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The American tenor, David Blalock, received his undergraduate degree from UNC Greensboro in 2009, where his credits include roles in La Vida Breve, The Ballad of Baby Doe, and The Tender Land. He obtained his Master of Music degree from University of Maryland, College Park in 2011.
David Blalock is becoming widely known for his beautiful lyric voice and varied repertoire. From 2009 to 2011, he was a member of the Maryland Opera Studio in College Park, Maryland, as a baritone. He sang several roles with the Studio, including Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Riolobo in Daniel Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas, and The Ring Announcer in the world premiere of Shadowboxer, an opera detailing the life of boxer Joe Louis. He has performed as a young artist with the Seagle Music Colony and Ash Lawn Opera, singing roles in La Cenerentola, La bohème, W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute, and Brigadoon.
David Blalock spent the summer of 2011 as a studio artist with Central City Opera, singing Morales in their family performance of Georges Bizet's Carmen. From 2012-2013, he spent two summers as an apprentice with The Santa Fe Opera, singing Bertram in Rossini’s La Donna del Lago, Infirmary Patient in the world premiere of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar, and covering Welko and Jankel in Strauss' Arabella. In the spring of 2013, he made his Fort Worth Opera debut as Young Thompson in Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied, while also covering Rodolfo in La bohème. As a Virginia Opera Emerging Artist during the 2013-2014 season, he was seen as First Priest in The Magic Flute, Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos and Le Remendado in Carmen. In the 2014-2015 season, he sang Jaquino in L.v. Beethoven's Fidelio with Madison Opera, Don Ottavio in North Carolina Opera’s production of W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Jonathan Dale in Silent Night with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Toby in Sweeney Todd at Virginia Opera, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Paisiello) with On Site Opera, and debuted as Rodolfo in La Bohème with Greenville Lyric Opera.
David Blalock spent the summer of 2015 as Ricky in the world premiere of Jeremy Howard Beck's The Long Walk at Opera Saratoga. His busy 2015-2016 season included both George Frideric Handel's Messiah and Pong (Turandot) with the Pacific Symphony, Toby in Sweeney Todd with Mill City Summer Opera, a Viennese Operetta concert with the Richmond Symphony, L.v. Beethoven's Choral Fantasy at UN Assembley Hall with the Shanghai Symphony, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well in Paris with Performance Santa Fe, and a return to Virginia Opera as the Steersman in The Flying Dutchman. Performances in the 2016-2017 season include his debut with Washington National Opera, performing the Ring Announcer in Champion, Roderigo in Otello with the Minnesota Orchestra, Nikolaus Sprink in Silent Night with Atlanta Opera, Rodolfo in La Bohème with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Second Jew in Salome with Minnesota Orchestra, and Count Almaviva in the North American premiere of Portugal's The Marriage of Figaro with On Site Opera.
Highlights of the 2017-2018 season included a debut with Opera San Jose as Ferrando in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte, a concert of arias and opera highlights with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, a role debut as the title character in W.A. Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito with the Maryland Opera Studio, a return to Virginia Opera as Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Messiah with Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and Virginia Symphony. David Blalock began the 2018-2019 season as Pelléas in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande with West Edge Opera, followed by a return to Virginia Opera as Sam in Street Scene, Alfredo in La Traviata with Arizona Opera, Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore with Piedmont Opera, Felix Mendelssohn's Lobgesang with the Duluth Symphony, and a return to Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Opera Hong Kong. He also joined Madison Opera for their summer Opera in the Park celebration, a concert of arias and opera highlights.
In addition to his Metropolitan Opera debut as Pong in Turandot, David Blalock's 2019-2020 season included Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Pensacola Opera, his debut with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra for Messiah, and a concert of W.A. Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. Scheduled 2020 performances that were cancelled due to COVID-19 include a return to Madison Opera as the title character in Orpheus in the Underworld, a return to Virginia Opera as Frederic in Pirates of Penzance and a reprisal of Count Almaviva in On Site Opera's highly acclaimed production of Paisiello's Barber of Seville at Caramoor. In 2021-2022, he returned to the Metropolitan Opera for productions of Ariadne auf Naxos and Turandot. Other engagements during the season included Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Bar Harbor Music Festival, Tamino in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with Pensacola Opera, a recording of Glory Denied with Atlanta Opera, and a residency at Texas Tech University with his wife, soprano Jeni Houser.
Last season (2022-2023), David Blalock returned to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Gastone in La Traviata and cover in Francis Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites, sang Second Jew in Salome with Madison Opera, debuted as the Duke in Rigoletto with Opera Columbus, and reprised his portrayal of Young Thompson in Cipullo's Glory Denied with Permian Basin Opera. Other highlights of the season included Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Columbus, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with the Northern Lights Music Festival and Indianapolis Opera (May 2023), and Opera on the River with St. Croix Valley Opera. His 2023-2024 season begins with a debut at the Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island where he reprises Ferrando in Così fan tutte. He then returns to his home company, Madison Opera, where he will make his role debut as Valcour in The Anonymous Lover by Chevalier de Saint-Georges (February 2024). He then returns to the Metropolitan Opera for their run of Turandot in the Spring of 2024 (February-June 2024) . He currently lives in Stoughton, Wisconsin. |
