The following biographical information was kindly provided to me by Laura Folley (John Eagar's wife)

JOHN EAGAR, bass-baritone

Born in Cape Town, John Eagar was one of the founder members of the CAPAB Opera Company.  He continued his studies under Fred Dalberg and Lawrence Folley.  In 1986 he was appointed as a principal soloist and was awarded the The Nederburg Special Opera Prize for his portrayal of Dr Bartolo in The Barber of Seville.

A great variety of roles ranging from opera buffa to Wagner followed, and led to his being awarded the Nederburg Prize for Opera a second time in 1992.  In 1993 he sang his first Fliegende Holländer, with fellow cast members Marita Napier and Don Garrard, conducted by Reinhard Schwartz, in a Gunther Schneider-Siemssen production to great critical acclaim.

John has sung leading roles in four World Premières of South African operas (two of which were televised).  Equally at ease in Musicals and Gilbert & Sullivan, one of John's favourite memories was his grand entrance as Pooh-Bah on a Kawasaki 1000!

In 2001, John married Lawrence Folley’s youngest daughter, Laura and they are now settled in London.

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“Indeed, Eagar in the title role was nothing less than brilliant.  He well represented the haggard, travel-weary Dutchman.  The part also perfectly occasions him exploiting his bass-baritone range."  (Cape Argus 30 April 1993)

“Orveso received a statuesquely solid performance from John Eagar.  He was the stability in a sea of characters tossed about by conflicting torments of soul.”  (Cape Argus 1 June 1998)

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Opera Repertoire

BELLININormaOroveso

BIZET   Carmen      Zuniga

BRITTEN     The Rape of Lucretia      Collatinus

BRITTEN      Peter Grimes   Balstrode

CIMAROSA         Il Matrimonio Segreto    Geronimo

DONIZETTI   Lucia di Lammermoor   Enrico

DONIZETTI  Don Pasquale  Don Pasquale

GOUNOD     Faust Wagner

EVA NOEL HARVEYEsther **    Haman

LEONCAVALLO       Cavalleria Rusticana     Alfio

MENOTTI     Amahl and the Night VisitorsKing Melchior, Balthazar

MENOTTI     The Consul      Chief of Police

MOZART      Die Zauberflöte      Sprecher, Second Man in Armour

MOZART      Don Giovanni   Commendatore

MOZART      Le Nozze di Figaro Bartolo

NICOLAI       The Merry Wives of WindsorFalstaff, Cijas

PUCCINI      Madama Butterfly   Sharpless, The Bonz, Yamadori

PUCCINI       ToscaScarpia, Angelotti

PUCCINI       La Boheme     Shaunard, Colline

PUCCINI       Turandot   Timur, Mandarin

PUCCINI       Gianni Schicchi      Marco

PURCELL    Dido and Aeneas   Aeneas

ROSSINIIl Barbiere di Siviglia     Dr Bartolo

ROSSINI       William Tell     Melcthal, Walter Fürst

ROSSINIThe Turk in Italy      Geronio

STRAUSS   Salome      Nazereen

STRAUSS   Ariadne auf Naxos  Truffaldino

TCHAIKOVSKY Eugene OneginCapt Petrowitch

ROELOF TEMMINGH      Enoch, Prophet of God **     John Nightingale

ROELOF TEMMINGH      Sacred Bones **      Robin

PIETER VAN DYK     The Selfish Giant **       Giant

VERDI   Rigoletto   Monterone, Marullo

VERDI   La Traviata      Germont, Baron Douphol, Grenvil

VERDI   Aida  Amonasro, Ramfis

VERDI  Don CarlosMonk

VERDI   Il TrovatoreFerrando

VERDI  Otello  Montano

VERDI  Nabucco   Il Grande Sacerdote

WAGNER    Der Fliegende Holländer       Holländer

WAGNER     Tristan und Isolde   Melot, Steuerman

WAGNER    Der Meistersinger von Nürnberg Kothner

WEBER       Der Freischütz Kaspar

Operettas/Musicals

Irving Berlin  Annie Get Your GunBuffalo Bill

Bock & Harrick    Fiddler on the RoofLazar Wolf

Wright & Forrest  The Great Waltz     Johann Strauss Snr

Mitch Leigh  Man of La Mancha  Innkeeper/Governor

Gilbert & Sullivan The Mikado     Pooh-Bah, Mikado

Johann Strauss   A Night in Venice    Homanah, Pali

Sigmund Romberg     The Student PrinceDr Engel, Lucas

Franz Lehár  The Merry Widow   Baron Mirko Zeta

Oratorios/Concert Works

William Walton    Belshazzars Feast

Joseph Haydn     The Creation

John StainerCrucifixion

George Handel   Dettinger Te Deum

Edward Elgar      The Dream of Gerontius

PDQ Bach   Horratium Seasonings

Hector Berlioz     L'enfance du Christ

Ludwig von Beethoven     Mass in C

George Handel   Messiah

Joseph Haydn     Nelson Mass

PDQ Bach   Oedipus Rex

Gioacchino Rossini   Petite Messe Solonelle

Wolfgang MozartRequiem

Guiseppe Verdi  Requiem

Johannes Brahms      Requiem

Gabriel Fauré     Requiem

Handel  Samson

George Handel   Saul

Gioacchino Rossini   Stabat Mater

Ludwig von Beethoven     Symphony No. 9

** World Première

JOHN  EAGAR

Biography and other information

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