John Irvin

Tenor John Irvin is a first-year Ryan Opera Center member. Originally a piano major, he recently completed his academic training at Boston University Opera Institute, where he performed Chevalier de la Force/Dialogues of the Carmelites, Paolino/Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto, Roméo/Roméo et Juliette, and Nick/Paulus' The Postman Always Rings Twice. Previously he studied at Georgia State University, where his roles included Don José/Carmen. Irvin has participated in the apprentice artist programs of Central City Opera (David R. Gloss Award for Excellence) and Santa Fe Opera (Canning Memorial Award for Singers). Concert engagements for the Atlanta native have included Puccini's Messa di Gloria, Handel's Messiah, Bach's Magnificat, Mendelssohn's Elijah and Mozart's Vesperae Solennes de Confessore. The tenor was a 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Regional Finalist and earned second place in the 6th annual Peter Elvins Competition. Chosen to be part of OPERA America's New Works Sampler, he sang the role of Greenhorne in selections from Heggie's Moby Dick with the composer at the piano. Irvin made his professional operatic debut in the fall of 2011 as a Boston Lyric Opera Emerging Artist, singing Malcolm/Macbeth. This season at Lyric Opera of Chicago he will be featured in Werther (debut), Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Rigoletto.