Bernard Holcomb
Tenor Bernard Holcomb has “already made a name for himself in the world of opera” with his “delicate and flexible” voice (Opera Wire) and the “appealing sweetness and clarity [of] his tone” (New York Times). Katy Walsh of Chicago Theater Beat said it best: “Although everyone [at Lyric Opera of Chicago] can sing, Holcomb reminds us why we come to the Lyric.” Last season, Mr. Holcomb sang for Broadway Artists Connection’s Cabaret Benefit, performed the role of Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess with Harrisburg Symphony and performed as a soloist in Lush Life: Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn The Florida Orchestra.
In the current season, Bernard was engaged to make his debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as a soloist in Dancing in the Street: The Music of Midtown and More; debut the role of EJ in the world premiere of Grace, a new musical, with Actors Theatre of Louisville, perform the role of Robbins/Crab Man in Porgy and Bess with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, perform as a soloist in Lush Life: Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn with Austin Symphony and in Oregon Symphony’s presentation of An African American Requiem, all of which were cancelled due to COVID-19.
Highlights of recent performances include Porgy and Bess with the Semperoper Dresden, New York Harlem Productions, and the Harrisburg Symphony; The Thirteenth Child with Santa Fe Opera at the Guggenheim, and Rigoletto with Seattle Opera. An alumnus of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, Mr. Holcomb has been heard as Ernesto in Don Pasquale and Rodolfo in La bohéme, as well as performed in Elektra, Simon Boccanegra, and Les contes d’Hoffmann.
