Biography
In his second season in the ensemble of Landestheater Linz (2024/2025), Alexander York will sing Papageno in François de Carpentries' new production of Zauberflöte, Leuthold in Guillaume Tell, Badger in The Cunning Little Vixen, Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, and Adam in the world premiere of Mike Svoboda's Adam und Eva.
In September 2023, American baritone Alexander York joined the soloist ensemble at Landestheater Linz in Austria. In his first year as a fest singer, he sang Silvio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, Ruggiero in Halévy’s La juive, Kilian and Ottokar in Der Freischütz, and Fiorello and Ambrogio in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Additional credits include the world premiere of Febel’s Benjamin Button and a rare performance of Oberleithner’s Der eiserne Heiland.
Previous to joining the ensemble in Linz, York was seen as Ned Keene in Staatstheater Augsburg's Peter Grimes, Escamillo in Andrea Bernard's adaptation of Carmen at Opéra Grand Avignon, and as Schaunard in La bohème under the baton of James Gaffigan at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. In October 2022, he joined the Opéra de Paris for a series of concerts in Tokyo. This past summer, he was seen as Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at the Musica Le Mans Festival in Le Mans, France.
In the January 2021 edition of Opéra Magazine, York was profiled as a "Jeune Talent" [young talent]. In September 2020, he was awarded the City of Gordes Prize as well as the Best Young Baritone or Bass Prize at the International Competition of Art Song [Concours international de la mélodie] in Gordes, France.
From 2018-2021, York was a member of the opera studio of the Opéra national de Paris. Highlights of his work there include singing Tarquinius in Britten's Rape of Lucretia, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, and the Horloge comtoise and Le chat in Ravel’s L'Enfant et les Sortilèges and recitals at the Palais Garnier, in Évian-les-Bains, Amiens, Metz, and Grenoble.
York made his Bayerische Staatsoper debut in 2018 in Viktor Ullmann's Der zerbrochene Krug as the Bedienter. In 2017, he sang the role of James Ramsey in the world premiere of Zesses Seglias' To the Lighthouse at the Bregenz Festival.
In his first two years in Europe, York was a fixture of the opera stage at Theater Augsburg -- firstly, making his European debut as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore in 2016; secondly, as a scholarship-holding member of the 2016-17 soloist ensemble, playing Angelotti and Sciarrone in Tosca, the Captain in Karl Amadeus Hartmann's Simplicius Simplicissimus, Weickmann/Fuhrmann in Hans Thomalla's Kaspar Hauser, and as the Herald in Verdi's Otello; and most recently, singing the German premiere of Kelvin (Off stage) in Dai Fujikura’s Solaris.
In addition to his operatic pursuits, York studied German, French, and Slavic Lied repertoire at the Munich University of Music and Theater Arts under the tutelage of Lars Woldt, Rudi Spring, Donald Sulzen, and Andreas Schmidt. In June 2023, York presented a recital entitled "Americans in Paris" with the pianist Daan Boertien at the American Cathedral of Paris. The concert was a culmination of years of research into the American composers who either studied, taught, or lived in Paris during the 20th Century. In January 2023, York collaborated with Edward Liddall to create "Les Dons d'Espagne" [The Spanish Dons], which highlighted the fabulous and fantastical music written about Don Quixote and Don Juan over the centuries.
York was a 2016 winner of the prestigious Fulbright Research Grant, a 2017 winner of the Hanns-Seidel Foreign Student Grant, and has been supported by the arte-Musica Foundation in Frankfurt.
As a concert artist in Europe, York has sung a solo recital at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, performed with the Munich Radio Orchestra, and joined the Heidelberg Philharmonic to sing the bass solos in Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium. Recently, he appeared with the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich in a concert of Mahler's 14 Lieder und Gesänge and sang a Liederabend in the Hamburg Art Museum. Equally at home in the new music scene, York recently gave the world premiere of Rudi Spring's Augenblicke des Abschieds, a song cycle for baritone and hammered dulcimer. Last June he sang the bass solos and Jesus in Bach’s St. John Passion and the bass solos in Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle in Paris.
