It’s been a big 2017 for US baritone John Chest. Not only did he become a father, but he won a Richard Tucker Career Grant and he is now slated to make waves at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

Short Bio: Chest graduated from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. During his time there he studied under David Holloway. The American baritone is also graduate of the Opera Studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper and has also held apprenticeships with Santa Fe Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Merola Opera Programme. He is also the 2010 winner of the Stella Maris International Vocal Competition and the 2012 winner of the Arleen Auger Prize.

Major Roles and Performances: At the Bayerische Staatsoper, Chest has sung in over 80 performances and was also a member of the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper Berlin until 2016. Among the many roles he performed in Berlin was the title in “Billy Budd,” Ford in “Falstaff,” Figaro in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and the Count in “Le Nozze di Figaro.”

He has also performed at the Théatre des Champs-Elysés, Nantes Opera, Staatsoper Dresden, Washington National Opera, Aix-en-Provence and Wigmore Hall. He is coming off a run of “Le Nozze di Figaro” in Philadelphia and will appear at Glyndebourne, Madrid, Santiago, and the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich in future seasons.