Brian Jagde, Lester Lynch, Dresdner Philharmonie & Marek Janowski
Biographie Brian Jagde, Lester Lynch, Dresdner Philharmonie & Marek Janowski
Melody Moore
is enjoying a thriving career on the world’s leading stages, prompting Opera News to label her “a revelation,” and of her recent sold-out appearance at Carnegie Hall to rave, “As I left the auditorium, I could only think: more of Moore, please.” The current season marks the release of her first solo album entitled An American Song Album with pianist Bradley Moore on Pentatone Records.
In the 2019-2020 season, Ms. Moore will make two notable role debuts: her debut as Amneris in a new production of Aida at the Houston Grand Opera, and following, her role and house debut as the Foreign Princess in Rusalka at Cincinnati Opera. Additionally, Ms. Moore will sing Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at Opera Naples, and will conclude her season as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at Seattle Opera. Concert highlights include her debut with the Houston Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s Das klagende Lied under the baton of Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the title role in Strauss’ Salome at Bard College, and a solo recital and masterclass at Lawrence University. In the summer, she sings Vaughan Williams’ masterful Sea Symphony with the Oregon Symphony, led by Carlos Kalmar.
In the 2018-2019 season, Ms. Moore returned to Houston Grand Opera to reprise the roles of Senta in the season opening production of Die fliegende Holländer led by Music Director Patrick Summers, and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni in a new production by Kasper Holten, and returned to Los Angeles Opera for a role debut as Gertrude in Hänsel and Gretel under the baton of Music Director James Conlon. On the concert stage, she debuted with the Dresdner Philharmonie in the roles of Giorgetta in Puccini’s Il Tabarro and Santuzza in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, both of which were recorded for commercial release by Pentatone Records. Ms. Moore also sang Senta with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director Edo de Waart, and debuted with the Grant Park Music Festival for Delius’ A Mass of Life at the Grant Park Music Festival, and sang the title role in Salome in Daegu, South Korea. Other recording projects included Minnie in La Fanciulla del West in Cluj, Romania, and the title role in Madama Butterfly in Lisbon, both recorded for commercial release by Pentatone Records.
In the 2017-2018 season, Moore made three major role debuts: Elisabetta in Don Carlo at Washington National Opera; the title role in Salome at Florida Grand Opera; and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin at Hawaii Opera Theater, as well as singing her signature roles of Tosca in a return to Opéra de Montréal and for her house debut with Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, and Senta in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer in a new production by Tomer Zvulun at Atlanta Opera. Her portrayal of Desdemona in a full recording of Verdi’s Otello was released by Pentatone Records.
Recent career highlights include a house and role debut at Seattle Opera in the title role of Janáček’s Kátya Kabanová; appearances with San Francisco Opera in the title role of Tosca, Susan Rescorla in Heart of a Soldier, Mimì in La bohème, and the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro; Houston Grand Opera as Julie in Show Boat, Marta in the American premiere of Weinberg’s The Passenger, the title role in Carmen, Dorabella in Così fan tutte; Washington National Opera as the title role of Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas, Phillip Glass’ Appomatox, and in Francesca Zambello’s highly acclaimed production of the Wagner’s full Ring cycle; Los Angeles Opera as Tosca, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro and in productions of Der Zwerg and Der Zerbrochene Krug; Opéra de Montréal as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly; Glimmerglass Festival as Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth and Senta in Der fliegende Holländer; Lincoln Center Festival in The Passenger; English National Opera as Mimi and as Marguerite in Faust; New York City Opera as Rita Clayton in the New York premiere of Stephen Schwartz’s Séance on a Wet Afternoon and as Regine St. Laurent in Rufus Wainwright’s Prima Donna; and Austin Lyric Opera as Senta in Der fliegende Holländer. Additional performances include the title roles of Manon Lescaut at New Orleans Opera, Tosca with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at Opéra de Bordeaux; and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Atlanta Opera and Opera Colorado.
On the concert stage, Ms. Moore has appeared with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Bruckner’s Te Deum led by Music Director Donald Runnicles; Bard SummerScape Festival as the title role in Turandot; Bavarian Radio Symphony in performances and recording of excerpts of Gordon Getty’s opera, Plump Jack, conducted by Ulf Shirmer and with the New Century Chamber Orchestra conducted by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. She has joined Rufus Wainwright for gala concerts at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, and has sung Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Madison Symphony and at Festival of the Arts Boca. Her solo recital performances have included a sold-out debut recital at Carnegie Hall and the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, as well a program featuring suppressed music of the Holocaust presented under the auspices of the Atlanta Opera.
A graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Melody Moore is a former Adler Fellow of San Francisco Opera and a participant of the Merola program.
Brian Jagde
In September, he makes his first appearance at the Dutch National Opera as Turiddu in a new Robert Carsen production of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana. He then returns to San Francisco Opera for his fifth role debut of 2019, singing Des Grieux in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. He reprises the role in a return to the Deutsche Oper Berlin in December.