In 2017, he took part in the Excellence in Voice/Opera masterclass led by Hedwig Fassbender in Weikersheim, Germany and the IMAS masterclass with Lars Woldt in Bückeburg, Germany.
Before making his way to Europe, York made the rounds in the American summer festival scene. As a Fellowship recipient at the Aspen Opera Center in 2016, he performed as Snooks in William Bolcom’s A Wedding and was seen in masterclass with Renée Fleming. As an Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera in 2015, York jumped in on one day’s notice to sing Cervantes/Don Quixote in Mitch Leigh’s Man of La Mancha, performed Baron Duphol in La Traviata, and received the prestigious John Moriarty Award for collegiality and service to the company.
During his graduate studies at Northwestern University, York performed the Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Joseph DeRocher in the Chicago-area premiere of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, Sam in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, and Overtop in Michael Ehrmann's modern adaptation of Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor.
He was awarded a Luminarts Fellowship, a Bel Canto award from the Bel Canto Society of Chicago, and was the runner up in the Art Song/Oratorio division of the American Prize. York is a 2014 graduate of Lawrence University in Wisconsin, where he was seen as Sid in Albert Herring, Harry Easter in Street Scene, and Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods.
Upon joining the Académie in Paris, York received the Richard F. Gold Career Grant.
Repertoire
Opera/Operetta
Composer, Work
Composer
Opera/Operetta
Part
H. Berlioz, Béatrice et Bénédict
H. Berlioz
Béatrice et Bénédict
Claudio
L. Bernstein, Candide
L. Bernstein
Candide
Maximilian*
L. Bernstein, Candide
L. Bernstein
Candide
King of El Dorado
L. Bernstein, Trouble in Tahiti
L. Bernstein
Trouble in Tahiti
Sam
G. Bizet, Carmen
G. Bizet
Carmen
Escamillo
G. Bizet, Carmen
G. Bizet
Carmen
Morales*
W. Bolcom, A Wedding
W. Bolcom
A Wedding
Snooks
B. Britten, Albert Herring
B. Britten
Albert Herring
Sid
B. Britten, Billy Budd
B. Britten
Billy Budd
Billy Budd*
B. Britten, Midsummer Night's Dream
B. Britten
Midsummer Night's Dream
Demetrius*
B. Britten, Peter Grimes
B. Britten
Peter Grimes
Ned Keene
B. Britten, Rape of Lucretia
B. Britten
Rape of Lucretia
Tarquinius
M. Da Falla, El retablo de Maese Pedro
M. Da Falla
El retablo de Maese Pedro
Don Quixote
G. Donizetti, Don Pasquale
G. Donizetti
Don Pasquale
Malatesta*
G. Donizetti, L'elisir d'amore
G. Donizetti
L'elisir d'amore
Belcore
R. Febel, Benjamin Button
R. Febel
Benjamin Button
Zweite Zeitungsjunge
C. W. Gluck, Iphigenie en Tauride
C. W. Gluck
Iphigenie en Tauride
Oreste*
C. Gounod, Roméo et Juliette
C. Gounod
Roméo et Juliette
Gregorio
C. Gounod, Roméo et Juliette
C. Gounod
Roméo et Juliette
Mercutio*
F. Halévy, La juive
F. Halévy
La juive
Ruggiero
K. A. Hartmann, Simplicius Simplicissimus
K. A. Hartmann
Simplicius Simplicissimus
Hauptmann
G. F. Händel, Ariodante
G. F. Händel
Ariodante
Polinesso
J. Heggie, Dead Man Walking
J. Heggie
Dead Man Walking
Joseph DeRocher
R. Leoncavallo, I Pagliacci
R. Leoncavallo
I Pagliacci
Silvio
J. Massenet, Manon
J. Massenet
Manon
Lescaut*
J. Massenet, Werther
J. Massenet
Werther
Albert*
W. A. Mozart, Così fan tutte
W. A. Mozart
Così fan tutte
Guglielmo*
W. A. Mozart, Don Giovanni
W. A. Mozart
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni*
