Bio
Bruce Sledge is one of today’s most in-demand lyric tenors and sings a wide variety of repertoire with many international houses.
Mr. Sledges started the 2019-2020 season making his role debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly in a Metropolitan Opera’s “Live in HD” transmission. He continues with Contareno in a new production of Rossini’s Bianca e Falliero in Frankfurt. He was also seen at UCLA’s Royce Hall as a tenor soloist in Rachel Fuller’s Animal Requiem. Future engagements include debuts with Opera Colorado, the Erl Opera Festival, and Washington Concert Opera, and a return to the Santa Fe Opera.
In recent seasons, Mr. Sledge returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin for performances of Jean in Le Prophète and to the Canadian Opera Company for Lord Percy in Anna Bolena as well as to the Santa Fe Opera as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos and to the Metropolitan Opera roster.
Prior to that, Mr. Sledge returned to the Vancouver Opera to sing the Duke in Rigoletto, made his debut at the Canadian Opera Company as Paolo Erisso in Maometto Secondo, and returned to the roster of the Metropolitan Opera.
Mr. Sledge’s 2016-2017 season included a return to the Welsh National Opera for performances in two leading roles, Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice and Macduff in Macbeth, a return to the roster of the Metropolitan Opera, and a performance with the Defiant Requiem in Vienna.
Other projects for Mr. Sledge included big personal successes as the Duke in Rigoletto and Paolo Erisso in Maometto Secondo with the Santa Fe Opera and a return to the Metropolitan Opera for Thomas Ades’ The Tempest. In concert, the tenor was heard in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Spoleto USA Festival and with the Radio Television Ireland Orchestra in Dublin, in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the National Symphony, and in Popera concerts with Opera Tampa. Prior to that, he made debuts with the Welsh National Opera as Leicester in Maria Stuarda, with the Opéra de Bordeaux as Percy in Anna Bolena and as the Duke in Rigoletto with Boston Lyric Opera and returned to the Santa Fe Opera as Vladimir Vladimirescu and the Fisherman in the double-bill of Mozart’s The Impresario and Stravinsky’s Rossignol. In concert, Mr. Sledge appeared with the Risca Male Choir in Wales.
Previous projects include a return to the Metropolitan Opera in two Mozart roles: Tamino in The Magic Flute and Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte. Additionally, Mr. Sledge made his debut with the Minnesota Opera as Leicester in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, followed by Tamino with the Manitoba Opera and Almaviva in Hamburg and in Grand Rapids before making his debut in Avenches, Switzerland, as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto. In concert, he was heard in Mozart’s Requiem with the San Francisco Symphony and in Schubert’s Mass No. 6 with the San Diego Symphony. He has also appeared as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore with Atlanta Opera, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Hong Kong, the Duke in Rigoletto with Tulsa Opera, and Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Hamburgische Staatsoper. In concert, he returned to the San Francisco Symphony for Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. Mr. Sledge marked his return to Japan with a role debut as Rodrigo in Rossini’s Otello with Pesaro’s prestigious Rossini Opera Festival on tour, followed by a recital appearance for Marilyn Horne’s 75th Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall. Additional opera engagements included a return to the Vancouver Opera as the Duke in Rigoletto and a debut with the Teatro Regio di Torino as Ernesto in Don Pasquale. Mr. Sledge also appeared with the San Francisco Symphony in the Schubert Mass No. 6 with Maestro Michel Tilson Thomas.
Mr. Sledge was a finalist in the 2002 World Voice Masters Competition in Monte Carlo, a finalist in Placido Domingo’s Operalia 2000 World Opera Contest and a national finalist in the 2000 Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition. In 1998, he was a Western Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and was awarded first place in the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition. Bruce Sledge received his master’s degree in vocal arts from the University of Southern California, being awarded the most outstanding music masters graduate.