Brian Vu
Described by The New York Times as having an “ample and pleasing tone,” tenor Brian Vu is an exciting performer recognized for his vocal and dramatic abilities. The upcoming 2022-2023 season sees Brian return to Minnesota Opera as Bryce to mount the world premiere of Edward Tulane, a return to the Metropolitan Opera as Sergio in a new production of Fedora, and debuts with Sarasota Opera as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Hawaii Opera Theater as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi. During the 20-21 season, Mr. Vu made his tenor debut with The Atlanta Opera as Soldier in Der Kaiser von Atlantis and in a concert of Kurt Weill repertoire and joined Opera Omaha/LA Opera for their new recording of David Hertzberg’s The Rose Elf as The Beloved/Horus. He was also slated to return to the Metropolitan Opera to sing the Journalist in Lulu (COVID19), and cover the Huntsman in Rusalka and Novice’s Friend in Billy Budd (COVID19). Mr. Vu has debuted the role of Manrico in Il trovatore at Opera in the Heights, was scheduled to appear as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Great Bend Center for Music (COVID19), starred in a short film entitled QUANDO co-produced by Long Beach Opera and Heartbeat Opera which will celebrate Verdi’s music, and made two company and role debuts at Opera Columbus singing Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers and Madison Opera singing Pluto in Orpheus in the Underworld. Future role debuts include the title role in Bernstein’s Candide and Alfredo in La traviata TBA.
Mr. Vu is a recent graduate of the Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist program, where over two seasons he performed Baron Douphol in La traviata, Second Nazarene in Salome, Berardo in Handel’s Riccardo Primo, Hannah before in As One, Calvin Griffith in The Summer King, John Brooke in Little Women, Leo Stein in 27, Figaro (student matinee) and Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Mr. Vu also covered the roles of Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Ping in Turandot.
Equally at home on the concert stage and recording studio, Mr. Vu made his Carnegie Hall debut singing Mitch Leigh’s Impossible Dream with the composer in attendance. Mr. Vu made a return to Carnegie Hall performing songs from the Frederich R. Koch Collection of Yale’s Beinecke Library. Additionally, Mr. Vu has lent his singing voice for the HBO television series “Watchmen.”
Mr. Vu has participated as a Vocal Fellow at Ravinia Steans Music Institute, an Apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera, Young Artist at the Glimmerglass Festival, Vocal Fellow in Marilyn Horne’s Music Academy of the West and is a former member of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio. A First Place Winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition, he is a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, recipient of the Sullivan Foundation Award, Third Prize in the Gerda Lissner Lieder competition, and a major prize winner in the Opera Index Competition, among others.
Mr. Vu holds a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance and Music Education from University of California, Los Angeles and both a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music.