W. A. Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro
W. A. Mozart
Le nozze di Figaro
Figaro*
W. A. Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro
W. A. Mozart
Le nozze di Figaro
Il conte d'Almaviva
W. A. Mozart, Die Zauberflöte
W. A. Mozart
Die Zauberflöte
Erster Priester*
W. A. Mozart, Die Zauberflöte
W. A. Mozart
Die Zauberflöte
Papageno
G. Puccini, La bohème
G. Puccini
La bohème
Schaunard
G. Puccini, La fanciulla del West
G. Puccini
La fanciulla del West
Happy*
G. Puccini, Madama Butterfly
G. Puccini
Madama Butterfly
Sharpless*
G. Puccini, Madama Butterfly
G. Puccini
Madama Butterfly
Yamadori*
G. Puccini, Tosca
G. Puccini
Tosca
Angelotti
G. Puccini, Tosca
G. Puccini
Tosca
Sciarrone
H. Purcell, Dido and Aeneas
H. Purcell
Dido and Aeneas
Aeneas*
H. Purcell, Fairy Queen
H. Purcell
Fairy Queen
Oberon
M. Ravel, L'Enfant et les Sortilèges
M. Ravel
L'Enfant et les Sortilèges
Le Chat
M. Ravel, L'Enfant et les Sortilèges
M. Ravel
L'Enfant et les Sortilèges
L'Horloge
G. Rossini, Il barbiere di Siviglia
G. Rossini
Il barbiere di Siviglia
Fiorello
Z. Seglias, To the Lighthouse
Z. Seglias
To the Lighthouse
James Ramsey
R. Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos
R. Strauss
Ariadne auf Naxos
Harlekin*
J. Strauss, Die Fledermaus
J. Strauss
Die Fledermaus
Dr. Falke
H. Thomalla, Kaspar Hauser
H. Thomalla
Kaspar Hauser
Weikmann/Fuhrmann
G. Verdi, Otello
G. Verdi
Otello
Un heraldo
G. Verdi, La traviata
G. Verdi
La traviata
Barone Douphol
G. Verdi, La traviata
G. Verdi
La traviata
Giorgio Germont
R. Wagner, Tannhäuser
R. Wagner
Tannhäuser
Wolfram von Eschenbach*
C. M. von Weber, Der Freischütz
C. M. von Weber
Der Freischütz
Kilian
C. M. von Weber, Der Freischütz
C. M. von Weber
Der Freischütz
Ottokar
K. Weill, Street Scene
K. Weill
Street Scene
Harry Easter
*not yet performed on stage
Oratorio
Composer, Work
Composer
Work
Part
J. S. Bach, Johannespassion
J. S. Bach
Johannespassion
Bass and Jesus Recits
J. S. Bach, Weihnachtsoratorium
J. S. Bach
Weihnachtsoratorium
Bass
J. Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem
J. Brahms
Ein deutsches Requiem
Baritone*
G. F. Händel, Messiah
G. F. Händel
Messiah
Bass
G. Rossini, Petite messe solennelle
G. Rossini
Petite messe solennelle
Bass
*not yet performed on stage
Reviews
Alexander York als Papageno:
"Alexander York als Papageno . . . mit seinem Extra-Heurigenlied auf den Wein, und mit dem Zauberglöckchen als symbolischer Gitarre über die Bühne rockend gab es für ihn Extra-Jubel."
[Alexander York as Papageno, with his extra drinking song and with the Glockenspiel as a symbolic guitar rocking across the stage, received extra jubilation.]
"Dem Papageno von Alexander York merkt man bei seinen ausgedehnten Dialogstellen die US-amerikanische Herkunft kaum an – manches geht schon ins wienerisch-Deutsche! Nota bene war ja Schikaneder auch ein Abgesehen davon läßt er seine hervorragende Stimme strahlen und ist auch komödiantisch eine Spitzenbesetzung dieser Rolle."
[In the extended dialogues of Alexander York's Papageno, one barely perceives his American roots - sometimes he even slips into Viennese German! Note that Schikaneder was himself also a foreigner. Beyond that, he lets his outstanding voice shine out and is also comedically a top-casting for this role.]
"Der heimliche Star des Abends ist Alexander York, der seine Rolle als Papageno schauspielerisch wie sängerisch überzeugend präsentiert."
[The secret star of the night is Alexander York, who convincingly acts and sings the role of Papageno.]
