Susan Graham - hailed as "an artist to treasure" by the New York Times - rose to the highest echelon of international performers within just a few years of her professional debut, mastering an astonishing range of repertoire and genres along the way. Her operatic roles span four centuries, from Monteverdi's Poppea to Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, which was written especially for her. She won a Grammy Award for her collection of Ives songs, and her recital repertoire is so broad that 14 composers from Purcell to Sondheim are represented on her most recent Onyx album, Virgins, Vixens & Viragos. This distinctly American artist has also been recognized throughout her career as one of the foremost exponents of French vocal music. Although a native of Texas, Graham was awarded the French government's prestigious "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur," both for her popularity as a performer in France and in honor of her commitment to French music.

To launch the 2016-17 season, Graham joined Renée Fleming and Michael Tilson Thomas at the San Francisco Symphony's opening-night gala, before stepping in to play Dido in Lyric Opera of Chicago's new, premiere staging of Berlioz's epic Les Troyens. Having created the role of Sister Helen Prejean in the world premiere production of Dead Man Walking, she stars in Washington National Opera's revival of the opera, now making her role debut as the convict's mother. She returns to Santa Fe Opera in the plum "trouser" role of Prince Orlofsky, in the company's first new production of Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus in 25 years, and sings Erika in Samuel Barber's Vanessa with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Also in concert, she joins the MET Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen at Carnegie Hall for selections from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn; sings Octavian to Renée Fleming's Marschallin in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier with the Boston Symphony and Andris Nelsons; performs selections from Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin; reprises Berlioz's La mort de Cléopâtre with the San Antonio Symphony; and sings Ravel's Shéhérazade and Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with the Sydney Symphony under David Robertson. In recital, she reunites with regular partner Malcolm Martineau for accounts of "Frauenliebe und -leben Variations," her wide-ranging program inspired by Schumann's iconic song cycle, in Santa Barbara, Baltimore, and Portland, Oregon.

Last season, Graham made her role debut as Countess Geschwitz in William Kentridge's new production of Berg's Lulu at the Metropolitan Opera, where she also starred in Die Fledermaus under James Levine. In concert, she celebrated New Year's Eve in a Parisian-themed program with the New York Philharmonic, joined the Orchestra of St. Luke's for Purcell at Carnegie Hall, and sang Berlioz with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas. To cap the 2015-16 season, she premiered her "Frauenliebe und -leben Variations" program in recitals with Bradley Moore in Boston's Celebrity Series and at London's Wigmore Hall, before giving her role debut as Clarion in Richard Strauss's Capriccio at Santa Fe Opera.

Graham's earliest operatic successes were in such trouser roles as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Her technical expertise soon brought mastery of Mozart's more virtuosic roles, like Sesto in La clemenza di Tito, Idamante in Idomeneo and Cecilio in Lucio Silla, as well as the title roles of Handel's Ariodante and Xerxes. She went on to triumph in two iconic Richard Strauss mezzo roles, Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier and the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos. These brought her to prominence on all the world's major opera stages, including the Met, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, La Scala, Bavarian State Opera, Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival, among many others. In addition to creating the role of Sister Helen Prejean in the world-premiere production of Dead Man Walking at San Francisco Opera, she sang the leading ladies in the Met's world premieres of John Harbison's The Great Gatsby and Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy, and made her Dallas Opera debut as Tina in a new production of The Aspern Papers by Dominick Argento. As Houston Grand Opera's Lynn Wyatt Great Artist, she starred as Prince Orlofsky in the company's first staging of Die Fledermaus in 30 years, before heading an all-star cast as Sycorax in the Met's Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island and making her rapturously received musical theater debut in a new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

It was in an early Lyon production of Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict that Graham scored particular raves from the international press, and a triumph in the title role of Massenet's Chérubin at Covent Garden sealed her operatic stardom. Further invitations to collaborate on French music were forthcoming from many of that repertoire's preeminent conductors, including Sir Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit, James Levine and Seiji Ozawa. New productions of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, Berlioz's La damnation de Faust and Massenet's Werther were mounted for the mezzo in New York, London, Paris, Chicago, San Francisco and beyond. She recently made title role debuts in Offenbach's comic masterpieces La belle Hélène and The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein at Santa Fe Opera, along with proving herself the standout star of the Met's star-studded revival of Berlioz's Les Troyens, which was broadcast live to cinema audiences worldwide in the company's celebrated "Live in HD" series. She also returned to the Met in the title role of Susan Stroman's new production of Lehár's The Merry Widow, before closing the season opposite Bryan Hymel in a new staging of Les Troyens by David McVicar at San Francisco Opera. She also headlined gala concerts at Los Angeles Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she joined Jane Lynch, Renée Fleming, Ramsey Lewis and others to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary.