Jagde starts the new year at Lyric Opera of Chicago, singing Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, followed by his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper in a signature role, Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca. The final performance receives an international online broadcast via Staatsoper Live. In April, Brian Jagde makes his greatly anticipated return to The Metropolitan Opera Stage to sing Cavaradossi in Tosca, which is featured as part of The Met’s Live in HD cinema season. The summer continues with a return to Amsterdam to sing the Prince in a new production of Dvořák’s Rusalka, directed by Philipp Stölzl. Following these performances, he travels to London for his fourth engagement at the Royal Opera House, as Cavaradossi (Tosca) and finishes the season with a debut solo concert at the Festival Castell de Peralada.
Jagde launched his 2018/19 season with a return to the San Francisco Opera as Cavaradossi in a new production of Puccini’s Tosca: “… a big-voiced Cavaradossi, producing firm, heroic sound throughout. His impassioned performance of the Act III aria, “E lucevan le stelle,” was a highlight of the evening” (Mercury News). He returned to London’s Royal Opera House as Don José in Bizet’s Carmen, followed by performances as Calaf in a new production of Puccini’s Turandot at Palermo’s Teatro Massimo. He debuted as Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Luigi in Puccini’s Il tabarro in concert with the Dresdner Philharmonie, captured for a future release on the Pentatone label. Jagde sang his first Enzo Grimaldi in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda for his premiere performances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, followed by a critically acclaimed debut at the Opéra national de Paris as Don Alvaro in Verdi’s epic La forza del Destino, where he was lauded as “a revelation” (Ôlyrix).
Brian began the 2017/18 season in his role debut as Calaf in Turandot at San Francisco Opera: “Jagde has clearly arrived as a world-class heroic tenor in this role debut … His “Nessun dorma” showed a huge breadth of space, moving seamlessly from an intimate whisper to a hall-filling embrace … his highs beautifully rode the crest of the orchestral wave” (Parterre). He debuted at Opernhaus Zürich as Cavaradossi (Tosca) and also sang the role at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Jagde then made his first appearance at the Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam as the tenor soloist for a live radio broadcast performance of Verdi’s Requiem. Mr. Jagde made a spectacular debut as Der Fremde in a new Christof Loy production of Korngold’s rarely performed Das Wunder der Heliane at Deutsche Oper Berlin, released on DVD and Blu-ray by Naxos.
In May 2018 he made his house debut at Seattle Opera as Radamès in Aida. He returned to Europe to sing Don José in Carmen, marking his house debuts at the Bolshoi Theatre and the Arena di Verona, the latter being a new production to open the Arena’s season. Jagde then starred as Cavaradossi in Tosca for his return to the Teatro di San Carlo.
Recent seasons have featured other important debuts, including Maurizio (Adriana Lecouvreur) at the Royal Opera House; Radamès in a new production of Aida at San Francisco Opera; and Froh (Das Rheingold) in his first appearance with the New York Philharmonic. House debuts have included Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) at the Teatro Massimo, Washington National Opera, and Staatsoper Hamburg; Don José (Carmen) in a new production at the Teatro San Carlo and the Bayerische Staatsoper; Houston Grand Opera as the Prince (Rusalka); Macduff (Macbeth) at the Teatro Real; Cavaradossi (Tosca) at Oper Stuttgart and Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos) at Palm Beach Opera. In the spring of 2017, Jagde presented a concert in Davis, CA with soprano Joyce El-Khoury and pianist Robert Mollicone.
In 2015, Jagde made his first appearance at the Royal Opera House as Pinkerton and sang Cavaradossi in his premiere engagement at Lyric Opera of Chicago. He also gave a “radiant” and “glorious” (San Francisco Classical Voice) solo recital debut at the Mondavi Center in Davis, CA, with pianist Craig Terry.
Past seasons have featured his Metropolitan Opera debut as Count Elemer (Arabella); Don José at San Francisco Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Opéra de Limoges; Cavaradossi at Santa Fe Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin; Rodolfo (La bohéme) with the Ópera de Bellas Artes; Ismaele (Nabucco) at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia; and the Prince (Rusalka) and Narraboth (Salome) at Opera San Antonio. He was also seen as Pinkerton at San Francisco Opera; Matteo (Arabella) and Bacchus with Minnesota Opera; Rodolfo with the Münchner Philharmoniker and the Castleton Festival; and Narraboth at Santa Fe Opera. Jagde made his European debut in the title role of Werther and as Macduff at the Teatr Wielki Opera Poznan in Poland.
In addition to his stage career, Mr. Jagde advocates and volunteers for several arts education organizations and schools in New York City and across the US. He is an Ambassador for Opera for Peace, an international non-profit organization promoting equality, diversity, and social justice through artistic collaboration, educational partnerships, and cultural exchanges.
Jagde has received numerous accolades, including top prize at the Loren L. Zachary Competition (2014) and second prize in the Operalia Competition (2012). Jagde won additional honors at Operalia for his interpretations of Wagner-Strauss repertoire, receiving the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He is a graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Adler and Merola Programs.
