About Erik Grendahl
Praised for his “smooth, copper-hued baritone” (Opera News), Erik Grendahl has appeared with companies including Lyric Opera of Kansas City Virginia Opera, Opera Baltimore, The Santa Fe Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. He completed a fellowship with the Steans Music Institute at Ravinia and appeared at Carnegie Hall for the Gerda Lissner Winners’ Presentation. Additional credits include covering Valentin in Faust for Opera Baltimore, performing Eugene’s Onegin’s first act aria with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Virginia Opera.
As an Apprentice Artist with The Santa Fe Opera, Erik made his company and role debuts as the Steersman in Tristan und Isolde and René Gallimard in M. Butterfly. He also made his Alice Tully Hall debut performing Britten’s Songs and Proverbs of William Blake with Brian Zeger.
A graduate of The Juilliard School, Erik performed Herr Fluth in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Endimione/Caronte in the New York City premiere of Rossi’s L’Orfeo, and the title role in Donizetti’s Torquato Tasso, and was featured in recital as a Juilliard Vocal Honors winner.
As a young artist with The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Erik covered Schaunard in La Bohème, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and multiple roles in Galileo Galilei. Additional role highlights include Joseph De Rocher (Dead Man Walking), Barone Duphol (La Traviata), Danilo (The Merry Widow), Escamillo (Carment), Pangloss/Voltaire (Candide), Captain Corcoran (H.M.S. Pinafore), Dunois (The Maid of Orleans), and Strephon (Iolanthe). He has performed the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly with Virginia Opera and George Darrow in Berkshire Festival Opera’s workshop of Anthony Davis’s The Reef.
An active concert artist, Erik has appeared as soloist in Bach’s B Minor Mass, Brahms’s Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, Charpentier’s Te Deum, Finzi’s In terra pax, and Schubert’s Mass in G major. Competition honors include the George London Award, national semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, third prize in the Gerda Lissner Song/Lieder Competition, finalist in the Washington International Voice Competition, and recipient of the Novick Career Grant. He holds degrees in Music and Statistics from James Madison University.