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Jason Abrams
Countertenor
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General | | Biography: | Jason Abrams is rapidly becoming known as one of the rising stars of the next generation of countertenors. Praised by the Boston Globe for his “uncommon beauty of timbre and acting skill,” the young American countertenor is rapidly garnering continued acclaim for his stunning and nuanced performances. In the 2007-08 season, he sings Nireno in Giulio Cesare with Florida Grand Opera and joins the Lyric Opera of Chicago for performances of the same opera. He also makes his Carnegie Hall debut singing Messiah with the Oratorio Society of New York and joins the roster of New York City Opera for Purcell’s King Arthur.
His recent performances include Arnalta in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Central City Opera, Arsamene in Xerxes as a guest artist with Pittsburgh Opera Center, and Nireno in Giulio Cesare with Connecticut Opera Theater. He also joined the Providence Chorale for Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Waverly Consort for The Christmas Story, and the Greenwich Music Festival for Handel’s Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne.
In previous seasons, he has sung Nireno in Giulio Cesare with Boston Baroque and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Tanglewood Music Center. Also at Tanglewood he sang Bach’s Cantata No. 53: Schlage Doch with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia (conducted by Robert Spano), and Britten’s Canticle IV: Journey of the Magi. His oratorio experience also includes performances of Bach’s St. John Passion with the New Hampshire Master Chorale, Bernstein’s Choruses for the Lark with the Newton Choral Society, Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers with the Tiffany Consort, Handel’s Messiah with the Catalina Chamber Orchestra, concerts of arias and duets with the Boston Civic Symphony, and Orff’s Carmina Burana as a guest artist at Tufts University.
Jason Abrams received the John Moriarty Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions’ New England Region. He is 2005 First Place winner of the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition and in 2004 won First Place in National Association of Teachers of Singing competition in the Boston Region and received an Encouragement Grant from the Fritz & Lavinia Jensen Foundation. In previous seasons, he has been a Fellow at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center and a Studio Artist at Central City Opera where he received the Starkey Young Artists Award.
Jason Abrams holds a Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory where he sang Endymione in La Calisto, Nerone in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice. While there, he also joined the Boston University Opera Institute as a guest artist for performances of Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He holds a Master of Music from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Music from James Madison University.
| | Teachers: | Carole Haber, John Moriarty | | Conductors: | Emmanuelle Haim, Jane Glover, Nicholas Kraemer, Martin Pearlman, Robert Spano, Craig Smith, Christopher Larkin |
Repertoire| Genre | Composer | Piece | Role | | Opera | Britten | Midsummer Night's Dream | Oberon | | Opera | Cavalli | L'Egisto | Didone | | Opera | Cavalli | La Calisto | Endimione | | Opera | Handel | Giulio Cesare | Nirenus | | Opera | Handel | Giulio Cesare | Ptolemy/ Tolomeo | | Opera | Handel | Orlando | Medoro | | Opera | Handel | Radamisto | Radamisto | | Opera | Handel | Rinaldo | Rinaldo | | Opera | Handel | Rodelinda | Bertarido | | Opera | Handel | Semele | Athamas | | Opera | Handel | Serse (Xerxes) | Arsamenes | | Opera | Monteverdi | L'Incoronazione di Poppea (Le Couronnement de Poppee) | Arnalta | | Opera | Monteverdi | L'Incoronazione di Poppea (Le Couronnement de Poppee) | Ottone | | Opera | Purcell | King Arthur | |
Concerts| Performance | Organizer | Venue | Location | Year | | Handel - Giulio Cesare, as Nirenus | Lyric Opera of Chicago | Civic Opera House | Chicago, Illinois, United States | 2007 | | Handel - Giulio Cesare, as Nirenus | Florida Grand Opera | Carnival Center / Broward Center | Miami/Ft Lauderdale, Florida, United States | 2007 | | Handel - Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne | Moving Theater | TBA | New York, New York, United States | 2007 | | Messiah | Oratorio Society of New York | Carnegie Hall | New York, New York, United States | 2007 | | Monteverdi - Return of Ulysses | Greenwich Music Festival | TBA | Greenwich, Connecticut, United States | 2007 | | Purcell - King Arthur | New York City Opera | NY State Theater | New York, North Carolina, United States | 2007 |
Education & Training| Degree | Major | School | Location | Year | | Graduate Diploma | Vocal Performance | New England Conservatory | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | 2004 | | Fellowship | Vocal | Tanglewood | Lenox, Massachusetts, United States | 2004 | | Studio Artist | Vocal | Central City Opera | Central City, Colorado, United States | 2003 | | Master of Music | Vocal Performance | University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona, United States | 2001 | | Bachelor of Music | Vocal Performance | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States | 1999 |
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