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The American tenor, Robert T. Swensen, received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education at the University of Arizona, a Professional Studies Diploma at the Juilliard School and his Master of Music degree in Music Eduation cum laude from the University of Southern California (1986). He was also mentored and closely associated with tenors Nicolai Gedda and Luciano Pavarotti. He went on to participate in the San Francisco Opera’s Merola program and to have contracts with the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, and with Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. He won 1st Prize in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and presented his New York debut recital in 1987. He has received prizes in other competitions including Premio Giuseppe Borgatti Concorso, Italy, ARD Munich Competition, Walter Naumberg Competition, ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, Puccini Foundation, and George London Foundation.
A noted W.A. Mozart and bel-canto specialist, Robert Swensen has appeared as guest artist with major opera companies including those of Stuttgart, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Bayreuth, the Bavarian State Opera-Munich, the Berlin State Opera, the Opera Comique Paris, the Grande Theatre Geneva and the Vienna State Opera. His recent engagements include appearances as Ferrando in W.A. Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte at Opera Pacific in Southern California, the same role in a critically acclaimed production of Cosi fan Tutte at the Santa Fe Opera's 1997 Summer Season, Nemorino in Madison Opera's 1997 production of L'Elisir D'amore, Luzio in Wagner's Das Liebesverbot with the Wexford Opera Festival in Ireland, the title roles in W.A. Mozart's Mitridate at the Teatro Regio in Turin, W.A. Mozart's Il Sogno di Scipione with the Bavarian State Opera and W.A. Mozart's Idomeneo at the Flemish Opera in Antwerp. He has also appeared in concert at Lincoln Center' s Mostly Mozart Festival, Hermann Prey's Schubertiade in New York and in Vienna, with the Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester, the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, and made his Carnegie Hall debut in the protagonist role of George Brown in Boildieu's La Dame Blanche with the Opera Orchestra of New York.
A very successful recording artist, Robert Swensen’s extensive discography includes Samson et Dalilah and Oedipus Rex for Phillips, and Oedipus Rex for Great Performances on PBS, Robert Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri for Deutsche Grammophon, the title role in Haydn's Orfeo for L'orfeo records, St. Phar in Adam's Le Postillon de Longemeau and Graf Hugo in Spohr's Faust for Capriccio records, Orff's Trionfo d'Afrodite and Menelssohn's Elijah for EMI records and the tenor arias for J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) for Teldec and the J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion (BWV 245) for RCA. A passionate champion of song literature, Robert Swensen has recorded an album of songs by Sergei Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Grieg and Hugo Alfven and a CD of Lieder by Robert Schumann partnered by pianist Paula Fan.
Robert Swensen is also an active adjudicator both locally and nationally having judged the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Concert Artists Guild International Competition held in New York City. Formerly an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Music, he accepted the Artist / Associate Professor of Voice position at his undergraduate Alma Mater, the University of Arizona School of Music and Dance. Since 2001, he serves as Professor of Voice at Eastman School of Music. Among his pupils: Guo Wu (Soprano). He currently lives in Rochester, New York. |
