JOHN PACKARD
Georgio / La Traviata

American baritone John Packard is garnering international prominence on the opera stage. Creating the acclaimed role of Joseph de Rocher in the San Francisco Opera world premiere of Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally's Dead Man Walking, the San Francisco Chronicle proclaims his voice to be full of "ferocious power and insistence" and The New York Times affirms his characterizations as "deeply and vividly affecting." He recently reprised the role with Semper Oper in Dresden, Pittsburgh Opera, New York City Opera, Baltimore Opera, and can be heard on the world premiere recording of this opera on the Erato Disques label.

Additionally, his recent debut as Rigoletto led Opera Magazine to write, “a superb Verdi baritone in John Packard – a seamless voice, with character and a gleaming upper register. There are surely big things ahead for him.” He has added several new roles to his repertoire including Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, Ezio in Attila, Count DiLuna in Il trovatore, Renato in Un ballo in Maschera, Iago in Otello, Michele in Il tabarro, and Di Posa in Don Carlo.

In the fall 2007, he reprised the role of Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking with Semper Oper in Dresden and Vienna at Theater an der Wien. In 2008, he performs Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Columbus and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Baltimore Opera, among other engagements to be announced. In the recent 2006-2007 Season, Mr. Packard performed Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Kentucky Opera, Germont in La Traviata in Theatre Erfurt in Germany, Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking with Semper Oper in Dresden, High Priest in Samson et Dalila with Dayton Opera, Emille de Becque in South Pacific with Fresno Grand Opera, and Germont in La traviata with the Akron Symphony.

Previous noted engagements include Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with New York City Opera and Opera Company of Philadelphia, his debut as the title role in Rigoletto with Hawaii Opera Theater, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Opera Pacific, Henri in Chabrier's Le roi malgré lui with the American Symphony Orchestra, the title role in Death of Klinghoffer with Opera Onafhankelijk Toneel in Rotterdam, Silvio in I Pagliacci with Nashville Opera, George in Of Mice and Men with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.  In addition, he made his New York City Opera debut as Marcello in La bohème, and toured twice with the company: as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia; and as Marcello in La bohème. He also portrayed Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Dallas Opera and his Italian debut with Venice's prestigious La Fenice.

His European debut took place in Paris with Orchestre Colonne as Silvio in a concert performance of I Pagliacci, under the baton of Antonello Allemandi. He added Valentin in Faust to his repertoire in a new David Alden production at the Wiener Volksoper. As Marcello in La bohème he appeared with the Opera Company of Philadelphia and made his initial appearances in Israel with the New Israeli Opera in a production directed by Franco Zeffirelli. In Israel, Mr. Packard also sang his first performances of Carmina Burana with the Haifa Symphony.

Mr. Packard is the recipient of a recipient of the Robert Jacobson Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, and he has been a winner of the Puccini, Loren Zachary, MacAllister, and Liederkranz competitions.