Greek-American Baritone Evan Bravos, marked as a “talent to watch” by the Chicago Tribune, has received critical acclaim for his “lovely lyric baritone” (Opera News) in artful interpretations of opera, oratorio and art song repertoire. His 2023-24 season included a reprise as Count Almaviva in Mozart The Marriage of Figaro with conductor Christopher James Ray in Columbia, South Carolina, a featured role with Chicago Opera Theater as Ivan Ivanovich/Countess’ Lackey in Shostakovich The Nose with conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya and legendary director, Francesca Zambello; and a debut with Helena Symphony on Rachmaninoff The Bells with Allan R. Scott. Throughout the season, Bravos headlined on several Chicago concert series alongside collaborator, Jonathan Gmeinder, including Schubert Der Winterreise with Opera Up Close, Tea for Two at the historic Glessner House, and With Love at Oak Park’s Nineteenth-Century Club. Most recently, he sang a weekend of featured performances in concert with Jake Heggie for the Chicago Opera Theater premiere of his and Gene Scherer’s new opera, Before It All Goes Dark.
Mr. Bravos’ 2022-23 season marked several debuts, from a solo appearance in Carmina Burana with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, to the role of Nathan/Father in White Snake Projects’ newly minted annual holiday series, “Let’s Celebrate.” With Chicago Opera Theater, Bravos covered the Vicar in Albert Herring and debuted the role of Kenny Kincaid in The Cook-Off. To cap the season, he made a role and company debut at Opera Tampa as Silvio in I Pagliacci.
Of Bravos’ recent performance in the West Coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain at the Music Academy of the West, Voice Magazine raved, baritone Evan Bravos’ performance in the lead role of Inman indicated his career is already moving forward and little wonder; he commands a powerful, rich voice and his acting chops are first-class.”
Last season, Bravos performed the role of Hannah Before in what marked the 50th production of Laura Kaminsky and Mark Cambell’s As One with Opera Santa Barbara. In concert with New Philharmonic, he sang the role of Riff, and with Chicago Opera Theatre, played El Dancaïro in Carmen alongside Jamie Barton and Stephanie Blythe. During pandemic times, Bravos “sang winningly” (Opera News) as Clay in the world premiere of Matthew Reccio and Royce Vavrek’s opera The Puppy Episode. He created the role of Claudius in the world premiere performance and recording of Joseph Summer’s Hamlet in a collaboration between the State Opera Ruse (Bulgaria), Parma Recordings and Boston’s Shakespeare Concert Series.
Performances with Virginia Opera as George Jones in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene and as Masetto in Don Giovanni led Broadway World to proclaim, “If the future of opera sounds like Bravos, the art boasts a bright future indeed.” Bravos has performed with companies like Opera Theatre of St. Louis, creating the roles of Pvt. Johnson and Sgt. Brown in the world premiere of Huang Rao’s An American Soldier and performing as John Bagtry in Regina alongside mezzo-soprano Susan Graham; Sarasota Opera, covering Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Count Gil in Il Segreto di Susanna, and Gasparo in Rita; Opera on the James, performing Masetto in Don Giovanni; Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, singing the title role in Don Giovanni; and with other companies, including San Diego Opera, Central City Opera and the Aspen Music Festival. In the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Lyric Unlimited” series, Bravos played Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and covered Enrique in the debut of the Mariachi opera El Pasado Nunca se Termina.
Additional roles have included Maximilian in Bernstein’s Candide, Escamillo in Carmen, Harashta in The Cunning Little Vixen, Prison Guard 2 in Dead Man Walking, Herr Zeller in The Sound of Music, Martin in Candide, Fisherman in Peter Grimes, Sid in Albert Herring, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, and Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, for which the Chicago Tribune praised Bravos’ “strong singing and acting.”
He has been a soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Milwaukee Symphony), Copland’s Old American Songs (Madison Symphony), Orff’s Carmina Burana (Chippewa Valley Symphony), Handel’s Messiah (Santa Fe Symphony) and in the Fauré Requiem on tour with the Colorado Symphony Chorus in Paris, Strasbourg and Munich. An avid recitalist, Bravos was a 2018 Vocal Fellow at Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute and has been featured in art song initiatives at the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago and the Horto Music Festival in Pelion, Greece. He has also performed Patrice Michaels’ Notorious RBG in Song on several occasions.
Bravos received an Encouragement Award in the 2014 Metropolitan National Council auditions, was a finalist in the National Opera Association Dominic Argento competition, a recipient of the Central City Opera Apprentice Artist Award and a winner of the Pasadena Opera Guild competition. A native of St. Charles, IL, he studied at Lawrence University Conservatory (B.M.) and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music (M.M.), where he is working toward his Doctorate in Musical Arts. In the fall of 2023, Bravos will serve as Artist Faculty at Roosevelt University, in downtown Chicago.
Performances on October 12 & 14
Performances on October 6 & 7
Performances on September 28 & 30
Performances on August 8, 13, 15, 17 & 19
“Evan Bravos, as Hannah Before,… delivered riveting performances that kept the audience fully engaged throughout the evening.” —Charles Donelan/Santa Barbara Independent, March 30, 2022
“Stellar is not an exaggeration in describing the vocal cast for Cold Mountain. Baritone Evan Bravos’ performance in the lead role of Inman indicated his career is already moving forward and little wonder; he commands a powerful, rich voice and his acting chops are first-class.” —Daniel Kepl/Voice Magazine, Santa Barbara
Mezzo-soprano Melisa Bonetti (Zerlina) and baritone Evan Bravos (Masetto)are an equally well-matched duo. The adorable pair is endearing, and their vocal performance suffers nothing for the physical demand of their roles. They are by far the most active and yet maintain outstanding control. Bonetti’s upper register at times challenges her diction but is more than compensated in style and beauty.Bravos answers with nimble precision and notable range. If the future of opera sounds like Bravos, the art boasts a bright future indeed. –Kelle Long, Broadway World Review, November 11, 2018
“Lillian Groag is known for making strong dramatic demands of opera singers. Mezzo Melisa Bonetti is especially active as the saucy and flirtatious Zerlina, playfully crawling during the suggestive aria “Batti, batti o bel Masetta” and growing sensual and affectionate during “Vedrai carino.” Vocally, Bonetti offers a vibrant, even timbre.Her groom Masetto, played by Evan Bravos, also shows strong physicality and acting, especially in his short aria. The pair has electric chemistry.” —Rebecca Evans, WHRO Norfolk, November 5, 2018
Down the social scale we come to Evan Bravos’ Masetto, thankfully played as a real human being rather than, as too often, an uptight insecure stick. He is a fine-singing charmer in a land of charmers. —Paul Kuritz, The Virginia Pilot, November 3, 2018
“Evan Bravos was splendid as the hot-tempered parolee Tom Joad, whose strong singing and acting marked him as a young talent to watch.” –John von Rhein, The Chicago Tribune