Douglas McDonnell discovered his love of opera when, at the age of nine, he joined the children’s choruses of both the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera companies. Over the course of the next five years, he sang in more than 450 performances of 35 different operas. As his voice developed, he was chosen to perform and understudy a number of solo roles including the Erste Knabe in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte , Franky in the nationally televised production of Janácek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Yniold in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande , and the Shepherd in Wagner’s Tannhäuser . During this time he also performed the title role in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors with Il Piccolo Teatro del Opera in a production directed by the composer, and returned several years later to understudy Douglas Perry in the role of Kaspar . As an adult, Mr. McDonnell has sung in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe as Strephon , Cabaret, Dido and Aeneas, numerous choral works by Palestrina, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven and Debussy and song recitals in the New York area. Most recently, he has been making appearances as a guest soloist with local groups and churches in the New York area, performing arias, ensembles and songs.
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