BIOGRAPHY


Tenor John Easterlin has rapidly established himself as one of international opera’s most exciting performers. A compelling stage actor, his recent engagements include creating two iconic American roles: Andy Warhol in the World Premiere of the Philip Glass opera The Perfect American at the Teatro Real, Madrid, and the English National Opera (ENO), London; and Larry King in the U.S. premiere of the Anthony Turnage opera Anna Nicole, for the New York City Opera in conjunction with the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival.  For the Metropolitan Opera he won critical acclaim for his performances as the Scrivener in Khovanschchina, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Prince Nilsky in The Gambler, the Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, the Young Servant in Elektra, and the Hunchback Brother in Die Frau ohne Schatten.


His 2015-16 season includes debuts with the internationally renowned Festival Miami, in his one man concert What a Character!: The Many Faces of John Easterlin; the Palm Beach Opera as the Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, concert engagements at The Town Hall in New York City, with the Oratorio Society of Queens, the Nassau Pops Philharmonic, and the Long Island Symphony.  Additionally, Mr. Easterlin makes his highly anticipated Broadway debut as Ubaldo Piangi in The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre.  He returns to the Seattle Opera as The Witch in a new production of Hänsel und Gretel in the 2016-17 season.


International career highlights include five productions at the Opéra National de Paris (Bastille and Garnier): the Hunchback Brother in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Squeak in Billy Budd, Sellem in The Rake’s Progress, Herod in Salome, and Goro in Madama Butterfly; Herod in Salome for his debut with the Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and Spain’s prestigious Merida Festival; three productions for the ROH Covent Garden: Prince Nilsky in The Gambler, The Steersman in Der fliegende Holländer, and Andres in Wozzeck; eight productions with Madrid’s Teatro Real including Mahagonny, Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk, Wozzeck, The Perfect American, and Boris Godunov; his Bolshoi Opera debut in Mahagonny; three productions with the Canadian Opera Company, Toronto: Ariadne auf Naxos, Die Zauberflöte, and Alfred in Die Fledermaus; the Young Servant in Elektra with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, and Beijing Symphony Orchestra; seven productions with the New York City Opera including Salome, Turandot, Tosca, La Rondine, and Anna Nicole; ten productions with the Lyric Opera of Chicago including Lulu, Le Nozze di Figaro, Tosca, Die Zauberflöte, Die Frau ohne Schatten, and Parsifal; Nika Magadoff, the Magician in The Consul with the Glimmerglass Opera Festival; the Tanzmeister for Spoleto USA; and Der Hauptmann in Wozzeck for the Japan’s Saito Kinen Festival.


Mr. Easterlin has worked with stage directors John Doyle, Diane Paulus, Francesca Zambello, Michael Grandage, Richard Jones, John Copley, Peter Hall, Robert Wilson, David McVicar, Jürgen Flimm, and Paul Curran; as well as conductors Daniel Barenboim, Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Antonio Pappano, James Conlon, Valery Giergiev, Jeffery Tate, Donald Runnicles, Jane Glover, Bernard Labadie, Pablo Heras-Casado, and Emmauel Villaume.


His CD and DVD catalogues include appearances on PBS’ Great Performances, Live from Lincoln Center, and the Live in HD Series with the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera, in addition to a telecast of Los Angeles Opera’s acclaimed production of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, with Mr. Easterlin’s dual performances as Jack O’Brien and Toby Higgins opposite Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone, which received 2008 Emmy and Peabody Awards, and two 2009 Grammy Awards for Opera Recording of the Year and Classical Album of the Year.  The Teatro Real production of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, with Mr. Easterlin again in dual roles, garnered the 2012 Diapason d’Or ‘Triple Crown’ in Recording.  Additionally, The Perfect American, with Mr. Easterlin as Andy Warhol, garnered the 2013 Gramophone Award for a Contemporary Work, the Diapason D’Or L’Annee Award for a New Work, and the BBC Music Magazine Award for Premiere Recording.


A Master Puppeteer and Certified Magician, (member of the Magic Circle),with three listings in the Guinness Book of World Records, Mr. Easterlin came to the opera industry from a theatrical career which included performances in Chicago, Forever Plaid, The Most Happy Fella, Sweeney Todd, An Ideal Husband, and  The Importance of Being Earnest.  He began his career in the corporate sector for BBDO and FDP Worldwide, and is the recipient of multiple ADDY awards for excellence in advertising.

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