John Charles Pierce, Heldentenor
One of the leading heldentenors of his generation, John Charles Pierce has sung in opera houses and concert halls around the world. His interpretation of the role of Tristan in Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, a pinnacle of the tenor repertoire, has been the pillar of his career. In 1985, he was an Apprentice with Santa Fe Opera and a Metropolitan Opera Regional Finalist as a baritone. After making the switch to dramatic tenor, he sang full-time at the Brandenburg State Opera in Cottbus for ten years. There he sang much of the important repertoire for his voice type, including Wagner's Lohengrin, Tannhaueser, Rheingold, Walkuere and Flying Dutchman, Verdi's Otello, Hoffmann, Freischütz, Fidelio, Jenufa, Katia Kabanova, Pique Dame, Samson and Dalilah and many others.