"As provocative as the staging was (Pagliacci – Glimmerglass Opera), the real news there was John Mac Master’s portrayal of Canio. A Canadian tenor with a huge, powerful voice, he summoned every bit of the pathos and violence that the role demands."
Allan Kozinn – New York Times
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Since his astonishing portrayal of Canio in PAGLIACCI at Glimmerglass Opera, John Mac Master has been in demand at the highest international level for the dramatic tenor repertoire. Recent performances and recording projects include Florestan in FIDELIO with Sir Colin Davis in London, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Sir Bernard Haitink (both with the London Symphony Orchestra) and his debut at Dresden’s Semper Oper as Calaf in TURANDOT conducted by Fabio Luisi. Mr. Mac Master’s acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut came as Canio in PAGLIACCI in performances that included the Saturday Afternoon ‘Live from the Met’ radio broadcast. Of particular note for 2006-2007 was his debut at the Welsh National Opera starring as Tristan in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE conducted by Mark Wigglesworth. His schedule last season also included performances of Verdi’s REQUIEM at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa with Zukerman, Aegisth in ELEKTRA for the Canadian Opera Company and Richard Bradshaw, Janacek’s GLAGOLITIC MASS with William Eddins and the Edmonton Symphony plus PAGLIACCI and Bacchus in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS (both with Jonathan Darlington for Vancouver Opera).
During the 2007-2008 season, the New Brunswick born tenor sang excerpts from GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig and he debuted with Orquestra Sinfonica de Barcelona and Eiji Oue in Schönberg’s GURRELIEDER. For Opéra de Québec, Mac Master made his role debut in OTELLO and returned to one of his greatest triumphs, Canio in PAGLIACCI, for Vancouver Opera. He returned to the Met to perform Tristan in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE and sings Verdi’s REQUIEM for the Kansas City Symphony. Further into the future are engagements with the Seattle Symphony for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Gerard Swartz), L’Orchestre symphonique du Grand Montréal for DAS LIED VON DER ERDE (Yannick Nézet-Séguin) and with Vancouver Opera for Herodes in SALOME.
"As Florestan, John Mac Master immediately established his presence and credentials with a thrillingly open sound, and the tessitura of his hallucinatory aria seemingly held no fears for him."
Edward Seckerson – The Independent (London)
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In 2004 –2005, he debuted for Opera Australia (Sydney) as Cavaradossi in TOSCA and also appeared there as the Prince in Francesca Zambello’s production of LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES. Both these productions were conducted by Opera Australia’s music director, Richard Hickox, and the Prokofiev work was recorded by Chandos. He created the role of Casey in the World Premiere of MARGARET GARNER for Michigan Opera Theater in Detroit, with subsequent performances of this new opera in Philadelphia.
The tri-lingual tenor’s past seasons have included his debut in London and Birmingham with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra in the GLAGOLITIC MASS conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, Max in DER FREISCHÜTZ for Festival Vancouver, Erik in DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER for Vancouver Opera and a New Year’s Eve Opera Gala at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with the London Philharmonic. Further credits include Calaf in TURANDOT for l’Opéra de Québec, Canio in PAGLIACCI with Opera Pacific (California), Laca in JENUFA for Toronto’s Canadian Opera Company, Manrico in IL TROVATORE for Orchestra London, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Toronto Symphony and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Singapore Symphony.
"John Mac Master's Canio dominated all. He clearly showed how this man could hide his personal feelings in public, only to open the floodgates at the crucial points in the drama.
His heartbreak over losing his Nedda, in the deeply felt, powerfully sung rendition of 'Vesti la giubba' was complete. The famous aria became part of a natural progression in his undoing, not just a famous highlight."
Christopher Darling, Opera Canada, March 2008
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Mr. Mac Master appeared in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre as tenor soloist in REQUIEM 9/11, a staged presentation of Verdi’s REQUIEM conducted by Mario Bernardi. He was at L’Opéra de Montréal for Canio in PAGLIACCI and debuted for Toronto’s Canadian Opera Company as Laca in JENUFA, followed by Aegisth in ELEKTRA for the Vancouver Opera.
In addition to his acclaimed debut at Glimmerglass as Canio, Mr. Mac Master has been hailed in Detroit and Montreal for his searing portrayal of the title role in PETER GRIMES. At the Volksoper in Vienna, he starred as Hoffegut in Braunfels’ rarely performed DIE VÖGEL, Grigory in BORIS GODUNOV, Pollione in NORMA and the title role in Offenbach's RITTER BLAUBART. He sang Manrico in IL TROVATORE for Ottawa's Opera Lyra and has also been featured at Paris’ Opera Bastille and New York City Opera.
"Florestan was the Canadian tenor John Mac Master, outstanding in control and lyricism. Few tenors manage this role without audible strain. He is one."
Fiona Maddocks – Evening Standard (London)
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His debut at the Frankfurt and Stuttgart operas came as Herodes in SALOME, one of his previous assignments at the San Francisco Opera where he was also featured as Aegisth in ELEKTRA. He debuted in Innsbruck as the Beast/Liar in Langgaard's ANTICHRIST and other roles in his repertoire are Don José, Arnold (GUILLAUME TELL) and Turiddu. As a concert artist, he was in Winnipeg for Mahler’s DAS LIED VON DER ERDE conducted by Bramwell Tovey and in Edmonton for Mahler’s Symphony No. 8.
As resident artist with New York's AmorArtis Orchestra and Choir, Mac Master appeared as tenor soloist in Verdi’s REQUIEM, Britten's WAR REQUIEM, Berlioz' L'ENFANCE DU CHRIST and Rossini's STABAT MATER, Bruckner’s TE DEUM, the American premiere of Donizetti's MISERERE and the Saint-Saëns' REQUIEM. In Europe he toured with the Brno State Philharmonic as Handel's JUDAS MACCABAEUS with performances in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Mr. Mac Master has also appeared with the Windsor Symphony, the Fairfield County Chorale of Connecticut, in Stadt Vilach, Austria and Stavanger, Norway.
Further credits include appearances at the Shaw Festival and on Winnipeg’s Rainbow Stage. A Canadian citizen with U.S. Permanent Resident Status, he was featured in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA as Ubaldo Piangi, both on Broadway and in Toronto. Recordings include Prokofiev’s THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES on the Chandos label and Langgaard's ANTICHRIST for Danachord, Handel's opera BERENICE with Rudolph Palmer and the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra (Newport Classics) and the Saint-Saëns' REQUIEM with Somary conducting the AmorArtis Orchestra for Premier Records. Beethoven’s FIDELIO and SYMPHONY NO. 9, both with the London Symphony Orchestra, were released in 2007.
April 2008
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