* Praised by Simon Cowell as “the best act of the series so far,” Riesen performs with Metaphysic AI as the voice of AGT judge Howie Mandel. *
* Tenors Daniel Emmet, John Riesen and Patrick Dailey team up with AI technology wizards, Tom Graham and Chris Ume of Metaphysic, to perform “Nessun Dorma” on the LIVE semi-finals round of American’s Got Talent. *
Los Angeles, CA (August 31, 2022) – Praised as “every inch the hero in stature and voice,” award-winning operatic tenor John Riesen stars on the semi-finals on America’s Got Talent, in an act with Metaphysic AI and fellow tenors Daniel Emmet and Patrick Dailey. A resident of Buffalo, NY and a Detroit, MI native, Riesen is consistently impressing audiences with his "impassioned...and vibrant" voice (Opera Today). Riesen’s growing career boasts a variety of roles in which he excels and includes significant work in opera, musical theatre, studio recording and concert. He has released two studio recording albums: What You'd Call a Dream (2019) and Christmas at Home (2020), and several singles that have reached over 1.75 million streams on Spotify and Apple Music. John is also the head of Spotify promotion and PR for Emitha LLC, building an ecosystem for classical and crossover singers around the world to be heard on streaming services.
Upcoming, John will perform as Younger Thomson in Glory Denied with Knoxville Opera and Opera Roanoke and as Camille in the Merry Widow with Knoxville Opera. Additionally, he makes his Las Vegas Opera debut in his return to Evan L. Snyder's
murder-mystery opera, A Capacity for Evil,before making his role debut as the Duke of Manuta in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Intermountain Opera.
In the 2021-2022 season, John returned to signature roles including 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 song-writer Marcus Hummon with Nashville Opera, as well as performing in concerts around the United States.
Other recent appearances for John include his Lincoln Center debut as Tony in the West Side Story Suite with the New York City Ballet; his Carnegie Hall debut as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Musica Sacra; Rachmaninoff's Vespers with the New York Oratorio Society; the title role in Candide with Chautauqua Opera; Younger Thompson in Glory Denied with Berkshire Opera Festival, Opera Birmingham, and Des Moines Metro Opera; Adolfo Pirelli in Sweeney Todd with Michigan Opera Theater; Lensky in Eugene Onegin and Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me Kate with Intermountain Opera Bozeman; Prince Charmant in Cendrillon with the Opera Company of Middlebury; and Alfredo in La Traviata with Gulfshore Opera and Tri-Cities Opera.
Riesen is privileged to have sung for several political figures, including President Barack Obama, President Jimmy Carter, Judge Stephanie Kulp Seymour, and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He has sung the national anthem at several collegiate, semi-professional, and professional athletic organizations including the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park and the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
Before embarking upon his performance career, John avidly pursued athletics and attained Academic All-State and All-Region honors in baseball in the state of Michigan. His athletic career segued quickly into performance during college and has influenced his work ever since.
For more about John, visit johnriesen.com, follow @johnriesen on Instagram, and listen to John Riesen on Spotify.
