Bernard Holcomb

A second-year Ryan Opera Center member, tenor Bernard Holcomb was a winner of the Michigan District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Prior to arriving in Chicago he appeared with the Pine Mountain Music Festival for two summers (Paolino/The Secret Marriage and Alfredo/La traviata). A former Apprentice Artist and Studio Program member at Sarasota Opera, the tenor has been heard there as A Villager/Pagliacci, Federico/L'amico Fritz, and Ezekiel Cheever/Robert Ward's The Crucible. Michigan Opera Theatre roles include Nelson and the Crab Man/Porgy and Bess and Gastone/La traviata. In 2008 the Detroit native participated in an international tour of Porgy and Bess with appearances in Russia, Poland, Greece, Latvia, Estonia, and Germany. Orchestral engagements include the Verdi Requiem with the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and concerts with the New Hampshire Symphony Holiday Pops, Rochester Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Grant Park Orchestra. Holcomb is an alumnus of the Eastman School of Music and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where his repertoire included leading roles in La bohème, The Bartered Bride, Postcard from Morocco, and Eugene Onegin. During Lyric's 2011-12 season his portrayals included Nathanaël/The Tales of Hoffmann (debut), the Boyar/Boris Godunov, the First Armed Man/The Magic Flute, and the Messenger/Aida. In the current Lyric season, he appears in Elektra, Simon Boccanegra, Don Pasquale, and La bohème.