CHAUNCEY PACKER
TENOR
BIOGRAPHY
Chauncey Packer is an exciting American tenor hailing from southern Alabama. Last season, Mr. Packer returned to The Metropolitan Opera to sing Bardolfo in Falstaff and Luis Rodrigo Griffith in Champion. He also made his role debut as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel at New Orleans Opera, brought his celebrated Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess to Germany’s NDR Elbphilharmonic Orchestra, sang and danced as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls with Charlottesville Opera, and reprised his Cavaradossi in Toscafor the Soo Theatre. This season, he returns to The Metropolitan Opera as Howard Boucher in the highly anticipated Dead Man Walking and reprises his Spinner in Fire Shut Up in Bones. In addition, he brings his Alfredo in La Traviata to Knoxville Opera and joins the South Florida Symphony and Louisiana Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah.
Mr. Packer recently made his role debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca and as Jo the Loiterer in Mother of us All at Chautauqua Opera, returned to The Metropolitan Opera as Robbins & Crab Man and Spinner in Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in my Bones, a role he reprised in 2022 with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Scalia in Scalia/Ginsbergat Chautauqua Opera, as well as postponed or cancelled performances as Robbins & Crab Man in Porgy and Bess with Greensboro Opera and Howard Boucher in Dead Man Walking with The Metropolitan Opera. He made his Metropolitan Opera début in the roles of Sportin’ Life, Robbins, and Crabman in Porgy and Bess,was a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Colour of Music Festival, appeared in concerts with the Saint-George International Music Festival and the Harrisburg Symphony, was Sportin’ Life with New York Harlem’s Porgy and Bess at Teatro Regio in Torino, Italy, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Soo Theatre Project in Michigan. [read more...]
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"... excellent..." – New York Times
Fire Shut Up in My Bones – “The entire cast was excellent, including the bright-voiced tenor Chauncey Packer as Spinner, Billie’s womanizing husband."
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“... lean, ringing tenor…” – Opera News
Porgy and Bess (recording) – “Chauncey Packer’s Sportin’ Life is a true entertainer, putting his unique stamp on “It ain’t necessarily so.” With his lean, ringing tenor, he flirts with the melody, sliding and whooping, and the chorus repeats every flight of vocal fancy. Even the orchestra gets into the act, responding with similar colors. In Packer’s hands, “There’s a boat that’s leavin’” is sinuous and seductive, making Bess’s defection inevitable, and the orchestra cuts loose spectacularly on the playoff."
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"... clarion-voiced tenor…” – Opera News
Fire Shut Up in My Bones – “…the flattering charm of clarion-voiced tenor Chauncey Packer’s Spinner.”