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The American tenor and music pedagogue, John Grau, obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and Music from St. Olaf College (2000-2003); his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Northern Arizona University (2006-2008), and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (2010-2013).
John Grau has performed oratorio and opera from Baroque to 20th century music. He is an accomplished concert soloist, having performed as the tenor soloist in the major works of J.S. Bach, the Evangelist in Heinrich Schütz’s Weihnachtshistorie, the tenor soloist in W.A. Mozart's Requiem, the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, and as the tenor soloist in numerous George Frideric Handel oratorios.
In June 2013, John Grau sang the tenor solo in the Sergei Rachmaninov'S Vespers at the Ravina Music Festival with The Singers under the direction of Dr. Matt Culluoton. Although his career is focused primarily on concert work, he has been praised for his appearances on the operatic stage. He has recently appeared as Flute in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Nights Dream, Bardolfo in Falstaff, Dr. Blind in Fledermaus, Ferrando in W.A. Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, The Tenor Priest in W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute, and Henrik in A Little Night Music. He is also a frequent recitalist, and is a regular at early music festivals throughout the country. As a strong advocate for contemporary music, John's recent solo performances include the tenor premiere of the ASCAP Mortorn Gould Young Composer Award for Abbie Betinis’s Nattsanger, and Alec Roth’s Songs In Time Of War in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to a thriving solo career, he is also on the active rosters for The South Dakota Chorale, and The Minnesota Beethoven Festival Chorus. He has contributed to professional recordings by The Singers (Mid-Winter Songs, 2010, At the River, 2013) and The South Dakota Chorale (In Paradisum, 2011, Sacred Songs of Life and Love, 2015). He also maintains an active interest in research, education, musical outreach, and technology.
During the 2013-2014 season, John Grau had appearances with the Seicento Baroque Ensemble, Singers-Minnesota Choral Artists, South Dakota Chorale, Montana Early Music Festival , and two projects with the Colorado Bach Ensemble. His engagements during the 2014-2015 season included debuts with the Boulder Bach Festival, and the Rochester Choral Arts Ensemble performing J.S. Bach's Mass in B-minor (BWV 232); a return performance with Oratory Bach Ensemble (Director: Matthew J. Olson) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an appearance at the Boston Early Music Festival, an engagement with the Seicento Baroque Ensemble, and the Messiah Choral Society in Orlando, Florida.
John Grau's upcoming performances during the 2016-2017 include frequent appearances with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, a performance with the inaugural Duke University Bach Cantata series, an engagement with the Rochester Choral Arts Ensemble performing G.F. Handel's Messiah, and repeat performances with the South Dakota Chorale.
John Grau has served as Voice Teacher and Voice Instructor at University of Colorado in Boulder (August 2013-May 2014); Voice Instructor at Grau Voice Studio in Minneapolis (since August 2009). Since August 2015, he is Assistant Professor on the voice faculty at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He has also taught at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and has worked in the opera department at Northern Arizona University. His scholarly activities contribute to the vocal pedagogy field. He has presented his research on developing tenor voices using excerpts from G.F. Handel oratorio arias at the Minnesota Music Educators Association, and at the National Association of Teachers of Singing convention in July of 2014. He is a frequent clinician and maintains a thriving private voice studio around Orlando, Florida. He lives with his wife, two children, and black labrador outside of Orlando, and enjoys running marathons. |
