John Stephens
John Stephens holds a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Illinois, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Hamburg, Germany. He received advanced training at the Juilliard School of Music, where he was a member of the American Opera Center.
In addition to teaching voice and his administrative activities at the University of Kansas, Stephens maintains a career as an opera and concert singer. He has sung leading roles with numerous opera companies, including the Houston Grand Opera; Santa Fe Opera; Washington Opera; Opera Theatre of St. Louis; Minnesota Opera; Atlanta Opera; Opera Pacific; Pittsburgh Opera Theatre; Boston Lyric Opera; Glimmerglass Opera; Opera Omaha; and the Kansas City Lyric Opera. He has directed The Mikado for the Wichita Grand Opera and the Lake George Opera Festival, where he also directed Susannah. As concert soloist he has sung with the St. Louis Symphony; the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; Atlanta Symphony; Orlando Philharmonic; Kansas City Symphony; and at the J. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is also principal bass soloist for the Bach Aria Group.
Stephens has recorded for Columbia Masterworks, Newport Classics and the Musical Heritage Society. Upcoming engagements include Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites with Kentucky Opera, the world premier of Kirke Mecham's John Brown with the Kansas City Lyric Opera, stage directing The Pirates of Penzance for the Wichita Grand Opera, and Billy Budd with the Santa Fe Opera. Mr. Stephens is represented by Munro Artists Management.
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