American baritone John Chest is having a pretty stellar season. He was just announced as a Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant winner, and this June, he’ll be heading to Wales to sing as a finalist in the 2017 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

John chatted with us from Philadelphia, where he’s set to sing Count Almaviva in Opera Philadelphia’s production of Le nozze di Figaro, opposite his fiancée, Layla Claire as the Countess. He gave us a sneak peek of his upcoming gig in the title role of Billy Budd at Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the unique excitement about being a 2017 Cardiff finalist.