest Opera House, the Opera North, the Stuttgart Opera, to London as well as to numerous festivals such as the Mainau Festival, the Cleveland Blossom Festival, the Aspen Music Festival,the Chiemgau Festival, the Ludwigsburg Festival, the Miskolci Nemzetkozi Opera Festival and to the Chaliapin Festival in the Russian City of Kazan.

In the early stage of his career, the native American sang mostly bass roles, but over a period of time, it became obvious that his strong point lies in the portrayal of dramatic baritone repertoire. During his engagement as a member of the ensemble of Aachen, the artist understood how to impress audiences with parts like FIGARO, ARCESIUS in d’Albert’s ‚Die toten Augen’ or EUGEN ONEGIN, just to name a few. In recent seasons with the Freiburg Theatre, where he had a permanent engagement from 2002 until 2006, he was very successful with his performances as ESCAMILLO, PIZZARO in Fidelio, MACBETH or the CONTE in Le nozze di Figaro, ALFIO and TALBOT in Maria Stuarda. Moreover, he could be seen here as VILLAGE in the German premiere of Michael Levinas’ ‘Les Nègres’, as in the season 2006/2007, the singer enjoyed an outstanding success performing WOTAN in Wagner’s Rheingold. At the Kaiserslautern Theatre and the Brno Opera he was the EMPEROR in ‘Das Wunder der Heliane’.

Baritone Derrick Lawrence received his musical education at the North Carolina School of the Arts, the renowned Juilliard School and at the Curtis Institute of Music. The artist was a prize winner in numerous international singing contests, rewarded among others with the Grace Bumbry Award, the Mario Lanza Award, the George London Award, the Sullivan Foundation Award, the Richard Tucker Jacobson study grant and the 2006 Zelt Prize for Outstanding Classsical Artists. Furthermore, in 1991 he won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Derrick Lawrence is also very much in demand by international stages as a concert singer. He has sung with most prestigious orchestras in the world, including the Symphony Orchestras of Munich, Nuremberg, Aachen and Saint Louis, the SWR and the NDR Radio Orchestra, the New York and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra. His performance on the 1993 Richard Tucker Gala conducted by Maestro Daniel Oren was broadcasted on the nation-wide American station PBS.

In 2005 the label Monsrecords published the CD ‚Bernstein-Gershwin Gala’ with a concert version of the Opera ‘Porgy and Bess’, where Derick Lawrence sings the title role with the SWR Orchestra and David Stahl conducting. PORGY is one of his most-sung roles. Lately, he sung this very role in Lyon, Wiesbaden and in Switzerland with the Baden-Baden Symphony Orchestra. In the season 2014/15 he enjoyed huge success as PORGY in the new production at the Royal Opera Copenhagen and in gala concerts at the State Opera Budapest.

In the season 15/16 he could be seen at the Freiburg Theatre in the title role of Sondheim’s SWEENY TODD. In 16/17 he is once again PORGY in numerous concerts in Switzerland and the USA.