BIOGRAPHY
Praised by Opera News for his “clear and sweet lyrical tone” and “brave, vocally assured portrayals” (New York Times), Todd Wilander is one of America’s most sought-after leading tenors. Since winning The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, he has appeared with the company singing Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor conducted by James Levine, Harry in La Fanciulla del West and Ensemble 15 in The Nose (HD) and has covered many roles including Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Beppe in I Pagliacci, Der Narr in Wozzeck, American Congressman in Two Boys, Marcellus in Hamlet, Gambler 1 in Gambler, Malcolm in Macbeth, and Young Prisoner in From the House of the Dead.
Upcoming engagements include The Prince in Rusalka covering for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, a return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer and Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera and Faust in La Damnation de Faust (Berlioz) with Theater Erfurt in Germany.
"Todd Wilander makes for a fantastic lead, primarily because his tenor shoots to the balcony of the theater with masterful control and timbre."
Tampa Bay Times
Recent performances include Samson in Samson and Canio in Pagliacci covering for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut for the Dorest Opera Festival, UK; Pollione in Norma and Leicester in Maria Stuarda for Musica Viva, Hong Kong; Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer and Don José in Carmen covering for Canadian Opera Company; Rodolfo in La Bohème with Opera Tampa and with Opera Long Island, New York; Radamès in Aida at Bohème Opera, New Jersey; Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera for Amore Opera, New York; Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer for Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, China; Florestan in Fidelio with Symphony of the Vines, California; and the title role of Hoffmann in Les Contes d'Hoffmann with Opera North, USA.
He appeared with New York City Opera as Charles Clayton in Stephen Schwartz’s Séance on a Wet Afternoon, Uberto in La Donna del Lago and Harry in La Fanciulla del West. Todd Wilander has also sung Rodolfo in La Bohème and Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore for the New York Opera Society.
Elsewhere in the U.S.A., he has appeared with Portland Opera as Rodolpho in View from the Bridge, Captain Leadbetter in Princess Sofia for Orpheus Project, Juneau Alaska; Brooklyn Academy of Music as Molqi in Death of Klinghoffer; Pollione in Norma for Pacific Opera Northwest, Washington; Don José in Carmen for Central Florida Lyric Opera; Calaf in Turandot at Mississippi Opera; Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Memphis and Bohème Opera, New Jersey; the title-role of Tito for West Bay Opera, Andrew in A Death in the Family and later as Dimmesdale in Hester for Center for Contemporary Opera. Other companies with whom he has appeared include Madison Opera as Rodolfo in La Bohème; as Young Servant in Electra for Santa Fe Opera; as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte for St. Petersburg Opera, Florida; as Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream for Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Nanki-Poo in Mikado and as Fairfax in Yeoman of the Guard, as Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola for Opera Saskatchewan, Canada; as Fenton in Falstaff for Chatauqua Opera; as the title role of Candide for Grant Park Music Festival Chicago; as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for Nevada Opera; as Wilhelm Meister in Mignon for Opera Orchestra of New York; as Macduff in Macbeth for Opera Delaware; and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi; as the title role of Albert Herring for Opera in the Ozarks; as Eurimaco in Il Ritorno d'Ulisse for Glimmerglass Opera; as Coach in Bounce with Manhattan’s ADA Arts; as the title role in Samson et Dalila with Verdi Opera Chorus of LA; and as Camille in Merry Widow; and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte for Opera Fairbanks, Alaska.
He has appeared as the title-role in Faust and as Ernesto in Don Pasquale for New Zealand Opera; as Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier for New Israeli Opera; as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, as Duke in Rigoletto, and as Pollione in Norma for Musica Viva, Hong Kong; and as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires. As a member of the ensemble at Deutsche Oper Berlin, he performed as Frère Massée in Saint François d'Assise, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Vierte Knappe in Parsifal, Junger Mann in Moses und Aron, and First Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte.
At San Francisco Opera, Mr. Wilander has appeared as Belmonte in Die Entführund aus dem Serail, Frère Massée in Saint François d'Assise, Kudrjasch in Kát'a Kabanová, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, and Thaddeus Stevens in The Mother of Us All.
Mr. Wilander has appeared with many orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, National Chorale, New York Choral Society, BBC Radio Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Music Center Orchestra, Hamburg NDR Philharmonic Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony and Haifa Symphony Orchestra in solo repertoire that includes Verdi Requiem, Mahler Das Lied von der Erde, Handel Messiah, Haydn Creation, Mozart Requiem and Coronation Mass, Bach Magnificat, Beethoven Missa Solemnis and 9th Symphony, Berlioz Requiem, Puccini Messa di Gloria, Vaughan Williams Hodie and On Wenlock Edge, Rossini Stabat Mater, Britten Serenade, War Requeim, and Mendelssohn Elijah. Mr. Wilander has been a winner of many prestigious competitions, including The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Belvedere Competition, Licia Albanese/Puccini Foundation, American Berlin Opera Foundation, Oratorio Society of NY, Enrico Caruso/Altamura Competition and Loren L. Zachary Society Competition. He was a finalist in the Richard Tucker Foundation and the Houston Grand Opera Competition.
Originally from Arcadia, California, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Business at California State University, Los Angeles; received a Master of Music degree in opera performance and literature from Northwestern University (title role of Serse, title role of Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and Nero in Poppea); and an Artist Diploma at the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music (Alfredo in La Traviata).