Graham's affinity for French repertoire has not been limited to the opera stage; it also serves as the foundation for her extensive concert and recital career. Such great cantatas and symphonic song cycles as Berlioz's La mort de Cléopâtre and Les nuits d'été, Ravel's Shéhérazade and Chausson's Poème de l'amour et de la mer provide opportunities for collaborations with the world's leading orchestras, and she makes regular appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Orchestre de Paris and London Symphony Orchestra. In 2013-14 Graham joined Bernard Haitink and the Boston Symphony for Shéhérazade in Boston and at Carnegie Hall. In the 2014-15 season she sang Berlioz's Les nuits d'été with John Eliot Gardiner's Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, and later joined the Royal Flemish Philharmonic for La mort de Cléopâtre. Finally she reunited with regular recital partner Malcolm Martineau for a West Coast tour and a season-closing recital in Classical Action's Michael Palm Series.

Graham's distinguished discography features all the works described above, as well as a series of lauded solo albums, including Un frisson français, a program of French songrecorded with pianist Malcolm Martineau for Onyx; C'est ça la vie, c'est ça l'amour!, an album of 20th-century operetta rarities on Erato; and La Belle Époque, an award-winning collection of songs by Reynaldo Hahn with pianist Roger Vignoles, from Sony Classical. Among the mezzo's additional honors are Musical America's Vocalist of the Year and an Opera News Award. Gramophone magazine has dubbed her "America's favorite mezzo."

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American tenor Paul Groves enjoys an impressive international career performing on the stages of all the world's leading opera houses and concert halls.

Paul Groves begins his 2016/17 season with his return to the Opéra national de Paris for a rare role debut singing Alessandro Cesare in Cavalli's Eliogabalo this September. Groves returns to his native New Orleans later in the season singing the title role of Faust with the New Orleans Opera. An avid concert performer, Groves' season is filled with debuts and return engagements with symphonies across the United States. He can be seen singing Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony, Berlioz' Requiem with the San Francisco Symphony under Charles Dutoit, as well as Stravinsky's Perséphone with the Oregon Symphony.

Highlights of recent seasons for the American tenor include his first performances in the title role of Wagner's Parsifal with Lyric Opera Chicago led by Sir Andrew Davis, appearances as Admète in Gluck's Alceste with Madrid's Teatro Real, Nicias in Massenet's Thais with the Los Angeles Opera, and Pylade in Iphigénie en Aulide with Theater an der Wien. Groves returned to the Metropolitan Opera last season for Berg's Lulu, and was seen in the East Coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain with Opera Philadelphia.

Paul Groves made an important role debut in the 2014-15 season when he performed the title role in Wagner's Lohengrin in a new production with the Norwegian National Opera in Olso. He returned to the Festival International d'Art Lyrique d'Aix-en-Provence in staged performances of Stravinsky's Perséphone as well as to the Vienna Staatsoper where he appeared as Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio. Mr. Groves appeared throughout the season in concert, including appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Zurich's Tonhalle Orchestra. In the 2015-16 season he returned to Opéra de Lyon for performances of Stravinsky's Perséphone, for which Opera Today praised his "splendid" portrayal of Eumolpus at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Groves also appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Berlioz' Te Deum and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Berlioz' Roméo et Juliette.

