Possessing a voice “deep, stable and imbued with authority,” (Olyrix, 2025) Anglo-French bass Edwin Crossley-Mercer has forged a career defined by his exemplary musicianship. Since the outset of his career, Crossley-Mercer has been a regular presence on Europe’s major stages, embracing a wide-ranging repertoire of roles with many of the finest conductors of our day including Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Philippe Jordan, Riccardo Minasi and Leonardo García Alarcón. 

From an earlier bass-baritone repertoire focused principally on the baroque and classical repertory, today Crossley-Mercer’s bass voice lends itself to a rich repertoire of roles by composers including Beethoven, Berg, Britten, Strauss, Verdi, and Wagner. The upcoming season features several significant role debuts including Tirésias in Dusapin’s Antigone staged by Netia Jones for Orchestre de Paris under Klaus Mäkelä, Raimond in Lucie de Lammermoor for Opéra Comique under Speranza Scappucci, Nicolas in Denisov’s L’Écume des jours for Opéra de Lille under Bassem Akiki, and Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte for Festival d’Aix en Provence under Leonardo García Alarcón. In concert his appearances will include Bach Matthäus Passion with both Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under Kent Nagano and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Riccardo Minasi, Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri with Orchestre national de France under Philippe Jordan, Bruckner Te Deum with Tonkünstler-Orchester under Yutaka Sado, and Berlioz Roméo et Juliette with Slovenian National Orchestra under Charles Dutoit.  

Recent highlights of an extensive and diverse career have included Biterolf in Romeo Castellucci’s Tannhäuser at Osterfestspiele Salzburg under Andris Nelsons, Osiride in Tobias Kratzer’s new production of Rossini’s Moïse et Pharaon at Opéra national de Lyon under Daniele Rustioni, and Reimann’s Lear in Christoph Marthaler’s new production at Bayerische Staatsoper under Jukka-Pekka Saraste.  Other significant appearances include Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte) for Opernhaus Zürich/Riccardo Minasi and Bayerische Staatsoper/Antonello Manacorda, Colline (La bohème) with Orchestre National de Lille/Alexandre Bloch, von Weber’s Der Freischutz at Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin/Daniel Barenboim, Nourabad (Les pêcheurs de perles) for Festival d’Aix en Provence/Marc Minkowski, and at Theater an der Wien both Guillame Tell under Diego Matheuz and Peter Grimes under Thomas Guggeis.  Recent baroque projects include Handel’s Jeptha at Händel Festspeiele Halle, Les Indes galantes at Opéra national de Paris under Leonardo García Alarcón, Platée for Gran Teatre del Liceu and Theater an der Wien under William Christie, and most recently Hidraot in Lully’s Armide and Créon in Charpentier’s Médée for Opéra Comique.  

A sought-after recitalist and former student of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Crossley-Mercer has presented lied and art song programmes at Bad Kissingen, Festspeiele Mecklenburg, Musée d’Orsay, Festival de Pâques, Festival International de Colmar, and at the Louvre. Twice a Grammy-Award nominée, Edwin Crossley-Mercer’s discography includes several baroque programmes, a collaboration with American composer Michael Linton on Carmina Catulli and Wilde Songs, a compilation of mélodies by Nadia Boulanger, and Schubert Die Winterreise. This season Edwin sings Hydaspe on the world premiere recording of Thomas de Hartmann’s Esther with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Karabits, for upcoming release by Pentatone.   

See Edwin Crossley-Mercer perform Verdi’s Requiem with the RSNO on 6 and 7 November 2027.