Thomas Lehman, baritone

About

Known for his "pleasant, well rounded voice" (Palm Beach Arts), baritone Thomas Lehman is a versatile artist whose repertoire varies from Bach to Berio. Currently, he holds the Curt Engelhorn Scholarship of the Opera Foundation, allowing him to study and work at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as an Ensemble member during the 2014/15 season.  This season, his roles include Sergente in Manon Lescaut, Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia, First Priest in Die Zauberflöte, Crébillon in La Rondine, Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin, and more under the esteemed batons of Donald Runnicles, Carlo Rizzi, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, Yves Abel and Steven Sloane.

Formerly a Young Artist at the Florida Grand Opera, Lehman appeared as Peter Niles in Mourning Becomes Electra, Ben in The Telephone, and as King Tashi/Narrator in an educational outreach production of David Chesky's The Mice War. He made his professional debut in 2010 as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with the Delaware Valley Opera and has also appeared as a Studio Artist with the Chautauqua Opera. In the summer of 2014, he was selected to participate in the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute, where he worked with Dame Kiri Te Kawawa, Kevin Murphy, Patricia McCaffrey, Stephen King, Jennifer Ringo, Cori Ellison, and other esteemed faculty.  At Ravinia, Lehman was seen in two concerts and was deemed “already on his way professionally, showing tremendous concentration and control” (Chicago Sun Times).

In addition to being one of four winners of the Opera Foundation Scholarships, Lehman won first place and the Lynne Clarke Vocal Prize at the 2010 Friends of Eastman Opera Competition, first place in the Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition, an encouragement award at the 2013 MONC Great Lakes Auditions, the Grand Prize at the Orpheus Competition in Nashville, TN, and won fourth Prize at the 2013 Rochester Oratorio Society Classical Idol Competition.

In concert, Lehman has performed solo in works by Bach, Britten, Dvořák, Orff, Beethoven, Schubert, Handel, Haydn, and Schumann, as well as the requiems of Duruflé, Mozart, and Brahms. A proponent of new music, Lehman sang the works of Pulitzer prize nominated Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon at the Festival Internacional Cervantino, as well as the songs of Takemitsu prize winner Arlene Sierra at the Eastman Composers Forum.  Lehman holds degrees from Ithaca College and Eastman School of Music, where he played leading roles in over 12 productions.