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John Shirley-QuirkEnglish operatic bass-baritone
Date of Birth: 28.08.1931
Country:  Great Britain |
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Biography of John Shirley-Quirk
John Shirley-Quirk was an eminent English operatic bass-baritone. He was born on August 28, 1931, in Liverpool, England. His double-barreled surname consists of the toponym Shirley, a village in Derbyshire where his ancestors lived, and a Celtic name from the Manx language spoken on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. Shirley-Quirk began singing in the school choir during his senior years. Initially, he did not envision a future in opera and studied violin, even receiving a scholarship for it. However, while studying chemistry and physics at Liverpool University, John began vocal training under Austen Carnegie. His pursuits were interrupted by service in the Royal Air Force until 1957 when he moved to London to study with Roy Henderson.
In 1961-1962, Shirley-Quirk sang in the choir of St Paul's Cathedral in London. His operatic debut took place in 1961 at the Glyndebourne Festival, where he performed the role of Doctor in Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande". From 1964 to 1976, he was a leading member of the English Opera Group, gaining recognition as an outstanding interpreter of many of Benjamin Britten's compositions, including "The Prodigal Son". He took part in premieres of Britten's last five operas and became the first performer to sing all the baritone roles in Britten's opera "Death in Venice" in June 1973. In the same year, he performed at Covent Garden in London. In October 1974, Shirley-Quirk made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, starring as the Traveller in Britten's "Death in Venice", a role written specifically for him. In July 1977, he participated in the premiere of Michael Tippett's "The Ice Break" at Covent Garden.
Known for his masterful performance of concert and orchestral repertoire spanning from Baroque-era works to compositions of the 20th century, John Shirley-Quirk regularly performed with major orchestras worldwide, particularly in England, Europe, and the United States. He collaborated multiple times with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1960s and 1970s. Shirley-Quirk was frequently invited to leading roles at Covent Garden, La Scala in Milan, and other prominent international opera houses. He toured extensively and recorded extensively, with over 100 recordings in his extensive discography. Many of his recordings featured works by Britten, Monteverdi, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, as well as Gustav Mahler's Eighth Symphony conducted by Sir Georg Solti on the Decca label and vocal works by Ralph Vaughan Williams conducted by Sir David Willcocks accompanied by the choir of King's College, Cambridge, on the EMI label. Several of his recordings received awards. Additionally, he appeared in televised productions of renowned operas such as "Eugene Onegin" and "Billy Budd".
Prior to 1957, Shirley-Quirk was a member of the faculty at Acton Technical College and contributed to the establishment of Brunel College. He currently teaches at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland. Shirley-Quirk was previously married to oboist Sara Watkins, who passed away in 1997. Since 2009, he has been married to cellist Teresa Perez.
