John Tibbetts | baritone
2019 Marc & Eva Stern Fellow, Tibbetts at Songfest, featured in masterclasses with Susan Graham and James Conlon
at Zipper Hall, Colburn School
Fall 2018:
Tibbetts toured Virginia schools in an outreach
production of L'elisr d'amore with 2019 JoElyn Wakefield-Wright Stage Director Fellowship recipient Kaley Smith while covering Belcore. Under Adam Turner's tenure, Tibbetts made his Virginia Opera Debut in a double bill performing the role of cheating boyfriend Beau in Service Provider by Weiss & John de los Santos and Sam in Breaking, highlighting the pressures of producers during the age modern age of the 24-hour news cycle by Michael Gilbertson (2018 Pulitzer Prize Finalist) & Caroline V. McGraw in addition to Kahene's Neurotic and Lonely from Craigslistlieder.
Other engagements include Il conte Robinson in Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto with Queen City Opera, and 2nd prisoner in Fidelio Cincinnati Opera. Other roles include Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, John Procter in The Crucible, John Brooke in Little Women, Il Signor Bruschino in Rossini's Il Signor Bruschino, Pandolfe in Massanet's Cendrillon, and the 1971 opera with text by Anne Sexton and music by Conrad Susa, Transformations.
Baritone, John Tibbetts, cited for his “unexpectedly rich voice” and “reverberating tones” by Palm Beach Post, is accomplished on the recital, concert, and operatic stage. The artist “worthy of mention” (OPERA Magazine) made his debut as Masetto with Gulfshore Opera and the Naples Philharmonic, under the baton of Jorge Parodi. This summer he returns to Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre (UFOMT) as baritone soloist in Britten's War Requiem. Additionally, he made his debut as 3rd Noble in Wagner's Lohengrin, and Messeggaro in Verdi's Aida.
While at the UFOMT last summer, he sang as the baritone soloist in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with renowned conductor Craig Jessop, Priest in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, Doncairo in Bizet’s “Carmen” and brother Reuben in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Baritone John Tibbetts made his debut in the role of Ping in Puccini's Turandot in May 2022 with Opera Grand Rapids under the baton of Maestro James Meena.
Tibbetts was a finalist in the 2018 Lotte Lenya Competition and in the Carolyn Bailey &
Dominick Argento Competition, and was a recipient of an Encouragement Award in the Georgia District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In addition to Palm Beach Opera, he has performed with Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Reviews
Palm Beach Opera
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
as FIORELLO
"Also unexpectedly rich voiced was John Tibbetts ... who got the proceedings off to a good start with reverberating tones"
(The Palm Beach Post)
"As Fiorello, the baritone John Tibbetts gave an adept, well-characterized performance."
(South Florida Classical Review).
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2019-2020 With Palm Beach Opera
As Beneson Young Artist, Tibbetts sings the Captain in Eugene Onegin, covered Figaro in the mainstage Il barbiere di Siviglia & sang Fiorello.
He also sang Figaro in a children's performance of Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the orchestra under the baton of Greg Ritchey. Tibbetts also covered the role of Ping in Turandot.
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2019 Marullo Cover & Fall Apprentice
in Sarasota Opera's production of Rigoletto, and sang at a variety of concerts and scenes performances.
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2019 Role Debut as Schaunard
in Puccini's La Boheme with Cleveland Opera Theater. Scott Skiba director, Domenico Boyagian conductor.
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2019 Encrantz Fellow
Made his role debut as Escamillo in at the Hilo Palace Theater singing in The Tragedy of Carmen directed by Scott Skiba and conducted by Jennifer Tung music by Bizet&Brook. Singing the role of Harry in Sondheim's Company.
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2019 Stern Fellowship
Tibbetts debuted the cycle "Feeling the world as it passes through you" by MARTIN HENNESSY and performed on a series of masterclasses and concerts.
Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre 2022
Doncairo in Carmen - Utah Theatre Bloggers
The Act II “Nous avons en tête une affaire” (aka “The Quintet”) sung with Carmen and the two wonderful thieving scoundrels Dancairo (played by John Tibbetts), and Remendado, (played by Bryce J. Bartu) is brilliant and a highlight of the show.
