Andrew Stenson, Tenor
American tenor Andrew Stenson, praised by The Wall Street Journal for his “vivid tenor that is both beautiful and full of raw feeling”, is a graduate of The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artists Program.
In addition to singing many of the standard lyric tenor roles, Mr. Stenson has created leading characters in two important World Premieres. He left an indelible impression as Danny Chen in AN AMERICAN SOLDIER with Opera Theater of St. Louis, and had a big personal success as Gen Watanabe in BEL CANTO with Lyric Opera of Chicago, (where he returned to sing Ferrando in COSI FAN TUTTE. )
Mr. Stenson has sung such roles as Candide, Tamino in THE MAGIC FLUTE, Ernesto in DON PASQUALE, Tonio in LA FILLE DU REGIMENT, Almaviva in THE BARBER OF SEVILLE and Sprink in SILENT NIGHT with the opera companies of Seattle, Minnesota, Dallas, Utah, Palm Beach, Arizona and Washington National Opera.
In Europe, he has sung with the Glyndebourne Festival, Wexford Festival, and the opera companies of Toulouse and Bordeaux.
Andrew Stenson is very much in demand as a soloist in the concert and oratorio repertoires. having appeared with the symphonies of San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, Kansas City and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival. He has also won Top Prizes in several major vocal competitions.
During the pandemic year, Mr, Stenson participated in several virtual productions produced by Seattle Opera. He appeared in their staging of ELIXIR OF LOVE, DON GIOVANNI and TOSCA, as well as in a solo recital.
Opera Repertoire
| Composer | Opera | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Argento | Man with Old Luggage | Postcard from Morocco |
| Beethoven | Jacquino | Fidelio |
| Bernstein | Title role | Candide |
| Britten | Title role | Albert Herring |
| The Novice | Billy Budd | |
| Male Chorus | The Rape of Lucretia | |
| Peter Quint/Prologue | Turn of the screw | |
| Copland | Martin | The Tender Land |
| Donizetti | Ernesto | Don Pasquale |
| Nemorino | L'elisir d'amore | |
| Tonio | La fille du regiment | |
| Arturo | Lucia di Lammermoor | |
| Foroni | Ernesto | Margherita |
| Gluck | Achille | Iphigenie en Aulide |
| Orphee | Orphee et Euridice | |
| Floyd | Curly | Of Mice and Men |
| Gilbert and Sullivan | Frederic | The Pirates of Penzance |
| Leoncavallo | Beppe | I Pagliacci |
| Lopez | Gen Watanabe | Bel Canto |
| Massenet | Title role | Werther |
| Menotti | Kaspar | Amahl and the Night Visitors |
| Mozart | Ferrando | Cosi fan tutte |
| Don Ottavio | Don Giovanni | |
| Belmonte/ Pedrillo | Die Entfuering aus dem Serail | |
| Tamino | Die Zauberfloete | |
| Musto | Jimmy O'Keefe | Later the Same Evening |
| Puts | Nikolaus Sprink | Silent Night |
| Rossini | Almaviva | Il barbiere di Siviglia |
| Rota | Fadinard | The Italian Straw Hat |
| Ruo | Danny Chen | An American Soldier |
| Sams | Demetrius | The Enchanted Island |
| Sheng | Bao Yu | The Dream of the Red Chamber |
| R. Strauss | Brighella | Ariadne auf Naxos |
| Flamand * | Capriccio | |
| Henry Morosus* | Die schweigsame Frau | |
| Verdi | Fenton | Falstaff |
| Cassio | Otello | |
| Alfredo * | La Traviata | |
| Wagner | Steuermann | Der Fliegende Hollander |
| David* | Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg | |
| Weill | Tenor | The Seven Deadly Sins |
Concert Repertoire
| Composer | Composition | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Bach | Johannes-Passion | Evangelist, Tenor soloist |
| Matthaus-Passion | Tenor soloist, Evangelist | |
| Mass in B minor | Tenor soloist | |
| Beethoven | Mass in G | Tenor soloist |
| 9th Symphony | Tenor soloist | |
| Britten | Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings | Soloist |
| War Requiem | Tenor soloist* | |
| Handel | Messiah | Tenor soloist |
| Israel in Egypt | Tenor soloist | |
| Haydn | The Creation | Tenor soloist (English) |
| Mendelssohn | Elijah | Tenor Soloist (English) |
| Mozart | Mass in C | Tenor soloist |
| Requiem | Tenor soloist | |
| Die Schuldigkeit des erstens Gebots | Tenor soloist |
Press Acclaim
ST MATTHEW PASSION, CINCINNATI SYMPHONY 2019
“There were also excellent contributions from tenor Andrew Stenson, who handled florid passages with aplomb”
THE MAGIC FLUTE, UTAH OPERA 2019
“Andrew Stenson’s fine lyric tenor was silvery and strong as Tamino. Stenson had total mastery of vocal and dramatic demands throughout the evening, pouring out his heart in “Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön.” He also brought uncommon definition and consequence to the extended recitative with Seth Keeton’s stentorian Speaker.
