Baritone Philip Lima has regularly garnered critical acclaim for his performances on both concert and operatic stages: “His singing was glorious” (The Boston Globe) –“vibrant baritone and a commanding presence” (Cleveland The Plain Dealer) – “keen musicianship along with total dramatic intention.” (Opera News Online).
A native of New Bedford, MA and a former freelance violist, Lima has sung leading operatic roles in Germany and for regional American opera companies in repertoire ranging from traditional favorites by Handel, Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi; to important
works of twentieth century masters such as Samuel Barber, Benjamin Britten, and Viktor Ullmann; to the comic masterworks of Gilbert and Sullivan. Of particular note have been his featured roles in the world premieres of operas by jazz greats Leslie Burrs, Nathan Davis, and Mary Watkins, and by award-winning composer Larry Bell.
Lima has appeared as soloist with the Boston Symphony, multiple times with the Boston Pops, and with numerous orchestras (including the BCSO)), choral societies,
and concert series across the United States and in Italy, Korea, and Ukraine in choral works of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Fauré, Handel, Mendelssohn, Orff, and Vaughan
Williams, as well as works by Bernstein (Arias and Barcarolles and major excerpts from Mass), Margaret Bonds (Credo), Dave Brubeck (The Light in the Wilderness),
Copland (Old American Songs), Mahler (Kindertotenlieder), Ravel (Don Quichotte à Dulcinée), and Lee Hoiby (his setting of the I Have a Dream speech of Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.). Lima is featured on the recording of pioneering African-American composer Florence Price’s Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight that won the 2020
American Prize for the Performance of American Music.
Lima is a frequent recitalist whose performance with pianist Beverly Orlove of Schubert’s monumental, 24-song cycle Winterreise was cited by The Boston Phoenix in an annual summary of Boston’s “Unforgettable Classical Events.”
More information about Mr. Lima is available at philiplima.com, and at his YouTube channel, PhilipLimaSings.
