Canadian tenor Chris Lysack brings a vast and unusual skill set to his craft. Initially having received his formal training at Indiana University as a concert pianist (Doctor of Music) and a literary scholar (PhD, French Literature) before completing his vocal studies at Manhattan School of Music, he is uniquely positioned to approach the most challenging repertoire with intellectual rigor and refined musicianship of the highest caliber.

In the past few seasons, the “intrepid, individual artist” (Opera Now) has performed as a leading tenor throughout Europe, including at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Landestheater Salzburg, Theater Aachen, Stadttheater Bern, and the Theater Bremen, site of his “sensational début” (Opernglas). in 2014 as Walther von Stolzing (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg). He began his singing career with young-artist engagements at Chautauqua Opera and Glimmerglass Opera in New York before joining the International Opera Studio, and later the ensemble, of the Staatsoper Hamburg.

Lysack’s repertoire is broad, ranging from such favorites as Florestan (Fidelio) and Cavaradossi (Tosca), to the title roles of Les contes d’Hoffmann and Peter Grimes, to lesser-known modern works, including York Höller’s Der Meister und Margarita and Brett Dean’s Bliss. The versatile tenor also has a particular interest in Czech music, having achieved successes as the Prince (Rusalka) and Laca Klemeň (Jenůfa) at the Theater Aachen, as well as in Janáček’s song cycle Zápisník zmizelého at the Staatsoper Hamburg. In 2014, Lysack received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts for language study and role preparation in the Czech Republic.

The erstwhile pianist still appears occasionally at the keyboard, having made his German chamber music début in the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg in 2015, and his piano discography includes recordings on the Capstone and Centaur labels. Lysack studied voice with Andreas Poulimenos and Patricia McCaffrey; among his piano teachers were André Watts, Evelyne Brancart, Edward Auer, and Menahem Pressler.