Baritone Lane Johnson is a versatile soloist and choral singer performing a wide range of repertoire from Opera, Concert Works and Art Song, to Plainchant, Early Music and Liturgical Services. He made his debut with the Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera in last season’s production of Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer and will perform in next season’s concluding opera of the Ring Cycle, Götterdämmerung. He sings as cantor at Holy Rosary Church in the Bronx and as a guest musician with many other church music and concert organizations in New York City, Westchester, and Connecticut.
While studying Voice and Choral Conducting at the University of Kansas, Lane founded and sang baritone in the Ad Astra Singers, an eight-voice consort ensemble. Active from 2006 to 2009, the Ad Astra Singers performed primarily a cappella works with a focus on Renaissance and Modern repertoire. Lane also conducted musicians from Helianthus, KU’s new music ensemble, in a production of premiere one-act chamber operas.
In his Fort Worth Opera Festival debut, Lane starred as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado at Fort Worth’s Bass Hall. His performance was described as “practically perfect” with “witty delivery,” “impeccable voicing” and a Little List song that “had the audience close to tears of laughter.” He has appeared in the role of Curio in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, also with the Fort Worth Opera Festival, Sciarrone in North Carolina Opera’s inaugural performance of Tosca, and as an apprentice artist with Sarasota Opera. Other companies with which he has performed include Chelsea Opera in New York City, Connecticut Lyric Opera, The Wichita Grand Opera, Kansas Concert Opera and Winter Opera St. Louis. An enthusiastic performer of new works, Lane sang the role of Paul Massai with the Voices of Change Ensemble in Dallas in a performance of Bliss, a new opera written by Maestro Joseph Illick. In an engagement with North Carolina Opera, Lane performed as soloist and ensemble singer in a Valentine’s Day Concert, Love Letters, a program of art song featuring Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer.
He has appeared as a Festival Young Artist with Fort Worth Opera and as an Apprentice with Sarasota Opera, Wichita Grand Opera and the Seagle Music Colony. He holds a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from The University of Kansas and Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance with honors from Louisiana State University.
Copyright © 2018 Lane Johnson