Dane Suarez
Praised for his “big, heroic voice” and “powerful emotions”, tenor Dane Suarez (he/him) has developed an exciting and varied career. In 2022-2023, he makes his Off-Broadway debut in the world premiere of Kate Tarker’s Montag with Soho Rep, joins Heartbeat Opera and Cantata Profana for a Drag Soirée, performs the role of Song Seller/Lover and covers Luigi in Il tabarro with On Site Opera, sings Rinuccio in New Jersey Festival Orchestra’s performance of Gianni Schicchi, and sings the role of Don José in Carmen with Festival Opera. He also joins The Carolina Phil as the tenor soloist in their A Night at the Opera concert and covers the role of Apollo in Strauss’s Daphne in concert at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra.
In the 2021-2022 season, Mr. Suarez sang Canio in Opera Memphis’ production of Pagliacci, returned to Opera in the Heights as Manrico in Il trovatore, Lensky in Eugene Onegin and his role debut as Antonin Scalia in Scalia/Ginsburg, returned to his alma mater as the tenor soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Butler Symphony Orchestra, and appeared in concert with Maryland Opera, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, and Il Cenacolo Club of San Francisco. He made several debuts, including his house debut at the Penn Square Music Festival reprising the role of Antonin Scalia in Scalia/Ginsburg, as well as his Opera Birmingham and Newport Classical debuts as Rodolfo in La bohème, and his role and company debut as Pollione in Norma with Festival Opera.
In 2020-2021, Mr. Suarez returned to Opera Memphis as a tenor soloist in concert and performed the roles of Tamino in The Magic Flute and Antonin Scalia in Scalia / Ginsburg as well as joining the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for The Magic of Memphis, and Maryland Opera for a concert.
In the winter of 2020, Mr. Suarez returned to West Bay Opera to perform the role of Macduff in their production of Macbeth. For the remainder of the 2019-2020 season, he was scheduled to reprise the role of Rodolfo in La bohème with Fort Worth Opera (COVID19), perform the title role in Faust with Opera Neo (COVID19) and make his role debut as Manrico in Il trovatore with Opera in the Heights (COVID19). In the summer of 2020, Mr. Suarez was thrilled to perform the role of First Armored Man in Opera Neo’s innovative digital production of The Magic Flute.
Mr. Suarez’s 2018-2019 season included his role and house debut as Fenton in Falstaff with West Bay Opera, a return to Opera Neo to perform the role of Lensky in Eugene Onegin where he was hailed by critics as “a vocal tour de force of surpassing splendor,” a return to Opera San José as Greenhorn in Moby-Dick, reprising the role of Erik in Der fliegende Holländer with Baltimore Concert Opera, and his mainstage debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera San José.
In 2017-2018, Mr. Suarez reprised the roles of Don José in Carmen and Rodolfo in La bohème AKA “The Hipsters” with Pacific Opera Project where the Act I duet was described as “a transfixing moment of sublime beauty.” He sang the title role in Idomeneo with Opera Neo and joined Opera San José as a Resident Artist where his role responsibilities included Ruggero in La rondine, Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, Alfredo in La traviata, and Canio in Pagliacci.
During the 2016-17 season, Mr. Suarez made his New York City Opera debut as Joe in La Fanciulla del West, Rodolfo with Pacific Opera Project, and was a Studio Artist with Sarasota Opera where he covered Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and performed Flaminio in L’amore dei tre re where he was subsequently awarded the Mandelker Award for Outstanding Studio Artist. He returned to Fort Worth Opera for their 2017 Frontiers Showcase, and to Opera Memphis for 30 Days of Opera. Mr. Suarez was pictured on the front page of The Arts section of The New York Times and lauded for his “beautiful, soaring, and moving” performance as Cavaradossi in LoftOpera’s production of Tosca that “brought down the house.”
Mr. Suarez made his John F. Kennedy Center debut in 2015 with Washington National Opera as Ely Parker in Philip Glass’s Appomattox. Other past credits include joining Opera Memphis as Don José in La tragédie de Carmen and Beppe in Pagliacci, a run with Crested Butte Music Festival as Rodolfo, his role debut as Il Duca in Rigoletto at Opera in the Heights, his Fort Worth Opera debut as Marcellus in Thomas’s Hamlet, Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mr. Splinters in The Tender Land, and covering Tony in West Side Story all with Opera North.
A skilled recitalist and concert performer, highlights include performances with Permian Basin Opera, Annapolis Opera, and Lyric Opera Baltimore and appearances as a featured artist in concert with The Loren L. Zachary Society, Maryland Opera, and Il Cenacolo Club of San Francisco. Mr. Suarez was 2014 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions National Semi-Finalist, and has been recognized and awarded by multiple organizations, most recently as a Finalist in Tri-Cities Opera’s TCO Next virtual competition, as well as The Loren L. Zachary Society for the Performing Arts as a Semi-Finalist, the Giulio Gari International Voice Competition as a Finalist, Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition as a Semi-Finalist, Sarasota Opera with the aforementioned Mandelker Award in 2017, Brava! Opera Theater Vocal Competition as a Finalist, The Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year Competition as a Semi-Finalist, the Beethoven Club of Memphis as First Place winner, the Bel Canto Foundation Bella Voce Award, and Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. Talent of the Year award. Mr. Suarez holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Butler University and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
