Will Liverman
About
Called “a voice for this historic moment,” Grammy-award winning baritone Will Liverman was the recipient of the Metropolian Opera’s 2022 Beverly Sills Artist Award and is the co-creator of The Factotum, which premiered at the Lyric Opera Chicago in 2023. Liverman has been hailed by critics for his versatility in dramatic and comedic roles on concert stages all over the world, and for his dedication and vision as a composer, artist, and advisor helping to evolve and push the performing arts industry forward.
In the 2023-24 season Liverman returned to the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. He was previously seen at the Met opening its 2021-22 season as Charles in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up In My Bones, which won the 2023 Grammy Award for best opera recording.
Liverman’s 2023-24 season also included productions with Opera Philadelphia for the world premiere of Rene Orth’s 10 Days in a Madhouse and the Met Opera for Roméo et Juliette. In concert, he joined the Lexington Philharmonic for the orchestrated world premiere of Shawn E. Okpebholo’s Two Black Churches; Houston Symphony’s Carmina Burana; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for Brahms’ A German Requiem; and The Washington Chorus’s Elijah Reimagined; plus Dayton Opera, Caramoor, and Cincinnati Song Initiative for vocal recitals. He serves as artistic advisor for Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall.
Last season, the Lyric Opera of Chicago presented the world premiere of Liverman’s new opera, The Factotum, which he composed with DJ King Rico and in which he starred. Inspired by Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Liverman and Rico placed the story in a present-day Black barbershop on Chicago’s South Side in a twist on the traditional story that celebrates the strength of community and power of the human spirit. The work blends diverse musical styles, including hip-hop, R&B, funk, gospel, and traditional barbershop quartet to create a soul opera. The Houston Grand, Portland, and Washington National operas are all slated to stage The Factotum in future seasons.
Cedille Records released Liverman’s Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers with pianist Paul Sanchez in February 2021. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard traditional classical chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for best classical solo vocal album. His 2020 album, Whither Must I Wander, with pianist Jonathan King, released on Odradek Records, was named one of the Chicago Tribune’s best classical recordings of 2020.
Liverman is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and was a Glimmerglass Festival Young Artist. He holds degrees from the Juilliard School and Wheaton College in Illinois.