Paul Groves came to national attention as a winner of the Met's National Council Auditions in 1991. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera's Young Artists Development Program, Mr. Groves made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1992 as the Steuermann in Der fliegende Holländer. Mr. Groves returned to the MET for performances as Camille de Rosillon in their new production of The Merry Widow, opposite Placido Domingo and Frederica von Stade; Ferrando in a new production of Cosi fan tutte; Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress; Lysander in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream; Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Fenton; and Don Ottavio in nationally-televised season-opening performances of Don Giovanni opposite Bryn Terfel and Renee Fleming. In 2006, he created the role of Jianli in the world premiere of Tan Dun's The First Emperor, opposite Placido Domingo, and he returned to the MET in 2008 for further performances of this role. Paul Groves made his debut with San Francisco Opera as Fenton, and he returned in subsequent seasons for performances as Ferrando, Belmonte and Pylade. His debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago was in 1998 as Nadir in a new production of Les pêcheurs de perles, and audiences in Chicago saw him in later seasons as Tamino, Pylade and the title role in La Damnation de Faust. Los Angles Opera audiences first saw him in season-opening performances of the title role in La damnation de Faust, and he recently returned for performances as Fritz in a new production of La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein directed by famed Hollywood director Garry Marshall. His company debut with The Washington Opera was in 2006 as Nemorino, and he recently appeared in his home state of Louisiana for his first performances of the title roles in Gounod's Faust, Les contes d'Hoffmann, and Verdi's Un ballo in Maschera. Mr. Groves has appeared often with Santa Fe Opera, including performances of Offenbach's Hoffmann and his first performances as Florestan.

            He made his debut at La Scala in 1995 as Tamino in the opening night performance of Die Zauberflöte, Riccardo Muti conducting, and he has returned in several roles, including Renaud in Gluck's Armide and Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore - the first American tenor invited to La Scala for this role.  Audiences in Paris have seen the tenor often since his debut in 1996 season when he appeared as Tom Rakewell at the Théâtre Musical de Paris, Châtelet in a new Sellers/Salonen production of The Rake's Progress. He has returned to the Châtelet as Admète in their season-opening production of Alceste, led by Sir John Eliot Gardiner and in the title role in Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict. Mr. Groves made his debut with the Opéra de Paris as Fenton in a new production of Falstaff, and he soon returned for performances as Tamino, Berlioz's Faust, Nemorino, Julian in a new production of Charpentier's Louise and his role debut as Mozart's Idomeneo.. The role of Tamino was also the vehicle for his debut at London's Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He has since returned to perform the role of Pylade in Iphigénie en Tauride opposite Simon Keenlyside and Susan Graham. He has performed often with the Vienna Staatsoper in roles including Camille in a new production of Die lustige Witwe, Carlo in a new production of Linda di Chamounix, Tamino, Nemorino, Don Ottavio, Flamand in Capriccio, Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier. In 2009 the tenor sang his first performances as Massenet's Werther with Opera National du Rhin, the same season he made his debut in the title role of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex in Japan under the baton of Charles Dutoit. Mr. Groves' work in Europe also includes his debut as Albert Gregor in Janacek's The Makropulos Case with Frankfurt Oper. Mr. Groves has appeared frequently with the Salzburg Festival since his debut there in 1995 as Don Ottavio under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, including his portrayal of the title role in a critically-acclaimed new production of La damnation de Faust as well as performances as Pylade, Belmonte, and Tamino in the 2006 Mozart anniversary season in performances led by Riccardo Muti. Mr. Groves made his debut with the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1998 as Des Grieux in a new production of Manon and with the Netherlands Opera in 2001 as Bénédict. His debut with the Bayerische Staatsoper was in 1997 as Don Ottavio, and he has returned to Munich for performances as Tamino and as Arturo in a new production of I Puritani, opposite Edita Gruberova.

