2007
AWARDEE OF THE RICHARD TUCKER MUSIC FOUNDATION
Tenor, Brandon Jovanovich continues to prove himself as one of the most
accomplished singing/actors of his generation. "Brandon Jovanovich
seems to possess true star potential. He managed the role with a winning
combination of lyricism and dramatic intensity.” (Opera News ~
On the Beat, Brian Kellow).
Mr. Jovanovich will begin the 2004-05 season debuting with De Vlaamse
Opera as Don Jose in Carmen. He will return to Opera National
de Bordeaux to sing his first Cavaradossi in Tosca immediately
followed by Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Aquitaine National
Orchestra under the direction of Hans Graf. Another notable concert
appearance will be his debut with the Houston Symphony as Florestan
in Beethoven's Fidelio. Mr. Jovanovich's debut with Lyric Opera
of Boston will see him reprise his critically acclaimed role as Bill
in Jonathan Dove's Flight. He will conclude the season with
a return to the Opera Theatre of St. Louis where he will sing Robert
Devereux in Benjamin Britten's Gloriana in a new Colin Graham
production.
The 2003-04 season began with his highly acclaimed Pinkerton in Madama
Butterfly at New York City Opera “The sure-voiced Brandon
Jovanovich was an excellent Pinkerton, bringing a blithe insouciance
to his role as the arrogant American.” (New York Times, Jeremy
Eichler) His return to the Palm Beach Opera saw him singing Don
Jose in Carmen under the baton of Julius Rudel. He returned
to Angers/Nantes Opera with critically acclaimed debuts as Pollione
in Norma and Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann
(Oeser Edition). He will continue the season with Pinkerton in Madama
Butterfly in Toulon and Toulouse, where he will also be presented
in recital. He rounds out 2004 with his debut at Glimmerglass Opera
as Boconnion in Bennett’s The Mines of Sulphur.
Several important venues and roles marked his 2002-03 season beginning
with Mr. Jovanovich's critically acclaimed foray into Strauss as Narraboth
in Salome with the New York City Opera, followed by his debut
with the Megaron in Greece singing Prologue/Peter Quint in The Turn
of the Screw. After returning to Opera National de Bordeaux as
Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, he made his Off-Broadway debut
singing the role of Philippe L’Entendu in Romberg’s The
New Moon with City Center Encores!, followed by his debut with
the Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Bill in the American premiere of Jonathan
Dove's Flight. The season also marked his return to the Santa
Fe Opera as a principal artist where he sang the role of Baron Lummer
in Strauss' Intermezzo, and Paris in the Laurent Pelly production
of La Belle Helene opposite Susan Graham.
As an accomplished musician and actor Mr. Jovanovich has had company
debuts with repertoire both standard and contemporary. Some of these
include: Macduff in Macbeth with Opera National de Bordeaux,
Sam in Susannah with Palm Beach Opera and Festival Opera, Luigi
in Il Tabarro with Opera de Nantes, Jean Gaussin in Massenet's
Sapho at Wexford Opera Festival (CD available on Opera Rara),
Alfredo in La Traviata with Virginia Opera, Sam Kaplan in Kurt
Weil's Street Scene with Minnesota Opera, Pinkerton in Madama
Butterfly with Dallas Opera, Ladislov in Smetena's Two Widows
with the Chautauqua Opera, the American premiere of Lowell Lieberman's
The Picture of Dorian Gray as Lord Geoffrey with the Florentine
Opera, the title role in the world premiere of Craig Bohmler's Tale
of the Nutcracker in San Jose, as well as his European debut as
Don Jose in Peter Brook's La Tragedie de Carmen with Opera
National de Bordeaux.
A native of Billings, Montana, he received his training at Northern
Arizona University and the Manhattan School of Music. He was twice a
New York City district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council
Audition. He was a founding member of the Seattle Young Artists program
in 1998 and a member of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice program in 1996/97
where he was given the Anna Mackay Case Award. He won the Crawley Award
from the Young Patronesses of the Opera/Florida Grand Opera Voice Competition.
On receiving the 2004 ARIA Award, Brandon said:
"Talk about making my day...month...year! It is such an honor to
receive an ARIA Award because it isn't based on how I performed a set
number of arias on a certain day, but rather on how I am perceived as
an artist. To know that people in the business regard me this highly
is an acknowledgment that makes me feel truly humbled. Of course it
is always nice to step on stage and receive applause after a performance,
but for me, to receive the accolades of my peers means so much more."