“Andrew Stenson as Tamino is a valiant and amiable tenor, with a velvet voice that easily reaches every note”
http://utahtheatrebloggers.com/29174/the-magic-flute-at-the-utah-opera-has-bells-and-whistles
At Salt Lake City’s Capitol Theater, Utah Opera’s The Magic Flute Celebrates Unconventional True Love
“Stenson is an ideal casting choice for an idealistic young hero. He is able to tackle moments of virtuous solemnity as well as the unlikely melodrama that is a trademark of Mozart’s comic operas. “
https://frontrowreviewersutah.com/?p=11534
Utah Opera’s superb cast, colorful staging make for an entertaining “Magic Flute”
The quality of the orchestra playing provided a firm foundation for a superb cast of singers, each of whom seemed a natural fit for their roles. Led by Andrew Stenson as Tamino and Zulimar López-Hernández as Pamina the cast was consistently engaging–vocally polished and alive to the comedy as well as the dramatic moments.
Stenson established Tamino’s heroic presence from the start with his lyrical tenor in “Dies Bildnis,” sustaining this high level of performance throughout”
ITALIAN STRAW HAT, MN OPERA 2019
“Minnesota native Andrew Stenson makes his Minnesota Opera debut in the central role of Fadinard, and gives a totally winning performance. He has a strong, pleasing tenor that conveys the humor and wit in the libretto, as well as the emotional tenor of his duet with Elena. Stenson also does a swell job with the physical comedy the part demands.”
https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/minn/minn802.html
“Native Minnesotan Andrew Stenson made his house debut leading the cast as groom Fadinard. His voice was wonderful with many extended high notes, and with the style of a true straight man did his best to keep the zany actions of his costars on track”
https://www.schmopera.com/slapstick-overload-the-italian-straw-hat/
“Andrew Stesnon (as Fadinard) sings such an enchanting Act I arietta “Io voglio quel cappello” that you would hardly think it’s about a trifle like a hat… Lisa Marie Rogali (as Elena)’s beautifully rendered duet “Trema nell’estasi d’amor” / “Oh si…è gioia” with Stenson/Fadinard was one of the highlights of the opera.”
https://twincitiesarts.com/2019/01/31/review-older-humor-the-italian-straw-hat-mn-opera/
“Andrew Stenson, a Minnesota native, plays the frustrated groom Fadinard, with both believability and enthusiasm. He also delivers the masterful operatic voice to match, as his character appears on stage for almost the entire four acts.
In Fardinard’s passionate frustration and fury before he can return to his Paris home and bed his bride Elena, he searches far and wide to find another hat that his horse ate by chance. Stenson defines the poignant moments together with a style of Commedia del’arte comedy popular in 16th century Italy, a commanding task, while the ludicrous situations happen because the lady whose hat was eaten confessed that this was a gift from her overly jealous husband.”
“At its center was the super-energized performance of Minnesota native Andrew Stenson as the waylaid husband-to-be Fadinard. With a lot of singing to do, Stenson was rarely offstage. His dryish tenor rode the orchestra tirelessly, and he acted up a storm amid the gathering mayhem generated by his horse’s indiscretion.”
http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-opera-delivers-shallow-hollow-italian-straw-hat/504981262/
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER, DALLAS OPERA 2018
As the Steersman, a role often given to reedy character tenors, Andrew Stenson supplied some genuinely beautiful singing, including a warm, baritonal lower register
I first heard Andrew Stenson as Danny Chen in the powerful premiere of “An American Soldier” at the Opera Theater of St. Louis this past summer. There he showed how he could master a long, challenging role. Here he proved he can make something big out of a small one. The Steersman of Daland’s ship does not have much music, but he has an important ballad early on, “Mit Gewitter und Sturm aus fernem Meer.” In it, he sings about roughing the waves to reach his lover, a tuneful but somewhat platitudinous piece that serves as a foil to the twisted love story to follow.
