John Chest

John Chest (born July 6, 1985) is an American baritone opera singer performing with leading opera companies around the world.

John Chest
Born (1985-07-06) 6 July 1985
Greenville, South Carolina, United States
OccupationOpera singer (baritone)
Years active2009–present
Websitejohnchest.com

Career

John Chest was born in Greenville, South Carolina, to parents Sandra Marie Chest and Robert Davis Chest.[1] He started his professional voice studies at Bob Jones University where he got his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from 2003 to 2007.[2] He then studied at CCPA (Chicago College of Performing Arts) at Roosevelt University, where he graduated with a Master of Music (Voice Performance) in 2009 after two years. Following that he joined the Apprentice Program at Santa Fe Opera for the summer of 2008 where he covered the Bosun in Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd (an introduction to the opera that he is known for playing the title role in today.[3]) Chest joined the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera in the summer of 2009 where he performed Guglielmo in Così fan tutte.[4] He concluded his formal studies in the professional Opernstudio at the Bavarian State Opera from 2009 to 2011 where he sang in over 80 performances.[5]

Best further trained with the Chicago Opera Theater and he was a member of the ensemble at Deutsche Oper Berlin until 2016. His roles in Berlin included the title role of Billy Budd in a new production by David Alden; Valentin (Faust), Ford (Falstaff), Silvio (Pagliacci), Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Gugliemo (Così fan tutte) and Il Conte Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro).[6]

A finalist in the BBC Singer of the World Art Song Competition, he has also appeared in recital at the Aix-en-Provence Festival,[7] the Philharmonie de Paris,[8] and Wigmore Hall.[9] He has made appearances on three Fauré CD's with pianist Malcolm Martineau.[10]

Repertory
YearRoleComposerOperaLocation
2019 Billy Budd Benjamin Britten Billy Budd San Francisco Opera
2018[11] Pelléas Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande Glyndebourne
2018 Marcello Puccini La bohème Semperoper Dresden
2017 Guglielmo Mozart Così fan tutte Bayerische Staatsoper
2017 Billy Budd Benjamin Britten Billy Budd Deutsche Oper Berlin
2017 Nick Carraway John Harbison The Great Gatsby Semperoper Dresden
2017 Conte Almaviva Mozart Le nozze di Figaro Opera Philadelphia
2017 Valentin Gounod Faust Deutsche Oper Berlin
2017 Engel Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini Edward II *world premiere Deutsche Oper Berlin
2016–17 Papageno Mozart Die Zauberflöte Deutsche Oper Berlin
2016–17 Guglielmo Mozart Così fan tutte Deutsche Oper Berlin
2016–17 Figaro Mozart Il barbiere di Siviglia Deutsche Oper Berlin
2016 Valentin Gounod Faust Théâtre du Capitole
2016 Nazarener Strauss Salome Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg
2016 Ein Kappadozier Strauss Salome Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg
2016 Albert Massenet Werther Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
2016 Don Giovanni Mozart Don Giovanni Angers-Nantes Opéra
2016 Marchese d'Obigny Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Deutsche Oper Berlin
2016 Belcore Donizetti L'elisir d'amore Deutsche Oper Berlin
2015   John Harbison The Great Gatsby Semperoper Dresden
2015–16 Figaro Mozart Il barbiere di Siviglia Deutsche Oper Berlin
2015 Conte Almaviva Mozart Le nozze di Figaro Deutsche Oper Berlin
2015 Papageno Mozart The Magic Flute Deutsche Oper Berlin
2015 Rosalinde Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus Vancouver Opera
2015 Silvio Leoncavallo Pagliacci Deutsche Oper Berlin
2015 Demetrius Benjamin Britten A Midsummer Night's Dream Festival d'Aix-en-Provence
2015 Fritz Korngold Die tote Stadt Opéra national de Lorraine
2015 Fritz Korngold Die tote Stadt Angers-Nantes Opéra
2015 Figaro Mozart Il barbiere di Siviglia Deutsche Oper Berlin
2014–15 Papageno Mozart Die Zauberflöte Deutsche Oper Berlin
2014 Ford Verdi Falstaff Deutsche Oper Berlin
2014 Marcello Puccini La bohème Deutsche Oper Berlin
2014 Sprecher Mozart Die Zauberflöte Deutsche Oper Berlin

References
  1. "Robert Chest". Bob Jones University. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  2. Walker, Donna (9 June 2017). "Greenville native John Chest competes in BBC music contest" – via www.greenvilleonline.com.
  3. "Emerging Barihunk: John Chest". Barihunks. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  4. La Cieca. "Chest Desserts". parterre box. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  5. "John Chest Biography". www.staatsoper.de. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  6. "John Chest". BBC Singer of the World. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  7. "Pictures from American Baritone John Chest's recent Festival d'Aix-en-Provence Recital". Bowman Media. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  8. "Maguelone". Philharmonie de Paris. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  9. "A Winter Journey with John Chest and Marcelo Amaral at Wigmore Hall". Bachtrack. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  10. "Fauré: The Complete Songs Vol. 3". Presto. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  11. "John Chest Schedule", Operabase. Accessed 6 July 2018.
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