Justin Harrison, baritone
Native to the DC Metro Area, baritone Justin Harrison looks forward to his summer as an Apprentice Artist at Charlottesville Opera, where he covers Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and studies Schaunard in La bohème. He will also perform as the baritone soloist for Voices from the Killing Jar with Mind on Fire. Most recently, he originated the role of Giovanni in the world premiere of Frances Pullock’s Briscula the Magician with Bel Cantani Opera, with whom he made his debut in the role of Marullo in Rigoletto earlier this season. On the concert stage, he is a regular soloist with Baltimore Musicales; he has also been the bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah with both Opera Roanoke and DuPont Park Oratorio Society and in Fauré’s Requiem with Grace Episcopal Church. As a Vocal Apprentice at National Music Festival, he performed Ravel’s Don Quichotte à Dulcinée in concert. Harrison is the proud recipient of awards from NATS, Morgan State University, and the Sue Goetz Student Competition of Voice. Most recently, he won 2nd place in the Mary E. Singletary Vocal Arts Competition for Emerging Artists.
Justin Harrison is a recent alumnus of the Maryland Opera Studio (MM 2019). During his time with the studio, he performed with the UMD Bach Cantata Series as a soloist in Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? (BWV 8). On the mainstage, he appeared as Harry Easter in Street Scene, Billy in Mahagonny Songspiel, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and 1st officer and Marquis de la Force (cover) in Dialogues des Carmélites. Harrison also originated the role of Ed Larson in the world premiere of Theo Popov’s Town Hall. In scenes performances, he was seen as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and Alvaro in Florencia en el Amazonas. In the summer of 2018, Harrison studied Italian music and language at Opera Lucca, where he performed opera scenes in the titular roles of Rigoletto, Don Giovanni, and Le nozze di Figaro.