Bruce Sledge
Bruce Sledge is one of today’s most in-demand “lirico-spinto” tenors and sings a wide variety of repertoire with many international houses.
Mr. Sledge started the 2019-2020 season making his role debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly in a Metropolitan Opera “Live in HD” transmission. 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 and Washington Concert Opera.
In recent seasons, Mr. Sledge returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin for performances of Jean in Le Prophète, to the Canadian Opera Company for Lord Percy in Anna Bolena, to the Santa Fe Opera as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos and to the Metropolitan Opera roster.
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.
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.
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. He 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, and sang Tamino with the Manitoba Opera, 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 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 Michael Tilson Thomas.
The tenor made a series of impressive debuts with several of the world’s most prestigious houses: the Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin as Ernesto in Don Pasquale, La Fenice as Léopold in La Juive, the Royal Danish Opera as Alfredo in La Traviata, the Pittsburgh Opera as Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte, and returned to the Teatro Comunale di Bologna for their tour to Savonlinna in La Fille du Régiment. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut as the Shepherd in Oedipus Rex with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting and returned to the Gulbenkian Foundation for concerts of Bartok’s Cantata Profana and Kodaly’s Psalmus Hungaricus with Lawrence Foster.
Bruce Sledge made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Almaviva, returned to the New York City Opera as Ernesto in Don Pasquale and debuted with the Tulsa Opera, again as Almaviva. He recorded the role of the Fox in Spanish and Catalan versions of Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen for the BBC with Kent Nagano and joined Mr. Nagano in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Berkeley Symphony in the spring. Other concert work included Don Giovanni in Lisbon with the Gulbenkian Foundation, as well as Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer with the New York City Ballet. Mr. Sledge made an extraordinary debut at the Rossini Opera Festival as Leicester in Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra, as well as at the Teatro Real in Madrid in Don Pasquale. Another important event of the season was the artist’s appearance in recital at Carnegie’s Weill Hall under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation. Bruce Sledge was also seen on the NBC sitcom Scrubs and he can be heard on the soundtrack of the motion picture The Sum of All Fears.
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.
January 2021
Current & Upcoming Performances
Past Performances
Anna Bolena – Canadian Opera Company 2018
“Bruce Sledge as Riccardo Percy was the only one among the principals who sounded a natural in this musical idiom. His radiant, voluminous tenor and ease with language brought us the only spot-on Donizettian singing in the show…” – OperaCanada.ca
“Sledge’s agile and splendid voice give us a very good performance.” – James Karas Reviews and News
Ariadne Auf Naxos – Santa Fe Opera 2018
“Tenor Bruce Sledge showed dramatic versatility as The Tenor/Bacchus — he was the perfect divo in the Prologue, whose hefty voice complemented Echalaz’s voice well in the final scene.” – Opera Wire
“Sledge’s voice displayed the spinto weight to be a creditable Bacchus, one of the shortest of the German heldentenor roles.” – Opera Warhorses
“Bruce Sledge (Percy in the recent COC Anna Bolena) with his fearless high register was terrific as Bacchus—a role that has caused so many tenors to crash and burn!” – OperaCanada.ca
As Vladimir in The Impresario, and The Fisherman in Le Rossignol at Santa Fe Opera
“Bruce Sledge sang with appealing lyricism as Vlada’s henpecked husband, then performed to glorious poetic effect as the Fisherman” – Simon Williams, Opera News, November 2014
As the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto at Boston Lyric Opera
“Tenor Bruce Sledge sang the role of the Duke with fluidity and ardor…” – Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe, MARCH 16, 2014
“As the Duke of Mantua, his [Bruce Sledge’s] voice came off strong and nimble with a dexterous feel for Verdi’s style. He delivered the famous “La donna è mobile” with crispness, and his sweet, cooing arias to the various women in the story gave the diabolical character a charming veneer.” – Aaron Keebaugh, Boston Classical Review, March 15, 2014 at 2:02 pm
As the Earl of Leicester in Maria Stuarda at Welsh National Opera