Reuben in Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Cache Valley Daily
Ms. Rachelle and conductor James M. Bankhead have got a powerhouse male ensemble in the form of Joseph’s 11 brothers and they take full advantage of them. The talents of those actors are on wonderful display in two productions numbers. The first is a spirited country western hoe-down to celebrate Joseph’s “death” and the second is a comic lament to better days delivered with ridiculously exaggerated French accents. Kudos to John Tibbetts, Nathaniel Voth, Christian Harward, Kareem A. Mack, Timothy McGowan, Ben Jessop, Alexander Spence, Hunter Yocum, Jared Rounds, Jimmy Henderson and Levi Hopkins.
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This highly anticipated 2019 spring season ended on a high note with the full complement of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Tibbetts made his role debut as Le Doncaïro in Bizet’s Carmen alongside legendary mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. This was Steven Smith’s conclusory performance as the symphony’s conductor.
As Yasha the Violinist in Marc Blitzstein's historic
The Cradle Will Rock, Tibbetts can be found on
Bridge Records' CD with acclaimed conductor John Mauceri.
The Georgia State Alum returned to his Alma Mater this April and collaborated with local Venezuelan film director Genesis Aries to commemorate 100 years of Bernstein in Carroll Freeman's adaptation of CANDIDE under the baton of Michael Palmer from the Bellingham Festival; Tibbetts performed Adam in Haydn's Creation with Maestro Palmer in 2015 alongside bass Morris Robinson.
In May 2019, Tibbetts toured his home state of Georgia performing with acclaimed duo-organist Ray Chenault, former Organist Choirmaster at All-Saints Episcopal, Atlanta. They stunned audiences with their program "Broadway, Spirituals, and More!" in Atlanta and south Georgia.
Formerly a Herndon Foundation Emerging Artist with the Virginia Opera, Tibbetts developed the series with Ray in recital at St Paul's Episcopal Church in King George, Virginia while making his role debut as The Official Registrar and covering Sharpless, Prince Yamadori, and The Official Commissioner in Madama Butterfly.
Tibbetts returned to Opera Saratoga last summer to revive David T Little's 2010 Vinkensport/TheFinch Opera an "Immaculately cast" (WSJ 2018) production, while covering Danilo Danilovitch and singing Cascada in Lehar's The Merry Widow
an artist "worthy of mention"(OPERA Magazine).
Tibbetts made in New York City Debut at the Merkin Center premiering Andy Tierstein's The Tree of Eternal Life
with American Lyric Theater in April 2018.
Tibbetts made his professional opera debut with Kentucky Opera February 2018 singing Fiorello in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia with Megan Marino, John Irvin (Georgia State Alum) and Will Liverman, while touring local schools and performing for disabled and homebound adults. Later that March, Tibbetts made his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra debut singing the songs of Aaron Copland.
Tibbetts sang Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Atlanta Master Chorale in May 2017. Following that fall, Tibbetts sang Haydn's The Creation with The Burnt Hills Oratorio Society in NY, and Orff's Carmina Burana with NY Choral Society.
He has also sung Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer and Rückert-Lieder, Adam in The Creation, Duruflé’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Fauré’s Requiem, Dubois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ, Mozart’s Missa brevis in F Major, and Mack Wilberg’s Requiem.
In January 2017 Tibbetts was a fellow at SongFest at the Hidden Valley Music Festival under the mentorship of Sir Thomas Allen and Graham Johnson. Alongside narration from Mr. Allen and Mr. Johnson, Tibbetts made his National Public Radio debut with selections from Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise
No stranger to contemporary works, Tibbetts also performed Libby Larson's The Curious Case of H.H. Holmes while in Cincinnati.
In 2015 Tibbetts was a Carolyn Bailey & Dominick Argento Competition Finalist and a recipient of the Georgia District Metropolitan Opera Competition Encouragement Award.
He was a Gerdine artist with Opera Theater St. Louis, apprentice with Opera Saratoga, Kentucky Opera, and Central City Opera.
Tibbetts received his masters from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he studied with Baritone William McGraw and his received his bachelors in music from Georgia State University while working with Tenor Richard Clement. He currently studies with renowned Bass Kevin Langan.
