Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

With an active career in both opera and musical theatre, baritone Curt Olds has been seen in productions ranging from Don Pasquale and The Magic Flute to musicals such as Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, The Threepenny Opera, Broadway’s Riverdance and CATS. Hailed by Opera News as “A wonderful singing actor, as adept in pointing dialogue as in phrasing song,” Curt is best known for his portrayal of the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance and his signature role as Ko-Ko in The Mikado, for which he has some 22 productions to his credit. This season, Olds sings Papageno in The Magic Flute at Hawaii Opera Theatre, Njegus in The Merry Widow for Utah Opera, Major General Stanley in Pirates of Penzance at Atlanta Opera, and Ko-Ko in The Mikado for Anchorage Opera.

Living up to his singing actor pedigree, Mr. Olds has experience on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in regional and international houses. He played Monsieur Baurel in the workshop of An American in Paris directed by Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon; Gus in the Original German Company of CATS; Walt in Threepenny Opera starring Bea Arthur at NYC’s Lortel Theatre; Cecil in A Room With a View at NYC’s York Theatre; Mr. Lindquist in A Little Night Music at Boston’s North Shore Theatre; Bob Wallace in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at Theatre on the Square, and spent two years in the Broadway company of Riverdance. Other favorite theatre engagements include Pete Bartel in Pete ‘N’ Keely, Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, Fred Graham in Kiss Me, Kate; Franklin Hart, Jr. in 9 to 5, The Musical; and The Baker in Into the Woods.

A consummate “cross-over” artist, Olds has performed some theatre repertoire favorites on opera stages throughout the country including Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd at Opera Omaha;  Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady at Ash Lawn Opera; Will Parker in Oklahoma and Frank Schultz in Show Boat at Central City Opera; Herman in The Most Happy Fella with Tulsa Opera; Max in The Sound of Music with Anchorage Opera; Luther Billis in South Pacific with Hawaii Opera Theatre; Petrucchio/Fred in Kiss Me, Kate; and Bob Wallace in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.

Olds is also in demand and has garnered international acclaim for his creative portrayals of an array of characters in the operetta repertoire. Career highlights include such performances as: Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore with Arizona Opera and Central City Opera; Ko-Ko in The Mikado with Hawaii Opera Theatre, Central City Opera, Opera New Jersey, and Arizona Opera; The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance with Edmonton Opera, Lake George Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and Arizona Opera; Falke in Die Fledermaus at Lake George Opera; Dick McGann in Street Scene at Central City Opera; and Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance with Nashville Opera, Atlanta Opera, among others; Guys & Dolls at Carnegie Hall with Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally.

On the concert stage, Olds performed Carmina Burana with Boston Symphony Pro Musica, Händel’s Chandos Anthem No. 5 at the Omaha Symphony, and is seen regularly on Pops stages throughout the U.S. including Ridgefield Symphony, Brazos Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Colorado Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Omaha Symphony, and New Jersey Symphony. He made his New York recital début at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Gerald Steichen at the piano.

Gaining momentum as a recording and voice-over artist, Olds recorded commercials and promotional materials with clients including Planet Hollywood Casinos, Books Beyond Pages, Ethan Allen Furniture, and the syndicated PBS feature Northwest Explorer. Curt is also featured on the soundtrack of the Disney animated film A Christmas Carol starring Kate Winslet and Nicholas Cage.

As a director, Mr. Olds has directed productions of My Fair Lady, The Mikado, Spamalot!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, Carmen, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Pirates of Penzance, and more at regional theatres and in educational institutions. He has also given a variety of masterclasses at young artist programs and universities, demonstrating an investment in emerging talents in the performing arts.

Curt holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and was a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He was also a winner in Portland Opera’s Lieber Awards and was named McGlone Artist of the Year at Central City Opera.

Curt is a proud native of Montana and currently resides in New York City.