Brandon Jovanovich

Praised by the Wall Street Journal for his “ardent, heroic tenor and strong acting,” Brandon Jovanovich appears regularly at the world’s leading opera companies and is known for his passionate portrayals of leading roles in French, Italian, German, and Slavic operas.

Jovanovich opened the 2023-24 season with his return to Teatro alla Scala in the title role of Peter Grimes, followed by performances as Gherman in The Queen of Spades in a new production opposite Asmik Grigorian and later Lise Davidsen at Bayerische Staatsoper. He later reprised Don José in Carmen for his return to Covent Garden and returned to Berlin as Dick Johnson in Lydia Steier’s production of La Fanciulla del West at Staatsoper Berlin. On the concert stage, he sang Siegmund in a concert performance of Die Walküre with Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker in Baden-Baden, as well as in a concert presentation of the first act of Die Walküre with the Fort Worth Symphony conducted by Robert Spano and directed by James Robinson.

Jovanovich began the 2022-23 season as Sergei in Graham Vick’s production of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Metropolitan Opera conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson. He then returned to Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Luigi in Il Tabarro, conducted by Susanna Mälkki and opposite Lise Davidsen. Jovanovich made his role and house debut as Laca in Jenůfa with the Opera of Palau de les Arts in Valencia and reprised the role of Florestan in Fidelio at the Wiener Staatsoper. He also appeared as a soloist in San Francisco Opera’s Centennial Gala.

In the 2021-22 season, Jovanovich sang the role of Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Metropolitan Opera opposite frequent colleague Lise Davidsen, which was part of the Met’s Live in HD telecasts. He also appeared at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in the title role of Lohengrin, directed by David Alden and conducted by Jakub Hrůša. Other engagements included Siegmund at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the title role in Parsifal at the Wiener Staatsoper conducted by Philippe Jordan. He appeared with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in Act 1 of Die Walküre conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall and with Act 1 of Die Walküre at the Lanaudière Festival, also conducted by Nézet-Séguin. His season concluded at the Salzburg Festival in a concert of Act 2 of Samson et Dalila and Act 2 of Parsifal with Daniel Barenboim.

During the pandemic closures, Jovanovich was scheduled to join Bayerische Staatsoper in the title role of Parsifal, the Opéra National de Paris as Herman in The Queen of Spades, the Metropolitan Opera and Washington National Opera as Florestan in Fidelio, and Lyric Opera of Chicago as the title role in Samson et Dalila. In 2020, he was also scheduled to sing Froh and Siegmund in The Ring Cycle at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the title role in Act 3 of Siegfried at the Bregenz Festival. In concert, he was scheduled to sing Siegmund in Act 1 of Die Walküre at the Festival de Lanaudière, as well as Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in performances marking what would have been Michael Tilson Thomas’s final concerts as music director of the San Francisco Symphony.

Highlights of prior seasons include his role debut as Canio in Pagliacci at Dutch National Opera; his house debut at Staatsoper Berlin as Samson in a new production of Samson et Dalila; Herman in Pique Dame, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis; and B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Other performances included Énée in Berlioz’s Les Troyens at both the Wiener Staatsoper and Opéra National de Paris; Florestan in Fidelio and the Prince in Rusalka at Wiener Staatsoper; the title role in Parsifal at the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Dick Johnson in a new production of La Fanciulla del West at Bayerische Staatsoper; the Prince in Rusalka at San Francisco Opera; his house debut at the Wiener Staatsoper as Don José in Carmen, followed by Sergei in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk; his Salzburg Festival debut in a new production of the same opera; a return to the Metropolitan Opera as the Prince in a new production of Rusalka; and a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago as Énée in Les Troyens. Role debuts include the Tambourmajor in Wozzeck at Opernhaus Zürich conducted by Fabio Luisi (which was also released on DVD), Walther in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at San Francisco Opera under the baton of Sir Mark Elder, plus a house debut at Opéra National de Paris in the same role under the baton of Philippe Jordan. He has also sung des Grieux in Manon Lescaut at both Bayerische Staatsoper and La Monnaie in Brussels; the Prince in Sir David McVicar’s new production of Rusalka at Lyric Opera of Chicago; Don José in Carmen and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Los Angeles Opera, the latter conducted by Plácido Domingo; the title role of Lohengrin at San Francisco Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Opernhaus Zürich; Florestan in both a new production of Fidelio at Opernhaus Zürich, conducted by Fabio Luisi, and at the Verbier Festival under the baton of Marc Minkowski; and Sergei in a new production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at Opernhaus Zürich.

Other career highlights include the title role in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at Teatro alla Scala; Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos at Bayerische Staatsoper, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Boston Lyric Opera; Don José at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, and Glyndebourne; the title role in Don Carlos at Houston Grand Opera; the title role in Peter Grimes at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples; and Cavaradossi in Tosca at Canadian Opera Company, Oper Köln, Seattle Opera, L’Opéra National de Bordeaux, Vlaamse Opera, and the Bregenz Festival, the last of which was featured in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. Jovanovich’s portrayal of Pinkerton has been seen at Santa Fe Opera, Dallas Opera, New York City Opera, and San Francisco Opera, where it was broadcast in high definition in movie theaters across the United States.

Jovanovich has had much success sing concert work throughout Europe and the United States with music including Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder with both Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne conducted by Markus Stenz (recorded by Hyperion for CD) and with Manchester’s Hallé conducted by Mark Elder. Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 saw another collaboration with Markus Stenz and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne as well as his debut in Dresden with Dresdner Philharmonie. At the Festival Saint-Denis, Jovanovich was heard in Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. He has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at venues across the U.S. and Europe, including with RAI National Symphony Orchestra, with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, St. Louis Symphony, and the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine.

A native of Billings, Montana, Brandon Jovanovich received his training at Northern Arizona University and the Manhattan School of Music. He was the recipient of the 2007 Richard Tucker Award and was twice a New York City district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He was a founding member of the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program and a member of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, where he was given the Anna Case Mackay Award. He won the Crawley Award from the Young Patronesses of the Opera/Florida Grand Opera Voice Competition, and in 2004 was given the prestigious ARIA Award.