Jack Swanson

Stillwater, Minnesota native Jack Swanson is quickly becoming one of the most sought after young tenors in the opera world. His distinctive high lyric voice is known for singing the acrobatic arias of Rossini and the legato melodies of Donizetti.

In the 2017-2018 season, Swanson made debuts with Glyndebourne Opera as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Los Angeles Opera in the title role of Candide, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Almaviva, and his mainstage debut with the Santa Fe opera as Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri. On the concert stage, Swanson was heard in Bernstein on Broadway concerts with the Orchestre National de Lille and in Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the Choral Arts Society of Washington. Additional projects include debuts with the Norwegian Opera and the Portland Opera in leading roles.

In 2016-2017, Swanson was heard as Camille in The Merry Widow with Winter Opera St. Louis, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance with Opera Memphis, Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Opera Delaware, and Albazar in Il Turco in Italia with Garsington Opera. In concert he sang Messiah with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Bruckner’s Te Deum, with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Other appearances included Washington Concert Opera’s 2017 gala, the Rising Stars of Opera concert series with the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, and on a recital program at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts.

In the 2015-2016 season, Swanson made his Des Moines Metro Opera debut singing the role of Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff and performed the role of Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Opera Fort Collins. Swanson earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Oklahoma, where he performed the roles of Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore. In May of 2016 he received his Masters of Music in Vocal Performance at Rice University. While at Rice, Swanson performed the roles of Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Eurimaco in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria. Additional opera roles include Tonio in La Fille du Régiment and Count Belfiore in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera, and two years as an apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera. Swanson spent two summers as a young artist with The Seagle Music Colony, where he performed the roles of Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd and the title role in Britten’s comedic opera Albert Herring. 

Also known for his concert work, Swanson’s credits include Handel’s Messiah, Dubois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ, Mozart’s Requiem and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Other engagements include Holiday Favorites with the Arizona Opera and Birmingham Opera, and the Houston Grand Opera’s 60th anniversary gala where Swanson performed alongside HGO’s studio artists and world-renowned mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato. Swanson made his Kennedy Center debut singing selections from Schumann’s Dichterliebe.  

Swanson is the competition winner and recipient of several prestigious awards including first place in Florida Grand Opera’s Young Patroness Competition, the San Antonio Music Club Competition, the National Opera Association Competition and the Hal Leonard Art Song Competition. He twice received the Richard Tucker Memorial award from the Santa Fe Opera. He was a finalist in both Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum competition and Fort Worth Opera’s McCammon Competition. Recently, Swanson was featured on National Public Radio's Young Artist in Residence program, Performance Today.