From: St. Louis, Missouri. LA Opera: Nate in Highway 1, USA (2024, debut).

American tenor Chaz’men Williams-Ali’s recent highlights include his work as principal tenor at Theater und Orchester Heidelbergin in Germany, appearing as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Florestan in Fidelio, Canio in Pagliacci, Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi and most recently the Prince in Rusalka. He travelled to the Metropolitan Opera for his debut as Zorn in Die Meistersinger and to cover the role of Spinner in Fire Shut Up In My Bones, a role he inaugurated in the original production at Opera Theater of Saint Louis. Future engagements include Narraboth in Salome at Madison Opera, and Rodolfo in La Boheme at Kentucky Opera. The artist made an international debut when he joined English National Opera for the roles of Robbins and the Crab Man in Porgy and Bess in a co-production with the Metropolitan Opera and Dutch National Opera; following the London performances, he travelled to Amsterdam to appear in the roles there. At ENO he also covered Edgardo in Lucia de Lammermoor and appeared in a staged production of Britten’s War Requiem. Past engagements include Lensky (cover) in Eugene Onegin at Washington National Opera, and at Fort Worth Opera he sang Robbins and the Crab Man in Porgy and Bess, roles he inaugurated at the Glimmerglass Opera Festival the previous season. Returning to Glimmerglass last season, he produced and appeared in their sell-out Gospel Concerts.

Other past successes include the featured role of Jazz in the rarely heard Regina—the great success of the season--alongside Susan Graham and James Morris. He returned to Washington DC to sing Don Jose in Carmen in concert with the Washington Chorus under the baton of Christopher Bell, and he made his Florida Grand Opera debut as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Chaz made his Kennedy Center debut when he sang the role of Pinkerton in concert with Washington National Opera in 2017, and he returned to Glimmerglass Festival, following his previous-year’s success as Giles Cory in The Crucible, to jump in to sing Rodolfo in La Boheme.

Originally from St Louis, Missouri, the artist began his studies at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, went into Opera Theatre St. Louis Artist-in-Training program for two years, and then in studied voice at the University of Iowa School of Music. He made his professional opera debut in 2008 in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre.