Robert Forrest holds a BMus (Hons) from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, an MPerf from the Royal College of Music, an Adv Artist Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music, and an MPhil in Music Studies from Girton College, University of Cambridge.
He made his operatic debut in 2015 with the Netherlands Reisopera as King Kaspar in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Since then, he has performed a variety of roles, including Malcom in Verdi’s Macbeth, Don Curzio Le nozze di Figaro, Jupiter Semele, Vaudemont Iolanta, and Captain Ricardo in Massenet’s Cherubin. With the Royal Academy Song Circle, Robert made his Wigmore Hall debut in 2020, performing a selection of songs by Clara Schumann.
Through opportunities as a cover, Robert has developed his repertoire, learning and performing many challenging roles, including Flamand in Strauss’s Capriccio, Peter Quint in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, Lensky Eugene Onegin, Nemorino L’elisir d’amore, and Don Ottavio Don Giovanni.
Highlights of his work in 2023 include performing Rodolfo La bohème, Gherardo Gianni Schicchi, and Philippe in Lenox Berkeley’s A Dinner Engagement. He has been a member of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Tour Chorus since autumn 2021, where he has understudied La Journalist and L’Aumonier in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias and Dialogue des Carmelites, and Sellem The Rake’s Progress.
Robert’s time at the Studio is supported by the Glyndebourne New Generation Programme Young Artist Development Award with additional support from Karen and Lee McLernon.
Updated December 2023. This biography should not be reproduced without asking permission from the National Opera Studio.