Jonathan Michie
American baritone at the Opera Leipzig/Germany
GVAI: Q&A Online Talk
Jonathan talks about his career in US and Germany and answers all your questions about being a singer East and West of the Atlantic.
Jonathan talks about his career in US and Germany and answers all your questions about being a singer East and West of the Atlantic.
Praised for his “vocal mastery and theatrical panache” (San Francisco Chronicle), Jonathan Michie returns to the ensemble of Oper Leipzig for the 2017-18 season, reprising his characterizations of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Ottokar in Der Freischütz, Ping in Turandot, and Le conseiller de Thou in Gounod’s Cinq-Mars, in addition to singing the Gamekeeper in Rusalka and Der Tierbändiger in Lulu, both in new productions. He also joins Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and conductor James Conlon for Donald in Billy Budd, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and conductor Andris Nelsons for excerpts from Die Zauberflöte, and the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for the same title. Last season’s performances at Oper Leipzig included Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Valentin in Faust, Schaunard in La Bohème, der Einäugige in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Le conseiller de Thou in Gounod’s Cinq-Mars, Ottokar in Der Freischütz, and Ping in Turandot. He also recently returned to Los Angeles Opera for Papageno in Barrie Kosky’s whimsical production of Die Zauberflöte.
His numerous other roles as a soloist with the Leipzig Opera include Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, Silvio in Pagliacci, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Malatesta in Don Pasquale and Hiram Otis in the premiere of Getty’s The Canterville Ghost. He also sang Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Zimmerman’s Pax Questosa in premiere collaborations with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Leipzig Ballet. Other recent performances include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Ping in Turandot, and Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Florida Grand Opera, where he was formerly a young artist; Prince Paul in La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein and Baron Douphol in La traviata with Santa Fe Opera; Donald in Billy Budd, Noye in Noye’s Fludde, the Vicar in Albert Herring, and Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Los Angeles Opera; Valentin in Faust at the Teatro Comunale Bolzano, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Beijing Music Festival, and Masetto in Don Giovanni at the Ravinia Festival.
While an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera, he sang his first performances of the Vicar in Albert Herring and Count Dominik in Arabella. He sang his first performances of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia as a member of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program in addition to an excerpt of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Adams’ Doctor Atomic in the Grand Finale Concert. He has also performed with the Chautauqua Opera, Spoleto Festival U.S.A., the Steans Institute of Music at the Ravinia Festival, City Center Encores!, Opera Saratoga, and Ohio Light Opera.
He made his European debut singing Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Chaslin's Wuthering Heights Suite with Frédéric Chaslin conducting the Slovenian Philharmonic. Also on the concert platform, he has sung Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall. His previous concert performances include appearances with the New World Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jonathan Michie is the third prize winner in the 2016 International Robert Schumann Competition. He is also a winner of the 2010 William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Awards and has received additional awards from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, George London Foundation, Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, the Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges, the Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Charles A. Lynam Competition, the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust, the National Orpheus Competition, the Lotte Lehmann Foundation and the Liederkranz Foundation. He holds Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music. As an actor, Michie has appeared in Off-Broadway and regional theater and is a member of Actors’ Equity.
His numerous other roles as a soloist with the Leipzig Opera include Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, Silvio in Pagliacci, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Malatesta in Don Pasquale and Hiram Otis in the premiere of Getty’s The Canterville Ghost. He also sang Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Zimmerman’s Pax Questosa in premiere collaborations with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Leipzig Ballet. Other recent performances include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Ping in Turandot, and Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Florida Grand Opera, where he was formerly a young artist; Prince Paul in La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein and Baron Douphol in La traviata with Santa Fe Opera; Donald in Billy Budd, Noye in Noye’s Fludde, the Vicar in Albert Herring, and Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Los Angeles Opera; Valentin in Faust at the Teatro Comunale Bolzano, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Beijing Music Festival, and Masetto in Don Giovanni at the Ravinia Festival.
While an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera, he sang his first performances of the Vicar in Albert Herring and Count Dominik in Arabella. He sang his first performances of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia as a member of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program in addition to an excerpt of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Adams’ Doctor Atomic in the Grand Finale Concert. He has also performed with the Chautauqua Opera, Spoleto Festival U.S.A., the Steans Institute of Music at the Ravinia Festival, City Center Encores!, Opera Saratoga, and Ohio Light Opera.
He made his European debut singing Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Chaslin's Wuthering Heights Suite with Frédéric Chaslin conducting the Slovenian Philharmonic. Also on the concert platform, he has sung Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall. His previous concert performances include appearances with the New World Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jonathan Michie is the third prize winner in the 2016 International Robert Schumann Competition. He is also a winner of the 2010 William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Awards and has received additional awards from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, George London Foundation, Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, the Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges, the Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Charles A. Lynam Competition, the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust, the National Orpheus Competition, the Lotte Lehmann Foundation and the Liederkranz Foundation. He holds Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music. As an actor, Michie has appeared in Off-Broadway and regional theater and is a member of Actors’ Equity.