For over a decade, John Viscardi has moved audiences around the world with his vocal beauty and dramatic intensity. Viscardi’s operatic engagements have brought him to The Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Philadelphia, New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Opera Carolina, among others.
Winner of both the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition and Concorso Internazionale F.P. Tosti, Mr. Viscardi has appeared in both recital and concert at venues that include Carnegie Hall (New York), Geffen Hall (New York), Tokyo Opera City (Tokyo), Verizon Hall (Philadelphia) and Avery Fisher Hall (New York).
The 2023/24 season sees Mr. Viscardi with The Metropolitan Opera in a workshop for Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded, as Rodolfo in La Boheme with Bozeman Opera, Conrad in Hell’s Bell with Opera Louisiane, in concert at Merkin Hall with Classic Lyric Arts, and in solo recital at The Academy of Vocal Arts’ Warden Theatre.
In October of 2022, Mr. Viscardi made his tenor debut in Puccini’s Tosca as Cavaradossi with Opera Carolina. Of the performance, Afton Wooten for OperaWire remarked, “Viscardi did not hold back. His ‘Recondita armonia’ soared through the auditorium as it seemed he sang these endearments from his heart. The fullness of Viscardi’s sound blended beautifully with the orchestra – using a wide range of dynamics swelling to fortissimo and gradually back to sweet pianos.”
The remainder of the 2022/23 season saw Mr. Viscardi in Pélleas et Melisande with LA Opera (Pélleas, cover), the Hardin Reqiuem at Carnegie Hall, Die Fledermaus with Opera San Louis Obispo, (Eisenstein), concert with ePOP at Philadelphia’s Dilworth Park.
The 2021/22 season included, the Pilot in The Opposable Thumb with American Lyric Theatre, Pelléas in Pelléas et Mélisande with Opera Southwest and concerts with The Princeton Festival, Opera Delaware and The White Church Music Series.
Pior to his transition to lyric tenor, Mr. Viscardi’s baritone portrayals included the title roles in David DiChiera’s Cyrano at Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Carolina, Erich in Dear Erich at the New York City Opera, Gulgielmo in Cosí fan tutte at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Valentin in Faust at Michigan Opera Theatre, and Papageno in The Magic Flute at the Toledo Opera.
Mr. Viscardi’s performances with orchestra and in recital includes Carmina Burana with Opera Philadelphia, the Duruflé and Fauré Requiems, and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs (the latter three in Carnegie Hall), Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center, and a recital of Tosti songs in Tokyo. Keep reading below for more about John Viscardi…
“…one of the few in the cast who has a genuine French style to his singing…Viscardi turned in a persuasive performance.”
Fueled by a desire to make a global impact through the power of music, Mr. Viscardi is co-founder of ArtSmart, a national arts mentoring organization that empowers students in underserved communities to find their voice through mentorship with paid professional artists. Find out more about ArtSmart.
Mr. Viscardi is featured in collaboration with Glenn Morton on Brilliant Classics’ complete recording of the works of F.P. Tosti – available on Spotify and Apple Music. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Molly and two children, Jack and Noa. Mr. Viscardi is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts, New York University and a former Fellow with the Philadelphia Center of Psychoanalysis.