English bass Simon Wilding maintains an active performing career throughout the United Kingdom. A frequent artist with London’s Royal Opera House Covent Garden, he made his ROH debut in 1997 as a Brabantian Noble LOHENGRIN under Valery Gergiev, followed immediately by appearances as the Cappadocian SALOME under Christoph von Dohnányi and Foltz DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG under Bernard Haitink. During his ongoing relationship with Covent Garden, he has been engaged by the company for roles such as Lane/Merriman THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Gerald Barry), Sciarrone TOSCA, Lackey ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Pinellino GIANNI SCHICCHI and Oroe in SEMIRAMIDE under Pappano. Mr. Wilding has appeared regularly with English National Opera most recently in Bertwistle‘s Mask of Orpheus and many productions with Opera Holland Park, and Mid Wales Opera, in a diverse repertoire embracing Purcell, Rossini, Wagner, and Britten. He performed the role of Sagrestano TOSCA for the opening of the new Grange Park Opera. With the Opera Group he has made his mark in contemporary operas, most notably originating the role of the Athelete in Olga Neuwirth’s AMERICAN LULU, a production which toured to the Young Vic (London), Glasgow, the Edinburgh Festival, and the Bregenz Festival. He also appeared in the inaugural Tower of London Music Festival in an on-site production of ANNA BOLENA. As a winner of the Wagner Bursary Award, Mr. Wilding has sung Fasolt DAS RHEINGOLD and Hagen GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG under the baton of Anthony Legge. Fafner in the new Ring Cycle with Longbourough Opera. More recently as Hunding in the new production of Die Walküre with Grimebourne. Mr. Wilding’s international career began during the 1989 Bayreuth Festival, during which he made his professional operatic debut. Further international engagements have included Jove LA CALISTO, Pluto, Caronte, and the Colonel IL POMO D’ORO for the Batignano Festival (Italy), Billy Jackrabbit LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST, Provazolezec in Hass’ ŠarlatáN and Wemburgo in Zandonai’s iI CAVALIERI DI Ekebù for the Wexford Festival, Zaccaria NABUCCO for the Macedonian National Opera, Sciarrone Tosca Nederlanse Reisoper. Hobson in the premier of PETER GRIMES at the Beijing Music Festival, and Jonathan Dove’s THE ENCHANTED PIG at the New Victory Theatre in New York. He returned to New York in June 2016 for the US stage premiere of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. More recently Russell THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL for the Royal Danish Opera and Angestellter/1. Polizist/4. Herr/1. Bekannter Kowaljows/Diener THE NOSE at Komische Oper, Berlin, directed by Barrie Kosky, His recorded work includes Royal Opera House official live recordings of SALOME and DIE MEISTERSINGER, Lt Ratcliffe BILLY BUDD with the Halle Orchestra for the Erato label, Dick Deadeye H.M.S. PINAFORE for the D’Oyly Carte, and the Policeman in Dame Ethel Smyth’s THE BOATSWAIN’S MATE with the Lontano Ensemble conducted by Odaline de la Martinez. He graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University and currently studies with Gundula Hintz in Berlin.