Biography
Hailed as a “remarkable young tenor”, Edwin Vega made his English National Opera debut as Molqi, in a new production of John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer, a co-production with the Metropolitan Opera, directed by Tom Morris (Tony Award winner for War Horse).
Additional performances for the 2011-2012 season include Nevada Opera’s new production of Madame Butterfly (Goro), Duck in Bolcom’s Barnyard Boogaloo with the Remarkable Theater Brigade at Carnegie Hall and the United States premiere of Mercandate’s I Due Figaro (Don Alvaro).
This summer Mr. Vega returns to the Santa Fe Opera as a Servant (Arabella) and King Edrisi understudy in Szymanowski’s King Roger. He will also sing the role of the Chaplain in a reading of Theo Morrison’s Oscar (featuring David Daniels; Santa Fe Opera world premiere Summer 2013, a co-production with the Opera Company of Philadelphia).
In the summer of 2011, Mr. Vega returned to the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble where “his light tenor was always a joy to hear” performing the roles of Tanzmeister and Brighella in new production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. In the spring, he returned to Chicago Opera Theater for the Chicago premiere of Charpentier’s Medee. Last season he was featured as Rubens Barrichello (the title character’s protege) in the Metropolitan Opera’s new opera workshop of Michael Torke’s Senna. Mr. Vega made his Carnegie Hall debut in Jerry Springer – The Opera starring Harvey Keitel and sang Rinuccio in the summer of 2010 with the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble’s new production of Gianni Schicchi.
In 2009, Mr. Vega was the tenor soloist at the Chicago Auditorium Theater Gala Concert performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony conducted by Jane Glover. He originated two roles with the American Lyric Theater’s workshop series under the guidance of composer Mark Adamo and spent the summer of 2007 performing the roles of Aristee/Pluton (Orphee aux Enfers) and Prunier (La Rondine) with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Giuseppe Verdi inMilan, Italy, . Earlier that season he joined the Santa Fe Opera Spring Tour originating the role of Atom in John Kennedy’s new opera Trinity.
As a Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, Mr. Vega performed as the Fourth Jew in Strauss’s Salome and understudied both Monastatos in The Magic Flute and the Caliban in Thomas Ades’s The Tempest. Previous opera leads include the title role in Albert Herring and Ferrando (Cosi) as a part of Roosevelt Univeristy’s first graduating Artist Diploma class.
During his two seasons at Chicago Opera Theater, Mr. Vega covered four mainstage roles (which included Pedrillo in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail) and performed as Tristan in Finding Yolanda, a new adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. Mr. Vega is a proud member of both the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the Actors Equity Association (AEA).
