John Aler
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John Aler (born October 4, 1949 , Baltimore, Maryland) is a contemporary American lyric tenor known for his light, clear and appealing voice. A consummate performer in concerts, recitals, and operas, Aler is particularly admired for his interpretations of the works of Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Handel.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early Life and Education
John Aler was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 4, 1949 where he grew up. He attended Catholic University where he studied voice with Rilla Mervine and Raymond McGuire earning both a bachelors degree in music and a M.M. Vocal Performance. He went on to attend the Juilliard School in New York from 1972 to 1976 where he studied with Oren Brown. During that time he also attended the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood for several summers where he studied with Marlene Malas[1]
[edit] Career
In 1977, he made his operatic debut as Ernesto at the American Opera Center, the same year he won 1st prizes for men and for the interpretation of French art song at the Concours International de Chant in Paris. [2] He made his Santa Fe Opera debut in 1978 and his European début as Belmonte at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in 1979. He made his Covent Garden début in 1986 as Ferrando, returning in 1988 as Percy in Donizetti's Anna Bolena.
His other appearances include leading roles at the English National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Vienna Staatsoper, Bavarian State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Hamburg State Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Teatro Real, Lyon Opera, Brussels Opera, New York City Opera, St Louis Opera, Washington National Opera[3], Bayerische Staatsoper, San Diego Opera and Baltimore Opera. [1] He is also a regular performer at major American summer festivals including the Ravinia Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Chautauqua Music Festival, the Newport Music Festival and the Grant Park Music Festival. [4]
Aler has sung with some of the world's finest orchestras including: the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the L'Orchestre Nationale de France, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the London Sinfonietta to just name a few. He has had the privilege of singing under such fine conductors as Barenboim, Dutoit, Gardiner, Leinsdorf, Masur, Mehta, Norrington, Ozawa, Rattle, Salonen, Slatkin, and Zinman, to name just a few.[5]
[edit] Awards
- 1986 Grammy Award, Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance for "Berlioz: Requiem"
- 1986 Grammy Award, Best Classical Album for "Berlioz: Requiem"
- 1994 Grammy Award, Best Opera Recording for "Handel: Semele"
- 1994 Grammy Award, Best Classical Album for "Bartók: The Wooden Prince & Cantata Profana"
