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Eric Johnson
Bass

 
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Confutatis - Requiem - Verdi





American bass Eric Johnson is a veteran of the international operatic stage. He has appeared in over 100 professional productions with 30 ensembles in the United States and Europe to critical acclaim. 
This Spring Eric sings as soloist in the Dvorak Requiem with the Catskill Symphony Orchestra in Oneonta NY. Last season, Mr. Johnson appeared as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with Syracuse Opera, where he also sang Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor. He was also featured at the Syracuse Symphony as Don Fernando in Fidelio.  Mr. Johnson begins the season with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Catskill and Schenectady Symphony Orchestras.. 

Mr. Johnson made his professional debut as Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Central City Opera, and for the next nine years performed extensively on the regional opera circuit throughout the United States with such companies as Lyric Opera of Dallas, Fort Worth Opera, and in the world premiere of Argento’s The Aspern Papers at the Dallas Opera. Other credits include The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Aspern Papers at Washington Opera, The Crucible and Postcard from Morocco at Chicago Opera Theatre, as well as roles at Michigan Opera Theatre, Cleveland Opera, Augusta Opera, Opera Festival of New Jersey, and Tulsa Opera. 

Mr. Johnson was engaged as a leading bass of the Stadttheater Giessen in Germany for six years, an ensemble that garnered praise for its innovation and dramatic integrity. He made his European debut as King Heinrich in Lohengrin and subsequently sang many of the classic leading bass roles, notably Collatinus (Rape of Lucretia), Ferrando (Il Trovatore), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Arkel (Pelleas et Melisande) and Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), as well as the comic roles of Alidoro (La Cenerentola), Pooh-Bah (The Mikado), Osmin (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Falstaff (Falstaff) and Sparafucile (Die Leiche Im Sack).  Mr. Johnson made frequent guest appearances at other leading opera houses in Germany, including Wuppertal, Würzburg, Freiburg, and Wiesbaden.

Mr. Johnson’s extensive credits as a concert artist include recent engagements as bass soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with both the Altoona and Owensboro Symphony Orchestras.  He joined the New York Philharmonic as a soloist for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. He has also sung the bass solos for Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, and the Requiems of Mozart, Verdi and Brahms.

Mr. Johnson was born and raised in New York.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a Masters in Music from Indiana University. He is a Professor of Music at Syracuse University, where he heads the Opera Department and teaches voice.