Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

Craig Verm is praised for his “resonant, expressive baritone voice” (Denver Post) and riveting dramatic portrayals.  In the 2016/17 season, he makes his Seattle Opera debut as Papageno in The Magic Flute and returns to Des Moines Metro Opera for the title role of Billy Budd.  He also returns to Pittsburgh Opera as Ping in Turandot, joins Knoxville Opera as Marcello in La bohème, and sings a gala concert for Arizona Opera. 

Future engagements include his returns to Seattle Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and Dallas Opera.  Last season, he returned to Santa Fe Opera for the Count in Capriccio and Sonora in The Girl of the Golden West and Opera Philadelphia as Belcore in Elixir of Love.  He sang Friedrich Bhaer in Adamo’s Little Women with Madison Opera and returned to the Rhode Island Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah.

Mr. Verm recently made his debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Albert in Werther and following his debut with the Teatro Municipal de Santiago as Esamillo in Carmen, he returned for the title role of Billy Budd.  He recently created the role of Doug Hansen in the world premiere of Joby Talbot’s Everest with Dallas Opera.  Additionally, he enjoys a strong relationship with Pittsburgh Opera, where he has sung the lead baritone role of Tom Joad in Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Zurga in The Pearl Fishers, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Ping in Turandot, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, the Novice’s Friend in Billy Budd, Angelotti in Tosca as well as Guglielmo in student performances of Così fan tutte. 

Other recent performances include the Count in The Marriage of Figaro with Seiji Ozawa’s Ongaku-juku Festival, Ramiro in L’heure espagnole with the Nationale Reisopera in the Netherlands; Sid in Albert Herring with the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse; Marcello in La bohème, Minskman in Dove’s Flight, and Ping in Turandot with Austin Lyric Opera; Papageno in The Magic Flute, the title role of Aldrige’s Elmer Gantry, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, and Adonis in Venus and Adonis with Florentine Opera; Ned Keene in Peter Grimes and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Des Moines Metro Opera; Zurga inThe Pearl Fishers and Marcello in La bohème with Nashville Opera; George in Floyd’s Of Mice and Men with Tulsa Opera; Schaunard in La bohème with Opera Philadelphia; Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at Lyrique-en-Mer/Festival de Belle-Île; Joseph Pitt in Peter Eötvös’ Angels in America with Fort Worth Opera; Daniel in the world premiere of Lembit Beecher’s I Have No Stories to Tell You and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda with Gotham Chamber Opera; Astolfo in the world premiere of Lewis Spratlan’s Life is a Dream and Hermann in The Tales of Hofmann with Santa Fe Opera; the Count in The Marriage of Figaro and Falke in Die Fledermaus with the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh; and the title role of Eugene Onegin and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and the Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen with Aspen Opera Theater.  He has also joined the San Francisco Symphony for the Second Prisoner in Fidelio and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Angelotti in Tosca, Marullo in Rigoletto, and the Mandarin in Turandot.

Equally adept within the realm of oratorio, his other concert appearances encompass performances of Glass’ The Civil Wars with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the Pittsburgh Symphony; Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra; Gounod’s Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile with Les Escales Musicales d’Evian; Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Alexandria Symphony; he sang William Schuman’s cantata, Casey at the Bat, with the Reno Philharmonic; Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Boston Youth Symphony; Handel’s Messiah with the Rhode Island Philharmonic; Bach’s Mass in B minor at Portugal’s Aviero Music Festival; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 as a guest artist at Brown University; as well as Faure’s Requiem with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, and Schubert’s Mass in G and Rutter’s Mass of the Children with the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale.  He has also sung Haydn’s Creation with the Robert Page Festival Singers at the Virginia Arts Festival as well as on tour in Vienna and Budapest, Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, as well as performances of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, which he also sang as a guest artist at at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.  He has presented solo recitals under the auspices of the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse and at West Liberty University.

He received his Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music where his performances included title role in Carlisle Floyd’s Markheim.  He was graduated cum laude from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.  He was also a 2006 national semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and is also a former member of the young artist programs of Santa Fe Opera and Cincinnati Opera.