A gifted musician, Paul Groves is continually in demand for concerts with the world's leading orchestras and conductors. In 2003 Mr. Groves made his debut with the New York Philharmonic as soloist in Berlioz's Requiem in performances conducted by Charles Dutoit, and he returned for performances of the title roles in La Damnation de Faust, and Candide, opposite Kristin Chenowith. His debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra came also in 2003 in the world premiere of John Harbison's Requiem conducted by Bernard Haitink in performances in Boston and at New York's Carnegie Hall, and he has returned frequently, including performances in Schönberg's Gurrelieder and Tippet's A Child of Our Time as well as La Damnation de Faust, all led by James Levine. Mr. Groves performed Stravinsky's Rossignol and Berlioz's Te Deum with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Christoph Eschenbach. The tenor made his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in performances as Berlioz's Faust, led by Christoph von Dohnanyi, and he has since appeared with them in performances of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony also under the direction of von Dohnanyi at Cleveland's Severence Hall and at New York's Carnegie Hall. Other recent performances at Carnegie Hall include Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and Sir Charles Mackerras. The tenor made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program of works of Mozart and Britten led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, and soon returned for performances of Haydn's Die Schöpfung and Stravinsky's Les Noces. The works of Benjamin Britten figure prominently in Paul Groves' concert work and include performances of Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with the Atlanta Symphony and at the Caramoor Festival led by Donald Runnicles, and the composer's War Requiem in performances with Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the St Louis Symphony and at the Festival de St. Denis in Paris, led by Kurt Masur. In 2010 added Tippet's Child of our Time to his repertoire, a work which he performed with his native St Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Paul Groves made his debut with the Munich Philharmonic in performances of Haydn's Die Schöpfung under the direction of James Levine. He made his debut with the Bayerische Rundfunk in performances of Rossini's Stabat Mater led by Riccardo Muti and recently returned to Munich for performances of Britten's St. Nicholas Cantata. He has sung Berlioz's Te Deum with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra led by Seiji Ozawa, as well as the BBC Symphony led by Sir Colin Davis. He appeared with the BBC Symphony again for Szymanowski's Symphony No. 3 led by Sir Andrew Davis, and in 2003 he appeared with Maestro Davis in a performance of Stravinsky's Perséphone at the BBC Proms. The tenor's debut at the Proms was in Haydn's Die Schöpfung in performances led by Sir Charles Mackerras, and he was first seen with the London Philharmonic as Berlioz's Faust. In 2005 Mr. Groves sang his first performances of The Dream of Gerontius, led by Mark Elder, at London's Royal Albert Hall. Mr. Groves made his debut with the Orchestre de Paris in performances of Mahler's Das Klagende Lied, and he was first seen with L'orchestre National de la Radio France in performances of Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives at the Montpellier Festival. He appeared as soloist in Berlioz's Requiem with the Orchestre National du Capitôle de Toulouse under the direction of Michel Plasson and returned for performances of the title role in La Damnation de Faust. He was also invited to perform the rolewith the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Valery Gergiev. Mr. Groves' debut at the Festival de Saint Denis was in performances of Haydn's Creation, and he appeared in concerts of Mozart's Requiem at La Scala in a memorial performance for Giuseppe Sinopoli led by Riccardo Muti. He appeared with the Czech Philharmonic in performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis led by Sir Charles Mackerras, and recently performed Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

Paul Groves has appeared frequently in recital throughout the United States and Europe. In 1996 the tenor gave his New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall with James Levine accompanying him at the piano, and he has returned twice to Lincoln Center's prestigious "Art of the Vocal Recital" series accompanied by Malcolm Martineau. He has also appeared in recital at Teatro alla Scala, Amsterdam's renowned Concertgebouw, Brussels' Théatre de la Monnaie and London's prestigious Wigmore Hall.

In addition to his several recordings with Maestro Levine, Paul Groves' performances in the Salzburg Festival's productions of Die Zauberflöte and La damnation de Faust were recorded for release on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon and Naxos Records, respectively. He recently recorded Roger Water's new opera Ça Ira opposite Bryn Terfel for SONY Classics as well as Ravel cantatas with Michel Plasson for EMI Classics. He can be heard as Tebaldo in Teldec Classic's recording of I Capuleti e i Montecchi, led by Donald Runnicles. He also recorded the role of Belmonte in a video and audio recording of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, filmed in Istanbul and led by Sir Charles Mackerras, for the Telarc label. Mr. Groves' performances as Admète in Alceste at London's Barbican Centre were recorded for CD and DVD on the Philips Classics label. In 2002 Paul Groves made his debut at the Saito Kinen Festival in performances of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, recorded on DVD for Philips Classics. In 2003 Mr. Groves completed a solo recording of songs by Henri Duparc for Naxos Records. In 2004 Mr. Groves was invited to perform at the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in front of a live national television audience.

Baritone David Kravitz is increasingly in demand on operatic and concert stages. Critics have hailed his "large, multi-layered" and "sumptuously flexible" voice, his "power and eloquence," his "deeply considered acting," his "drop-dead musicianship," and his "deep understanding of the text."

This season, David Kravitz joins the Center for Contemporary Opera in a collaboration with Laboratorio Opera for the premiere of Love Hurts, music by Nicola Moro and libretto by Lisa Hilton, singing the role of Marquis de Sade / Gilles de Rais. He also debuts with Opera Santa Barbara as Forester in Cunning Little Vixen, and joins the Boston Symphony as the Notary in Der Rosenkavalier.