"Alexander York ist als Papageno gesanglich und darstellerisch vortrefflich."
[Alexander York's Papageno is sung and acted sublimely.]
Weihnachtsoratorium, Heidelberger Symphoniker, Bass
Sehr lyrisch, mit schlankem, biegsamem Bariton, klangschön strömend, erfüllte Alexander York die Bassarien. [Alexander York imbued the bass arias very lyrically, with a trim, limber, and beautifully-flowing baritone.]
To the Lighthouse, Bregenzer Festspiele, James Ramsey
"Gesanglich und artikulatorisch überzeugte vor allem . . . Alexander York als erwachsener James Ramsay" [In particular, Alexander York was convincing with his singing and articulation as the grown-up James Ramsay]
Die Fledermaus, Opéra de Paris, Dr. Falke
[D]élicieusement manipulateur en docteur Falke, Alexander York se distingue par son souffle équilibré et son phrasé élégant, lançant idéalement le célèbre « Brüderlein » [Deliciously manipulative as Doctor Falke, Alexander York distinguishes himself through his well-balanced breath flow and his elegant phrasing, launching ideally the famous "Brüderlein"]
Liederabend, Opéra de Paris
“C'est toutefois le baryton Alexander York qui se mesure à la pièce de bravoure du programme : les Neue Alexanderlieder de Wolfgang Rihm .... Le chant passe d'une lenteur funèbre (que le chanteur ne rend jamais empesée) à une explosion vocale tonnante (assumée) basculant en voix de tête (guidée) [La] voix est opulente, large en assise et vibrato, emplissant l'acoustique sans noyer les articulations.” [In any case, it is the baritone, Alexander York, who measures up to the hardest piece of music in the program: The Neue Alexanderlieder of Wolfgang Rihm.... The singing travels from a mournful slowness (which the singer never lets become stiff) to a thundering vocal explosion (engaged) rocking into the head voice (well-guided). The voice is opulent, well placed and well-vibrated, filling the space without losing the articulation.”]
Concert, Opéra de Paris, Don Giovanni
"Toute la scène de la mort de Don Giovanni met pleinement en valeur le baryton, Alexander York. Physique de séducteur, sourire carnassier, il maîtrise sans conteste la partie vocale du personnage." [The entire scene of Don Giovanni's death highlighted the baritone, Alexander York. With the physicality of a seducer and a carnivorous smile, he mastered without question the vocal part of the character.]
Carmen, Opéra Grand Avignon, Escamillo
"La fraîcheur vocale du baryton Alexander York, incarnant le fier Escamillo, déploie le potentiel scénique de son jeu malicieux et amusant. La texture ronde, puissante et sonore de son chant déploie aisément son accroche." [The vocal freshness of the baritone Alexander York, who plays the proud Escamillo, exposes the scenic potential of his malicious and humorous acting. The texture of his round, strong, and sonorous voice easily hooks in.]
La juive, Landestheater Linz, Ruggiero
Vokal enorm potent und wie alle Sänger und auch das Regieteam bejubelt: Alexander York als Großvogt Ruggiero. [Enormously vocally potent and celebrated with all the singers and direction team alike was Alexander York as City Provost.]
<i>Liederabend, Opéra de Paris</i>
“C'est toutefois le baryton Alexander York qui se mesure à la pièce de bravoure du programme : les Neue Alexanderlieder de Wolfgang Rihm .... Le chant passe d'une lenteur funèbre (que le chanteur ne rend jamais empesée) à une explosion vocale tonnante (assumée) basculant en voix de tête (guidée) [La] voix est opulente, large en assise et vibrato, emplissant l'acoustique sans noyer les articulations.” [In any case, it is the baritone, Alexander York, who measures up to the hardest piece of music in the program: The Neue Alexanderlieder of Wolfgang Rihm.... The singing travels from a mournful slowness (which the singer never lets become stiff) to a thundering vocal explosion (engaged) rocking into the head voice (well-guided). The voice is opulent, well placed and well-vibrated, filling the space without losing the articulation.”]
Contact
Samantha Farber
Founder and director
sf@sonoartists.com
+43 (0) 660 507 5051
Sylvia Saavedra-Edelmann
Artist Manager