Wayne Tigges is quickly establishing himself as one of the bright young stars in the opera world today.
Lauded by the Chicago Sun-Times for his “rich, dark tone and beautiful legato,” Wayne Tigges joins Michigan Opera Theatre for Basilio in The Barber of Seville, returns to LA Opera for Baron Douphol in La Traviata, Atlanta Opera for Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking, and joins Opera Santa Barbara for John Proctor in The Crucible in the 2018/19 season. Last season, he sang further performances of the title role in The Flying Dutchman with Atlanta Opera, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana and Tonio in Pagliacci with New Orleans Opera, the title role in Gianni Schicchi and further performances of Tonio with Utah Opera, Ping in Turandot with Tulsa Opera, and created the role of Sgt. Aaron Marcum in the world premiere of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s An American Soldier in a return to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.
Recent performances include his first performances of Méphistophélès in Faust at the Macau Music Festival, Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking and Howie Albert in Blanchard’s Champion with Washington National Opera, all four Villains in The Tales of Hoffmann with LA Opera and Hawaii Opera Theater, the title role of Falstaff in a return to Des Moines Metro Opera, Assur in Semiramide with Washington National Opera, Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd with San Francisco Opera, the title role of The Flying Dutchman with Virginia Opera, Austin Opera and Florentine Opera, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress with the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Roy Cohn in Angels in America with New York City Opera, Mr. McGuire in Tobias Picker’s Emmeline with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Gustavo in Handel’s Faramondo with Brisbane Baroque, and Il conte Gil in Il segreto di Susanna with Opera San Antonio Opera. He also joined Opera Philadelphia for Basilio in The Barber of Seville as well as Justice Sir Alfred Wills and Colonel Henry B. Isaacson in Morrison’s Oscar.
He created the role of Joe St. George in the world premiere of Picker’s Dolores Claiborne with San Francisco Opera; sang Escamillo in Carmen at the Glyndebourne Festival and with San Diego Opera; Kolenaty in The Makropolous Case with the Opéra National de Paris; and Ariodate in Xerxes, Sam and Wesley in the world premiere of Theofanidis’ Heart of a Soldier, Ariodate in Xerxes and Zuniga in Carmen with San Francisco Opera. He sang Achilla in Giulio Cesare in his Metropolitan Opera debut and returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago the following season for further performances of the role as well as Basilio in The Barber of Seville. Mr. Tigges enjoys a strong relationship with the Lyric Opera of Chicago where he sang the title role in The Marriage of Figaro to great critical acclaim while still a member of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center (formerly Lyric Opera Center for American Artists). Also with the company, he sang Snook in Bolcom’s A Wedding, Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, Angelotti in Tosca, Sam in Un Ballo in Maschera, and Bonze in Madama Butterfly.
His other recent engagements include the Villains in The Tales of Hoffmann, Basilio in The Barber of Seville, Hercules in Gluck’s Alceste, Douglas in La Donna del Lago, and Nourabad in The Pearl Fishers with Santa Fe Opera; Donner in Das Rheingold and Zuniga in Carmen with LA Opera; the title role of Don Giovanni with Opera Pacific and Austin Lyric Opera; Blitch in Susannah with Florentine Opera, Willy Wonka in the European premiere of Peter Ash’s The Golden Ticket at the Wexford Festival, Jochanaan in Salome with Arizona Opera; Scarpia in Tosca with Austin Opera; Faraone in Mose in Egitto with New York City Opera, further performances of Basilio as well as Ferrando in Il Trovatore with Opera Colorado; Figaro with Seiji Ozawa’s Ongaku-juku Festival and the North Carolina Symphony and Austin Opera; Leporello in Don Giovanni with Pittsburgh Opera and Tulsa Opera; Basilio with Palm Beach Opera; Bonze in Madama Butterfly with LA Opera and at the Ravinia Festival under the baton of James Conlon, the Tutor in Le comte Ory as well as Owen Hart in Heggie’s Dead Man Walking with Des Moines Metro Opera; Count Walther in Luisa Miller with Chautauqua Opera; First Nazarene in Salome with the Philadelphia Orchestra; Sacerdote in Nabucco at the Gran Teatro del Liceu, and Zuniga in Carmen with San Diego Opera. He has joined Minnesota Opera as Claudius in Hamlet, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse as Superintendent Budd in Albert Herring, Cincinnati Opera for Angelotti in Tosca, Sam in Un Ballo in Maschera, and the Speaker in The Magic Flute. With Opera Omaha, he has sung Mother in Seven Deadly Sins, Gideon March in Little Women, and Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors. He has also sung the Father in Hansel and Gretel with the Fort Dodge Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to his performances on the opera stage, Mr. Tigges maintains a busy concert schedule. He recently joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3, Orchestra of Saint Luke’s for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in his Carnegie Hall debut, and Teatro Regio di Parma for Haydn’s Creation. He made his Avery Fisher Hall debut with the Collegiate Chorale as Erasto in the American premiere of Handel’s Giove in Argo. He sang Stravinsky’s Les Noces with the Cleveland Orchestra; Britten's Serenade under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis; Zemlinsky's Psalm 83 at the Cincinnati May Festival; Verdi’s Requiem with the Washington Chorus, Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, Arizona Music Festival, Cathedral Choral Society in Washington D.C., and as a guest artist at Bard College; and the title role in Elijah with both Soli Deo Gloria with John Nelson conducting and the Apollo Chorus and Orchestra. Other performances include Bach's St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion with the Knox Chamber Orchestra, Handel's Messiah with the Beyer Music Chamber Orchestra, Poulenc's Stabat Mater with the Musica Antiqua Chamber Orchestra, and concerts of operatic arias at Oregon’s Britt Music Festival.
Originally from Dubuque, Iowa, he received a graduate degree and Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music and his Bachelor of Music from Iowa State University.