Last season included Mr. Kravitz's role debut of Scarpia in Tosca with Skylight Opera, and performances of Handel's Messiah wth the Virginia Symphony. The 2014-2015 season included a company debut with Palm Beach Opera, as the Rabbi in the world premiere of Enemies, A Love Story. Continuing his commitment to new music, he also appeared in the workshop and acclaimed world premiere of Matthew Aucoin's Crossing: A New American Opera with American Repertory Theater. Additionally, he returned to Boston Lyric Opera as the Baron Duphol in La Traviata.

The baritone's 2013-204 season brought a company debut with Dallas Opera to reprise the role of United Nations in Death and the Powers, the role of Frederik in Sondheim's A Little Night Music with Emmanuel Music, as well as performances with Boston Lyric Opera as both the Speaker in Die Zauberflöte and Marullo in Rigoletto.  His concert performances included Mohammed Fairouz's Symphony No. 3 (Poems and Prayers) with the UCLA Philharmonic, and A Sea Symphony, with the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra. He closed the season as La Rocca in Un giorno di Regno with Odyssey Opera in their inaugural season, followed by debuting the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof  with Ash Lawn Opera.

The baritone's 2012-2013 calendar included appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for Le rossignol under the baton of Charles Dutoit; The English Concert, as Farasmane in Radamisto at Carnegie Hall; Boston Pops, for holiday concerts conducted by Keith Lockhart; Boston Lyric Opera, for Abraham in the North American premiere of MacMillan's Clemency; the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, for his debut, as Poo-Bah in The Mikado; Boston Modern Orchestra Project, for King Fisher in a concert performance of The Midsummer Marriage; Chautauqua Opera, for Captain Balstrode in Peter Grimes, and the Tanglewood Music Festival, for Nick in Emmanuel Music's production of Harbison's The Great Gatsby. Additionally, Mr. Kravitz created the role of Davis Miller in the world premiere of D.J. Sparr's Approaching Ali at Washington National Opera.

In autumn of 2011, Mr. Kravitz made his debut with Florentine Opera as Ping in Turandot, and appeared with The Washington Chorus, for Wachner's Come My Dark Eyed One and Mozart's Mass in C Minor. He continues the season as Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors with The Little Orchestra Society at Avery Fisher Hall; Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus with Opera Memphis; Lord Salt in The Golden Ticket with Atlanta Opera; and Cosimo in John Musto's The Inspector  with Boston Lyric Opera. 

In the 2010-2011 season, Mr. Kravitz sang the Businessman in Intermezzo for his debut at New York City Opera, and appeared as the United Nations Delegate in the world premiere of Tod Machover's Death and the Powers at Opéra de Monte-Carlo, with subsequent performances of the work that season at Chicago Opera Theater and in Boston in a production by the American Repertory Theater. He also returned to Opera Boston as the Provost Marshall and Gold Merchant in Hindemith's rarely performed Cardillac, sang Handel's Messiah for his debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, covered Matthias Goerne in Britten's War Requiem with the Saito Kinen Festival under Seiji Ozawa, performed Pilate in Bach's St. John Passion with the Boston Symphony led by Masaaki Suzuki, sang his first Verdi Requiem, and appeared as Nick Shadow inThe Rake's Progress with Emmanuel Music. He closed the season as Taddeo in L'italiana in Algeri with Boston Midsummer Opera. 

In the summer of 2009, he joined Glimmerglass Opera for Dr. Grenvil in La traviata  and Mr. Kofner in The Consul. In the 2009-2010 season, he sang his first Germont in La traviata  with the Pioneer Valley Symphony, joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Elijah  (solo bass, covering Elijah) and MacMillan's St. John Passion  (covering Christus), bowed as Baron Grog in Offenbach's La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein  with Opera Boston, and later traveled to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for Lord Salt in the world premiere of The Golden Ticket.  He also sang Raphael in Die Schöpfung with Emmanuel Music under John Harbison and Cimarosa's Il maestro di cappella with Boston Baroque under Martin Pearlman (a "tour de force," declared the Boston Globe).

In the 2008-2009 season, Mr. Kravitz sang Prince Ottokar in Der Freischütz  and Krusina in The Bartered Bride  with Opera Boston, and joined the Philadelphia Orchestra for Handel's Messiah.  He also garnered rave reviews for his "resolute power and total connection" (Opera News) in Bach's St. Matthew Passion  with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Bernard Haitink.

