JOHN RIESEN
TENOR
BIOGRAPHY
Hailed as “every inch the hero in stature and voice” (Classical Voice North America), award-winning American tenor John Riesen is consistently impressing audiences with his "impassioned...and vibrant" voice (Opera Today). John’s growing career boasts a variety of roles and includes significant work in opera, musical theatre, studio recording, and concert, both classical and Pops. He has released two albums: What You'd Call a Dream (2019) and Christmas at Home (2020) and several singles, including “Autumn Leaves” (2021), “What a Wonderful World” (2021), and “Maria” (from West Side Story, 2021), that have reached ten million streams on Spotify and Apple Music, and has lent his voice to 130 commercially available recordings. Recently, critics praised John’s “soaring vocal performance” on the 2025 album Love Is… by Terry Lee Nichols (NewAgeCD.com). John is also the head of Spotify promotion and PR for Emitha LLC, building an ecosystem for classical singers to be heard around the world.
John’s 2025-2026 season begins at Grant Park Music Festival in The Magic of Rodgers & Hammerstein conducted by Mo. Larry Loh. He then returns to the popular Prohibition Pops concert with Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and Sioux City Symphony Orchestra and returns to Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra for their concert of Opera Hits. In addition to several private concerts throughout North America, John looks forward to launching the tour of Aria Nouveau, his duet program with Top 10 Billboard-charting soprano Laura Auer, in select American cities throughout the season.
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In the 2024-2025 season, John made his Carnegie Hall début as tenor soloist in Carmina Burana with Oratorio Society New York under the baton of Mo. Kent Tritle. He then returned to Carnegie Hall to close out his season as tenor soloist with Mozart’s Vesperae de Dominica. He returned to Utah Opera in one of his favorite roles, Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd, made his role début as Don José in Carmen with Sioux City Symphony, and joined Las Vegas Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah. Additionally, he appeared in concert with Shreveport Opera, and at several private events.
In the 2023-2024 season, he returned to Pacific Symphony in Mo. Carl St. Clair’s finale concert of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which he also performed with the Southwest Michigan Symphony, and joined Flint Symphony Orchestra for Carmina Burana. On the Pops stage, he joined The Dallas Symphony and The Phoenix Symphony for their touring concert Prohibition, Virginia Arts Festival with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd, and both Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra for Holiday Pops programming. He was also a featured soloist in Opera Las Vegas 25th anniversary gala, joined Portland Opera for an all-Puccini program, and returned to Opera Montana as Rodolfo in La bohème. The previous season included his début with Brevard Music Center as tenor soloist in Carmina Burana under the baton of Mo. JoAnn Falletta, his role début as Camille in The Merry Widow at Knoxville Opera - where he also reprised his Younger Thompson in Glory Denied - his role début as the Duke in Rigoletto at Opera Montana, a return to Opera Las Vegas as Detective Daniel Lewis in A Capacity for Evil, and Younger Thompson at Opera Roanoke. Additionally, he was named a semifinalist on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
In recent seasons, John appeared as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance with Utah Opera, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi with On Site Opera, Chris in the world-premiere of Favorite Son by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Marcus Hummons, Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore with Pensacola Opera, Martin in The Tender Land with The Hart School, Alfredo in La Traviata with the Pacific Symphony, and Younger Thompson with Berkshire Opera Festival.
Other career highlights include his début as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette as a guest artist with the Janiec Opera Company at Brevard Music Center, his Detroit Opera début as Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, Younger Thompson in Glory Denied with UrbanArias, and Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me, Kate with Intermountain Opera Bozeman. He also made several role débuts including Prince Charming in Cendrillon with Opera Company of Middlebury, Lensky in Eugene Onegin with Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Alfredo in La Traviata with Gulfshore Opera, Younger Thomspon in Glory Denied with Opera Birmingham and Des Moines Metro Opera, the title role in Candide with Chautauqua Opera, and his Lincoln Center début as Tony in West Side Story Suite with the New York City Ballet. John’s honors include being a repeat Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, 1st prize in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition, and 2nd prize in the Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year Competition, as well as awards from the Opera Columbus Cooper-Bing Competition and the Opera Birmingham Competition.
John has been privileged to sing for political figures, including President Barack Obama, President Jimmy Carter, District Judge Stephanie Kulp Seymour, and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He has sung the national anthem at several collegiate, semi-professional, and professional organizations, including the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, the Pensacola Ice Flyers, MSU hockey/baseball, and more. Before singing, John avidly pursued athletics, attaining all-region pitcher status in 2006 and 2007.
Current as of July 23, 2025
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"... Riesen was perfectly cast..." – Utah Arts Review
The Pirates of Penzance – “Making his Utah Opera debut, John Riesen was perfectly cast as Frederic. . . Riesen’s expressive voice was mannered in just the right way to reflect Frederic’s self-righteousness, and as an actor, he fully committed to being the “slave of duty.” The seriousness he brought to his character’s moral dilemma propelled the show forward and heightened its humor."
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“... Riesen’s (Chris) voice filled the theater with a welcoming richness…” – Music City Review
Favorite Son – “Right out of the gate, John Riesen’s (Chris) voice filled the theater with a welcoming richness in the lower register. It continued to bloom further throughout the story in more grand tenor-y moments, as in the anthemic chorus of the eponymous “Favorite Son” song."
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"... Every inch the hero in stature and voice…” – Classical Voice North America
Glory Denied – “As Younger Jim, Riesen glowed with his love of Alyce... Every inch the hero in stature and voice, Riesen could express the sweetest of emotions or become rapier-sharp with indignation or defiance when he was roused by demons real or imagined.”
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"... youthfully blooming tenor..." – San Francisco Classical Voice
La Traviata– “Riesen, with his youthfully blooming tenor and beamish face, comes off as an eager innocent who falls hard and fast for a woman he’s drawn to but doesn’t quite fathom. That lays the ground work for his wounded anger at her apparent betrayal later on. . . Riesen is still on a roll as the second act begins, all but belting out his infatuation. . . His brow furrowed, voice fibrous, and body tense with anger, Alfredo flings his gambling winnings at Violetta in a violent frenzy. It’s a powerful, frightening moment.”