Stenson’s voice fit the music perfectly. It is slender and flexible, but tends toward darker colors and has a resonant middle that give it weight. These qualities allow him to impart the aria with enough sailor earthiness to suggest both irony and mirth.
Stenson is also a good actor and succeeded during his many non-singing moments. At the end he stands out as he wanders gloomily and entranced. The character, initially so full of good-natured simplicity, seems to articulate a general message of despair.
http://operawire.com/dallas-opera-2018-2019-review-die-fliegende-hollander/
AN AMERICAN SOLDIER, OPERA THEATRE OF SAINT LOUIS 2018
Andrew Stenson’s fervent, high-energy performance eloquently captured Danny’s bravado and despair; his vivid tenor managed to be both beautiful and full of raw feeling.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-american-soldier-and-regina-reviews-prejudice-and-power-1528839016
Danny (sung with raw emotion and poignant boyishness by the remarkable tenor Andrew Stenson)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/arts/music/review-american-soldier-regina-opera-st-louis.html
The role of Danny is sung by tenor Andrew Stenson, who sang the role in the one-act version four years ago. His is a beautifully clear, pure, powerful voice-smooth across the entire large range the role requires. And he is a wonderfully committed actor.
“It’s hard to imagine Danny more definitively portrayed than by Andrew Stenson. He exudes decency and aspiration, and astonishing perseverance in the face of appalling mistreatment, and his warm tenor has a multiplicity of colors and textures apt to every situation.”
COSI FAN TUTTE, LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO 2018
“Lyric’s international cast is one of the strongest and most satisfyingly integrated vocal ensembles the company has fielded in recent “Cosi” memory….
The fine young American singer Andrew Stenson caressed the cantabile of Ferrando’s “Un’ aura amorosa” with a honeyed lyric tenor, making the aria an honest declaration from a loving heart. He and Hopkins threw themselves gleefully into their masquerade as testosterone-fueled sailors on the make.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/vonrhein/ct-ent-lyric-cosi-review-0219-story.html
Not to be outdone, tenor Andrew Stenson delivered Ferrando with, at times, Jim Carrey-esque physical humor, but an always sweet lyricism.
https://www.schmopera.com/chauvinism-cynicism-great-singing-cos%C3%AC-fan-tutte/
“The American tenor served up the highlight of the evening with a beautifully sung “Un’aura amarosa,” rendered with heartfelt sincerity and gorgeous mezzo-voce head voice in the reprise. Stenson also put across Ferrando’s rage at Dorabella’s betrayal, investing “Tradito, schernito” with blistering bitterness.”
CANDIDE, SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY 2018
“he sang with wit and charm and a resourceful ability to register emotion equally. Blithely oblivious in his “Oh, Happy We” duet with Picerno, he was instantly, persuasively desolate in “Candide’s Lament,” his voice hushed to a stricken pianissimo, and wrenching in “It Must Be Me.”
In the title role, tenor Andrew Stenson sang with melting tone, summoning an apt air of Candide’s innocence and wonder.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/best-possible-worlds-sf-symphonys-candide/
GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL 2015
“Tenor Andrew Stenson was perfectly sweet-toned and broadly smiling as the hapless innocent Candide…Stenson’s poignant delivery of “Nothing More Than This,” Candide’s song of disillusionment, made the finale, “Make Our Garden Grow,” the characters’ acceptance of reality, for once actually feel earned.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/glimmerglass-festival-review-celebrating-40-years-1438637408
The mostly young cast deserves the highest praise as well. I first saw Andrew Stenson in 2011. As a Glimmerglass Young Artist, he nearly stole the show in John Musto’s Later the Same Evening. This young man has the vocal chops and the charisma to carry an eponymous role like Candide. A strong but sweet voice and a gentle and sweet persona on stage made Mr. Stenson’s portrayal a success. When Candide learns his beloved Cunegonde is supposed dead, his pain is palpable, and when after two and a half hours of reunions and separations, he finally realizes how Cunegonde has survived all this time, we feel the same loss and pain, with added anger.
http://www.taminophile.com/2015/07/the-best-of-all-possible-whirls.html
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, FORT WORTH OPERA 2016
Andrew Stenson is the rare Count Almaviva who actually looks plausible disguised as a poor student. And here’s another excellent voice, a lyric tenor that can croon beautifully or blaze on high, tossing off fireworks as needed.