In the 2007-2008 season he returned to the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Levine for Berlioz's Les Troyens, to Opera Boston for Handel's Semele, to Opera Theatre of St. Louis for Martin y Soler's Una Cosa Rara, and to Boston Baroque for Purcell's King Arthur. Mr. Kravitz joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Bach's St. Matthew 
Passion  under Bernard Haitink; he performed Handel's Messiah  in Carnegie Hall; he joined the Lincoln (NE) Symphony under Edward Polochick for Bach's St. Matthew Passion; and he returned to Emmanuel Music for Bach's B Minor Mass, to the New England Philharmonic for Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, and to the Cantata Singers for Carmina Burana  and for the Boston premieres of Kurt Weill's Flight of Lindbergh  and Charles Fussell's High Bridge.   

Mr. Kravitz's commitment to new music has led to his presentation of world or regional premieres of numerous contemporary works. Critics hailed his performance of the leading role of Leontes in John Harbison's Winter's Tale with Boston Modern Orchestra Project as "brilliantly sung" and "a personal triumph." New music engagements in 2010-2011 include Dominick Argento's song cycle The Andrée Expedition, newly-commissioned songs by Andy Vores and James Yannatos, and the world premiere of an oratorio by Kareem Roustom. In recent seasons, Mr. Kravitz presented the world premieres of Thomas Whitman's A Scandal in Bohemia with Orchestra 2001; James Yannatos's Lear Symphony with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra; Julian Wachner's My dark eyed one with Back Bay Chorale; and short operas by Andy Vores and Theo Loevendie with Boston Musica Viva. His other recordings include Bach's Cantata BWV 20 and St. John Passion with Emmanuel Music (Koch International Classics), and Harbison's Four Psalms and Peter Child's Estrella with Cantata Singers (New World).

Before devoting himself full-time to a career in music, Mr. Kravitz had a distinguished career in the law that included clerkships with U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer. He later served as Deputy Legal Counsel to the Governor of Massachusetts.

John Relyea continues to distinguish himself as one of today's finest basses.

Mr. Relyea has appeared in many of the world's most celebrated opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera (where he is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program and a former Adler Fellow), Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Vienna State Opera, Theater an der Wien, and the Mariinksy Theater. 

His roles include the title roles in Attila, Le Nozze di Figaro, Bluebeard's Castle, Don Quixotte, Attila, and Aleko; Zaccaria in Nabucco, Bertram inRoberto le Diable, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Colline in La Bohème, Don Alfonso in Lucrezia Borgia, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Alidoro in La Cenerentola, Giorgio in I puritani, Banquo in Macbeth, Garibaldo inRodelinda, Méphistophélès in both Faust and La Damnation de Faust, the Four Villains in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Escamillo in Carmen, Marke in Tristan und Isolde, Caspar in Der Freischutz, Nick Shadow in The Rake's Progress, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia, and King René in Iolanta.

Mr. Relyea also remains in high demand throughout the concert world where he appears regularly with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,  Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic. 

He has also appeared at the Tanglewood, Ravinia, Blossom, Cincinnati May, Vail, Lanaudière, Salzburg, Edinburgh, Lucerne and Mostly Mozart festivals, and in the BBC Proms.

In recital, he has been presented at Weill Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Wigmore Hall in London, the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, and the University of Chicago Presents series.

The many conductors with whom Mr. Relyea has worked with include Harry Bicket, Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gustavo Dudamel, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Neville Marriner, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano, Sir Roger Norrington, Seiji Ozawa, Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Donald Runnicles, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Robert Spano, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Ilan Volkov.

Mr. Relyea's recordings include the Verdi Requiem (LSO Live), Idomeneo with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (EMI), Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with Sir Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (EMI), and the Metropolitan Opera's DVD presentations of Don Giovanni, I Puritani and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Deutsche Grammophon), and Macbeth (Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series).

This season, Mr. Relyea returns to the Metropolitan Opera as the Water Sprite in Rusalka and appears in a new production of I Lombardi at the Hamburg State Opera. He also appears in concert with the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Hamburg NDR. Mr. Relyea is the winner of the 2009 Beverly Sills Award and the 2003 Richard Tucker Award.