Since 1996, the bass Almas Švilpa has been a soloist at the Aalto Musical Theatre in Essen, Germany. He studied singing at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Lithuania with V. Prudnikovas. Švilpa's first professional role on stage (at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre) was Don Basilio in Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville". Švilpa has successfully appeared at the Vienna People's Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the State Operas of Dresden, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart and Hanover, and the National Operas of Enschede and Cologne. His repertoire includes both popular and rarely performed bass roles, such as the Flying Dutchman (Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman"), John the Baptist (Strauss's "Salome"), Mephistopheles (Gounod's "Faust"), Orestes (Strauss's "Elektra"), Don Basilio (Rossini's "The Barber of Seville"), the Grand Inquisitor (Verdi's "Don Carlos"), Sparafucile (Verdi's "Rigoletto"), Figaro (Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro"), Wotan (Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" tetralogy), Zacharias (Verdi's "Nabucco"), Prince Igor (Borodin's "Prince Igor"), Farlaf (Glinka's "Ruslan and Lyudmila"), and others. As a soloist, Švilpa captivates the attention not only of the audience but also of experts with his exceptionally beautiful, vivid voice, excellent diction, and faultlessly prepared musical role. For his roles in Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman", the "Ring of the Nibelung" tetralogy, Gounod's "Faust", and Mozart's "Don Giovanni", the singer has received highly positive reviews from German music critics.
