John Duykers

Adjunct Instructor

Voice, Opera

Internationally acclaimed tenor, John Duykers, made his professional operatic debut with Seattle Opera. Since then he has appeared with the leading opera companies of the world including The Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Netherlands Opera, the Grand Theatre of Geneva Opera de Marseille, the Canadian Opera Company, Santa Fe Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Duykers is particularly known for his performances of contemporary music, having sung in more than 100 contemporary operas and including more than 50 world premieres. He has had a close association with a number of contemporary composers, notably John Adams and Philip Glass. He sang the premiere of Glass’ White Raven, In The Penal Colony and the title role of Galileo Galilei. He also created the role of Mao Tse Tung in John Adams’ Nixon in China, which he performed throughout the world to great acclaim. Duykers has appeared regularly with San Francisco Opera where he performed in recent seasons in Britten’s Billy Budd, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Ligeti’s Grand Macabre, Los Angeles Opera, where he sang most recently in Strauss’ Die Frau Ohne Schatten, and at Santa Fe Opera where he returned in 2008 as Red Whiskers in Britten’s Billy Budd. 2010 will bring the premiere of Don Davis’ Rio De Sangre with Florentine Opera in Milwaukee.