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The American baritone and voice teacher, Stephen Salers, studied at Music History, Solfège, Piano at Yale University School of Music (1985-1988; (while in high school). He obtained his Bachelor of Music degree in General Music Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music at The Johns Hopkins University (1987-1988); and his Bachelor of Music degree magna cum laude (1991) and Artist Diploma in Music with Distinction (1994) from the Boston University School of Music (1988-1994). He first gained worldwide attention in 1996, when he won First Place in Belgium’s Queen Elisabeth International Competition of Singing and became the first American to win the Grand Prix of one of the most important vocal competitions in the world. Also that year, he captured First Place in the 1996 International Puccini-Licia Albanese Competition; National Finalist of the 1996 Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions; first place winner of the Leontyne Price Competition; recipient of the Esther B. Kahn Career Entry Award; candidate of the Marian Anderson Award; and a George London Foundation Award in memory of Bruce Yarnell. It was indeed no surprise when he next obtained America’s most prestigious vocal award, the 1999 Walter W. Naumburg International Competition becoming the first and only musician to win both the Queen Elisabeth & Walter W. Naumburg International Competitions in their combined approximate 180 year illustrious history.
Stephen Salters has performed extensively throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, the UK and the USA. He created the title role in Elena Ruehr’s tour de force dance opera Toussaint Before the Spirits for Opera Boston and premiered Ruehr’s Crafting the Bonds about American writer and former slave Hannah Bond. Recent appearances include Wagner’s Rienzi and William Walton's The Bear at Boston’s Odyssey Opera, Philip Glass' Symphony No.5 at the Kennedy Center and at New York City’s Trinity Church, a historic sesquicentennial vocal recital honoring Harry T. Burleigh at Skidmore College, and Salter’s debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, singing in Central Park for over 100,000 spectators.
Other highlights include concerts with the orchestras and symphonies of Baltimore, Belgium, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, HR-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt), Houston Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Paris, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Rochester, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo and Orchestra of St. Luke's. He has worked with leading conductors including Maurizio Benini, Gary Bertini, Ivor Bolton, James Conlon, Will Crutchfield, Christoph Eschenbach, Jane Glover, Martin Haselböck, Martin Isepp, Seiji Ozawa, Robert Spano, Bobby McFerrin, Nicholas McGegan, Keith Lockhart, Leonard Slatkin, Marc Soustrot, Pinchas Steinberg, Julian Wachner, and Hugh Wolff. In addition, he has sung at leading Festivals worldwide, including Aldeburgh, Banff, Edinburgh, Pietrasanta, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Vail, BAM’s Next Wave, and other American and European festivals. he has appeared in world premieres of Ysaye Barnwell’s Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem, Daniel Sonenberg’s The Summer King, Philippe Fénelon’s Les Rois; Monteverdi’s Orfeo in Orvieto, Italy; Dmitri Shostakovich's The Nose; Weill’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny; Gluck’s Alceste; W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte; Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and L’elisir d’amore; George Frideric Handel's Alcina and Giulio Cesare; Rossini’s La Cenerentola; Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci; and Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes at Tanglewood on the 50th anniversary of that work’s USA premiere.
Stephen Salters has demonstrated his versatility on the concert stage, from J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 through all styles and periods of the traditional repertoire until Gustav Mahler's Symphony No.8 and beyond. A versatile stylist, he has also appeared in pops programs, including with the Boston Pops Orchestra on their national holiday tour. A celebrated recitalist, Salters has thrilled and moved audiences all over the world and is a much sought-after interpreter and advocate of new music. He conducts master-classes and has a residency called Until Now: Discovering Your Life-Force.
Stephen Salers has made several CDs including one of French melody, German lieder and spirituals with pianist Shiela Kibbe for Cypres, and Telarc’s award-winning recording of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride with Boston Baroque and Christine Goerke. His most recent recordings include Spirit: Are You There? You Are There; several world premiere performances and recordings, including William Bolcom’s Billy in the Darbies written for Salters and the Lark Quartet; and 3 different CDs of Elena Ruehr’s music all written for Mr. Salters – Toussaint Before the Spirits; Averno & Gospel Cha Cha; Song of the Silkie with the Borromeo Quartet/Cypress Quartet. The summer before COVID-19 began, he was a featured soloist on a DVD & CD recording of Phillip Glass’s epic 5th Symphony with Maestro Julian Wachner and the Trinity Wall Street Choir. His latest release is Julian Wachner’s Epistle Mass “Live” recording created expressly for Salters & Songs for Stephen by Elena Ruehr.
Baritone Stephen Salters, a newly-minted tenure-track Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Tennessee. |