“Bruce Sledge is all the same in fine, ringing voice, with that spinto quality.” – Stephen Walsh, theartsdesk.com, Saturday, September 14, 2013
“Elizabeth and Mary both have their desires set on the Earl of Leicester and, thanks to Bruce Sledge’s charming performance in this role, the audience can understand why.” – Jacqui Onions, The Public Reviews, September 14 2013
“Bruce Sledge as Leicester singing with a gloriously heroic tone, and their duet in Act II was a beautiful moment.” – Mark Ronan, September 14, 2013
“Bruce Sledge proved a robust Leicester” – Mike Smith, WalesOnline, September 14, 2013
“The great singing, easy and stylish, comes from Sledge.” – Tim Ashley, The Guardian, September 16, 2013
“Bruce Sledge sings honorably as Robert, Earl of Leicester, who here is in love with Mary and (unfortunately for Mary) the object of the jealous Elizabeth’s affections.” – George Loomis, The New York Times, September 17, 2013
As Paolo Erisso in Maometto Secondo at Santa Fe Opera:
“Erisso, the leader of the Venetians in Negroponte (here the clarion-voiced, impressive tenor Bruce Sledge) …” – Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, July 30, 2012
“What tenor shortage? As in the company’s other productions this year Santa Fe Opera served up yet another terrific high-voiced singer. Bruce Sledge sang Erisso with vibrancy, a rich Italianate timbre, and thrilling top notes.” – Lawrence A. Johnson, Classical Review, August 3, 2012
“The opera demands four singers who can expertly shape Rossini coloratura into dramatic characterization, but only tenor Bruce Sledge (Erisso) was consistent and interesting.” – Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal, August 13, 2012
“Tenor Bruce Sledge as Anna’s father, Erisso, offered a powerful voice and ringing high notes.” – Sarah Bryan Miller, St Louis Post Dispatch, August 11, 2012
“But it’s the singing that counts most here, and the cast is splendid. […] As Anna’s father, tenor Bruce Sledge displays a bright, attractive sound and superb technical skills.” – Mike Silverman, Associated Press, August 5, 2012
“Also impressive was Bruce Sledge as Paolo, who poured out the warrior’s resolve with a clear, shining tenor and commanding coloratura.” – John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, August 4, 2012
“Anna’s father, Erisso, is the leader of the Venetians in Negroponte. Tenor Bruce Sledge sings the role with ringing sound that puts the piddly brass in the orchestra to shame. He also negotiates the coloratura hurdles Rossini constantly places in his way with easy and dramatic flair.” – Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, Theater Jones, August 3, 2012
“By the time Maometto arrives on the scene, the audience has already been duly impressed by the rest of the cast. Tenor Bruce Sledge, in the immensely demanding part of Paolo, is not less impressive than Pisaroni. Though agile, his voice is dark for a Rossini tenor, yielding an interpretation that is both honeyed and heroic — an ideal combination for this leader who strives to balance concern for his daughter with the ruthlessness of battle. He is unswerving in his military standards, but his heart has not crusted over, as we hear in Act II when Sledge spins out the Mozartian line of ‘Tenera sposa,’ a lament addressed to his late wife. He sang everywhere with absolute authority. I doubt that the male leads in this opera could be better cast in the world today.” – James M. Keller, The New Mexican, July 15, 2012
“Tenor Bruce Sledge has also sung at the Met. His repertoire consists of mostly lyric parts. But the large sound he projected in this opera suggests that he could easily move on to heavier roles. His singing of Erisso, Anna’s father, was secure and technically adroit. His sound is well produced. Rossini’s fireworks gave him no problem.” – Neil Kurtzman, Medicine & Opera, July 15, 2012
“Another great surprise was tenor Bruce Sledge, whose big, clear voice displayed flexibility and shine.”Sebastian Spreng, Knight Arts, August 11, 2012=
“Bruce Sledge is Anna’s tormented father, an energetic role he dispatches with finesse.” – John Stege, SF Reporter, July 18, 2012
“Bruce Sledge played Anna’s father Paolo Erisso and was robust and flexible.” – Brian Holt, Out West Arts, July 29, 2012
“Tenor Bruce Sledge conferred nobility on the role of Erisso. […] Each character had moments of beauty, but Maometto achieves greatness in Rossini’s trios, sung with elegant line by Pisaroni, Crocetto, and Sledge.” – Georgia Rowe, San Francisco Classical Voice, July 31, 2012
US tenor Bruce Sledge starring as Percy and Elza Van Den Heever starring as Anna Bolena (L) perform during the full dress rehearsal of ''Anna Bolena'', in Bordeaux on May 21, 2014. The opera directed by Swiss producer Marie-Louise Bischofberger will be presented at the Bordeaux opera house from May 27 until June 8, 2014. AFP PHOTO/ JEAN-PIERRE MULLER (Photo credit should read JEAN-PIERRE MULLER/AFP via Getty Images)
