Jason Stearns has steadily built a reputation as a distinguished interpreter of the most unique and challenging roles in the dramatic baritone repertoire. Over the past two years, Mr. Stearns has made impressive appearances with the Metropolitan Opera (Barnaba in La Gioconda, where he appeared on less than one hour’s notice), the Lyric Opera of Chicago (Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde), the Savonlinna Festival (title role in Der fliegende Holländer), and the Los Angeles Opera (Biterolf in Tannhäuser and the title role in Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, both under James Conlon).
In the summer of 2009, Jason Stearns sang the title role in Macbeth at Palacio das Artes in Belo Horizante, Brazil, followed by Monterone in Rigoletto under Maestro Conlon at the Ravinia Festival. The baritone opened the 2009-2010 season covering Scarpia in Luc Bondy’s new production of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, before his debut at Den Norske Opera in Oslo, as Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West. He later appeared as the High Priest in Samson et Dalila with Bob Jones University and returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover the title role in Der fliegende Holländer and Stankar in Stiffelio.
In the 2010-2011 season, Jason Stearns made returns to Den Norske Opera and the Metropolitan Opera as Scarpia in Tosca and as Simon Boccanegra.
As The Baron Douphol, Mr. Stearns has appeared the last three seasons at the Metropolitan with Natalie Dessay, Placido Domingo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and most recently with Diana Damrau.
In the 2008-2009 season, Mr. Stearns appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as Monterone in Rigoletto and covered Donner in Das Rheingold. At Lyric Opera of Chicago, in addition to his role and company debut as Kurwenal, he sang matinee performances of Tonio in Pagliacci and covered Alfio in Cavelleria Rusticana.
The baritone’s 2007-2008 engagements included Don Carlo in Ernani with Opera Boston, and Veit in Ullmann’s Der zebrochene Krug at Los Angeles Opera, where he also covered Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde.
Jason Stearns was the First Prize winner of the first annual Chester Ludgin American Verdi Baritone Competition. Other recent notable engagements include the High Priest in Samson et Dalila opposite Denyce Graves at Florida Grand Opera, Lohengrin with the Leipzig Opera, Tonio in Pagliacci with Boston’s Chorus Pro Musica, Scarpia in Tosca with Summer Opera, and the Mill Foreman in Jenufa at Los Angeles Opera.
His European debut was as Di Luna in a new production of Il trovatore with Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen in Spring, 2006. Mr. Stearns has also appeared with Washington National Opera as Nikitisch in Boris Godunov, the King in Le Cid, the Herald in Otello, and Westmorland in Sly.
With the National Symphony in Washington, D.C., Mr. Stearns recorded the baritone solos in John Corigliano’s Of Rage and Remembrance, which won a Grammy Award in 1997.
*UFOMT DEBUT
