Jake Gardner

The career of the distinguished American bass-baritone has encompassed productions at the Vienna Volksoper, Dresden’s Semperoper, Glyndebourne, Dutch National Opera, the Edinburgh Festival, and the major houses of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington, and Miami. For a decade he performed as principal baritone with the Cologne Opera, under the baton of music director James Conlon. Recently Gardner sang his first Prince Gremin/Eugene Onegin at Eugene Opera and portrayed Ashby/La fanciulla del West (Virginia Opera); Harold Ryan/Richard Auldon Clark’s and Kurt Vonnegut’s Happy Birthday Wanda June (Indianapolis Opera, world premiere); the Hermit/Der Freischütz, his 100th role (Virginia Opera); Sulpice/La fille du régiment (Honolulu); Bartolo/The Barber of Seville (Eugene, San Antonio); and Scarpia/Tosca (Piedmont Opera, Opera Coeur d’Alene). Gardner has sung a wide variety of operetta and musical theater, including recent portrayals of Baron Zeta/ The Merry Widow (LA Opera), Frederic/A Little Night Music (Hawai’i Opera Theater), Judge Turpin/Sweeney Todd (Houston Grand Opera) and Buffalo Bill/Annie Get Your Gun and Mayor Shinn/The Music Man (both at Glimmerglass Opera). This season’s highlights include Gardner’s first Bailiff/Werther (Florida Grand Opera), Sir Joseph Porter/HMS Pinafore (Eugene Opera), and Wagner’s Ring Cycle in One Night (Binghamton Philharmonic).

Previously at Lyric: Benoît & Alcindoro/ La bohème (2018|19); Brétigny/Manon (2008|09) Jules Mackenzie Goddard/ William Bolcom's A Wedding (2004|05, world premiere); George Jones/Street Scene (2001|02).

Last updated: October 6, 2018