The Texas-born tenor Joseph Dennis studied at The Juilliard School in New York and has been honored with numerous awards, including Grand Final winner of The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and the top prize at the Gerda Lissner Foundation competition.
This season, Mr. Dennis returns to the role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Austin Opera, makes his role debut as Faust in Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust with the Santa Fe Symphony, and joins the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra for performances of Alfredo in La traviata (conducted by JoAnn Falletta).
In the 2023-24 season, the tenor made his debut at the Washington National Opera creating the role of Eric in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori's opera Grounded. He also returned to the Prague National Theatre as Wenzel Strapinski in Alexander Zemlinsky’s Kleider machen Leute. Engagements elsewhere during the season included Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Cassio in Verdi’s Otello, and Shepherd/Spirit in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with Semperoper Dresden; Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz; and tenor soloist for an evening of Verdi selections with the Städtischer Musikverein Gütersloh.
During the 2022-23 season at the Semperoper Dresden he embodied the role of Ismaele in Nabucco. Important debuts in new productions followed with performances as Ritter Hugo von Ringstetten in Albert Lortzing's Undine at the Oper Leipzig and at the Prague National Theater, where he sang additional performances of Kleider machen Leute. During the summer, he returned to the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, portraying Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly.
Recent and career highlights include Boris in Katya Kabanova at Seattle Opera; Des Grieux in the Emmy-winning production of Manon and Števa in Jenůfa at Des Moines Metro Opera; Spoleto Festival USA in the world premiere of Huang Ruo's Paradise Interrupted; Alfredo in La traviata with the Israeli Opera and Memphis Opera; Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Duca in Rigoletto with North Carolina Opera; Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Virginia Opera; Tamino with Central City Opera; and the Governor in Candide with the Warsaw Philharmonic.
Since 2018, Joseph Dennis has been a member of the soloist ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden, where he regularly performs roles such as Tamino, Lenski in Eugene Onegin, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and the Steersman in Der fliegende Holländer. Other roles with Dresden include Baron Kronthal in Lortzing's Der Wildschütz and Walther von der Vogelweide in Tannhäuser.
Mr. Dennis’s career began in Europe as an ensemble member at the Wiener Staatsoper. His roles there included Tamino, the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier, Nick in La fanciulla del West, Jaquino in Fidelio, Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Hugo in Lortzing's Undine. He also sang important roles such as Alfredo in La traviata, the title role in Werther, and Ernesto in Don Pasquale.
His concert repertoire spans from Baroque to contemporary works, and he has achieved great success with Lieder recitals at both the Wiener Staatsoper, and more recently at the Semperoper Dresden.
This season, Mr. Dennis returns to the role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Austin Opera, makes his role debut as Faust in Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust with the Santa Fe Symphony, and joins the Dresden Philharmonic as the Young Sailor in Tristan und Isolde.
In the 2023-24 season, the tenor made his debut at the Washington National Opera creating the role of Eric in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori's opera Grounded. He also returned to the Prague National Theatre as Wenzel Strapinski in Alexander Zemlinsky’s Kleider machen Leute. Engagements elsewhere during the season included Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Cassio in Verdi’s Otello, and Shepherd/Spirit in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with Semperoper Dresden; Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz; and tenor soloist for an evening of Verdi selections with the Städtischer Musikverein Gütersloh.
