Eric Roberts studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music with Gwilym Gwalchmai. For WNO he sang Papageno (debut)‚ Falke‚ Shelkalov Boris Godunov‚ Novice’s Friend Billy Budd and Guglielmo. Work for British companies includes Apollo Orfeo and Thoas Iphigenia in Tauris (Kent Opera); Figaro and Count Almaviva The Marriage of Figaro (Opera 80‚ founder member); Prince Yeletsky The Queen of Spades (New Sussex Opera); Tobias Mill Rossini’s Il Cambiale di Matrimonio (also televised)‚ Mountararat Iolanthe‚ Trinity Moses The Rise and Fall of Mahagonny‚ Bartolo The Barber of Seville and Mr Redburn Billy Budd (Scottish Opera); Elviro Xerxes‚ King of Scotland Ariodante and Ormonte Partenope (Handel Opera Society‚ Sadler’s Wells); Bartolo Il Barbiere di Siviglia‚ Jupiter Orpheus in the Underworld‚ Don Alfonso‚ Don Isaacs in Gerhard’s The Duenna‚ Sir Robert Cecil Gloriana (also filmed)‚ Papageno‚ Mr Gedge Albert Herring‚ Psychiatrist One Touch of Venus (Opera North); Dulcamara (Grange Park Opera); Koko‚ Mayor in Rimsky Korsakov’s Christmas Eve and multi roles Pacific Overtures (ENO); Benoit and Alcindoro La Boheme (Glyndebourne telecast); and Montroc Un Giorno di Regno and Don Andres La Périchole (Buxton Festival); Jack Point‚ Lord Chancellor Iolanthe‚ Ko-Ko‚ the Major General The Pirates of Penzance and Sir Joseph Porter (relaunched D’Oyly Carte company).
Recent and future engagements include Vicar Albert Herring (Royal Danish Opera)‚ Sir Joseph Porter HMS Pinafore for Carl Rosa‚ Benoit Alcindoro (Opera North); Bartolo Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Welsh National Opera and Opera Holland Park); Major Domo Ariadne (WNO) and Music Master Ariadne in Montepulciano.
Work abroad has included Bartolo (Brisbane Lyric Opera)‚ Eugene Onegin (Opera Omaha)‚ the Elder Son The Prodigal Son (La Fenice)‚ the baritone roles Death in Venice (Flanders Opera)‚ the Major General The Pirates of Penzance (Vancouver Opera)‚ Faninal (Spoleto Festival) and Don Magnifico La Cenerentola (Opera Zuid‚ Opera Theatre Company‚ Dublin and Frankfurt).
Roles in musicals include the Judge Toad of Toad Hall and Father Bless the Bride (Northcott Theatre); Mushnik Little Shop of Horrors (Yorkshire Playhouse); Bill Cracker Happy End (Music Theatre Wales) and Henry Higgins My Fair Lady (Opera Omaha and Edmonton Opera).
Radio and TV work started with Johnny Morris in schools broadcasting and includes appearances as singer and actor on Welsh TV‚ and as narrator of Radio 4’s Sir Arthur Sullivan. Recordings include multi roles Pacific Overtures (Sony)‚ Ko-Ko and Major General The Pirates of Penzance (D’Oyly Carte/ TER) and Don Isaacs The Duenna (Chandos). Videos include Faninal Der Rosenkavalier (Spoleto Festival/ RaiUno) and Ko-Ko The Mikado (own production for Carl Rosa).