Evan LeRoy Johnson

The American tenor Evan LeRoy Johnson is considered one of the most promising tenors of his generation. Regular engagements take him to renowned opera houses and festivals in Europe and the USA, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, the National Theatre Prague, the Zurich Opera House, Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as the BBC Proms and the Berlin and Bremen Philharmonic Orchestras. He has worked with distinguished conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Philippe Jordan, Robin Ticciati, Fabio Luisi and Edo de Waart, as well as directors including Calixto Bieito, Krzysztof Warlikowski and Barrie Kosky.

Highlights of the 2026/27 season include his house debut as Rodolfo (La bohème) at Leipzig Opera, Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) at the Den Norske Opera & Ballett in Oslo, and Lenski (Eugene Onegin) at Irish National Opera Dublin. Further role debuts include Ismaele (Nabucco) and Alfredo Germont (La traviata) at the National Theatre Prague, and Fritz (Der ferne Klang) at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl.

His wide-ranging repertoire includes roles such as Rodolfo (La bohème), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Don José (Carmen), Lenski (Eugene Onegin), Roméo (Roméo et Juliette), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor) and the Prince (Rusalka), which he has performed at houses including the Metropolitan Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, the National Theatre Prague and the Glyndebourne Festival. During his time as a member of the ensemble at the Bayerische Staatsoper (2021–2023), he also developed roles such as Chevalier de la Force (Dialogues des Carmélites), Narraboth (Salome), Walther von der Vogelweide (Tannhäuser), Brighella (Ariadne auf Naxos), Edmondo (Manon Lescaut), Count Albert (Die tote Stadt), Steersman (The Flying Dutchman), Ruiz (Il trovatore), the Hunchback (Die Frau ohne Schatten) and the First Armoured Man (The Magic Flute). His further appearances include Idomeneo, Giasone (Medea), Malcolm (Macbeth) and the Apparition of a Young Man (Die Frau ohne Schatten) with the Berlin Philharmonic and at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

In concert, he made his debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi as Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), sang Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with Opera Philadelphia and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and performed the work at the Musikfest Bremen and most recently at the Dresden Music Festival.

Evan LeRoy Johnson studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and at the University of Kentucky. He is a recipient of the Barbara and Stanley Richman Memorial Award from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.