(Notable Classical Performances of 2016 - Dallas News) Fort Worth Opera: The Barber of Seville (May 8). This was an easy choice for opera production of the year, with “brilliant singing, characters irresistibly portrayed and superb playing from members of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.”
https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/classical-music/2016/12/27/2016-year-classical-music-opera
Lyric tenor Andrew Stenson is excellent in the role. None of the passagework in the first aria, which has bedeviled many a tenor, poses a problem for him. He even tosses in a clear trill or two.
BEL CANTO, LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO 2015
“Mr. Hosokawa’s polyglot translator and aide, Gen Watanabe, sung by the appealing, rich-toned tenor Andrew Stenson, winds up intensely in love with Carmen, a rough, weapon-wielding terrorist, sung by the plush-voiced mezzo-soprano J’nai Bridges, who sees in Gen a good man who can teach her languages and unleash her femininity.”
Mezzo-soprano J’nai Bridges immerses herself in the character of a female soldier who breaks down her personal barriers to find love; her prayer aria is one of the evening’s highlights, hauntingly, heartbreakingly sung. With his expressive tenor, truthful characterization and easy physicality, Andrew Stenson is a charming match as her love interest.
https://www.newcitystage.com/2015/12/09/review-bel-cantolyric-opera-of-chicago/
ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO, UTAH OPERA 2014
Andrew Stenson makes his Utah Opera debut with his performance of Belmonte. The tenor is the standout star of the show with his striking voice and excellent delivery of the comedic one-liners.
https://www.theutahreview.com/utah-operas-abduction-seraglio/
Andrew Stenson portrays the young aristocrat Belmonte, who spends the opera trying to liberate his beloved Konstanze. Stenson’s voice has a pleasing heft, and the sensitivity of his phrasing makes him a most appealing hero. Keep an eye on this up-and-coming tenor.
http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=57924502&itype=cmsid
FILLE DU REGIMENT, SEATTLE OPERA 2013
On Sunday, the only cast change was the arrival of tenor Andrew Stenson as Tonio. Another former Young Artist, Stenson is an adroit performer who seems born to sing this music; his Tonio has a lot of finesse.
Among the uniformly excellent players, there were two surprises. The first was tenor Andrew Stenson in the matinee cast. I missed his previous major role at Seattle Opera (Orphée, in 2012), so the excellence of his Tonio last Sunday afternoon caught me completely unprepared. His singing was at least the equal of Lawrence Brownlee’s opening night performance, and his comedic talent far surpassed Brownlee’s. His adorable, round face was so expressive and full of fun that I couldn’t put down my binoculars. Even his responses while others sang were a delight. Vocally, his tone was lovely and securely produced from top to bottom. The nine high C’s of his first aria appeared easy, with the final C held long and loud while he made a slow 360-degree rotation before releasing it face-on to the audience.
http://www.sgn.org/sgnnews41_43/page26.cfm
ORPHEE ET EURIDICE, SEATTLE OPERA 2012 MARCH 4, 2012
“Seattle Opera audience members who were ready to fall on their swords at the news that William Burden, the undisputed star of the current “Orphée et Eurydice,” was unable to perform on March 4th found much to enjoy in the remarkable performance of Burden’s cover, Andrew Stenson…Stenson commands an apparently limitless range, a highly developed vocal agility with remarkably good trills, and a passionate conviction that reaches right into the house…A mighty ovation greeted the cast and production team, with a big crescendo for Andrew Stenson and his “a star is born” afternoon in McCaw Hall.”
http://www.melindabargreen.com/Melinda_Bargreen/2012_Freelance_Reviews.html
Media
Gallery
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Andrew Stenson as Candide in Candide Photo Credit: Karli Cadel -
Andrew Stenson in Candide as Candide (Title role) Photo Credit: Karli Cadel -
Andrew Stenson as an American Soldier (Danny Cheng) Photo Credit: Ken Howard -
Bel Canto (Gen Watanabe) Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg -
The Tender Land (Martin) Photo Credit: Karli Cadel -
Cosi fan tutte cast backstage Photo credit: Chicago Lyric Opera -
Napa Valley -
With Ruth Bader Ginsberg (after Candide at Glimmerglass Opera) -
Cover of Opera News -
Photo Credit: Dario Acosta -
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