Leadership

About John Tiranno, Artistic Director ​

Hailed by The New York Times as “ardent and mellifluous” as well as a “clear-voiced tenor”, some of John Tiranno’s recent and upcoming singing engagements include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, and the role of Tamino (The Magic Flute) with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah with the Nashville Symphony, Messiah and Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette with the Santa Fe Symphony, the roles of Aronne (Mosè in Egitto) and Goro (Madame Butterfly) with Opera Southwest, and numerous performances with ChatterABQ. Highlights of his international appearances include his European debut in Rome singing the Saint Saëns Requiem (Festival Internazionale di Musica e Arte Sacra), his South American debut in São Paulo, Brazil singing Mozart’s Missa in C (at Auditório Ibirapuera), Mahler’s Symphony No. 8  in Ontario, Canada (Brott Music Festival), and recitals at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology in Jedda, Saudi Arabia. He has been a part of numerous world premiere performances, including creating three operatic roles for Norwegian composer Gisle Kverndokk - The Young Man in Upon this handful of Earth, Trouble in Max and Moritz, and the Man in the Mirror in Supersize Girl (all with New York Opera Society), as well as singing the world premiere of Gregory Walker’s The Passion According to St. Toscanini (Boulder Philharmonic).

 

John lived in New York City for 14 years and during that time was involved in choral music at the very highest levels, as a choir member, section leader, soloist, and conductor. He has worked with famed choral and orchestral ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Voices of Ascension, Musica Sacra, the Oratorio Society of New York, and the American Symphony Orchestra, performing in venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, St. Peter’s Basilica and Archbasilica of St. John Lateran (Rome, Italy), as well as Trinity Wall Street, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Temple Emanu El, St. Thomas Church, and the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola.

 

Originally from Buffalo, NY, John currently lives in Santa Fe and not only is the Artistic Director of the Zia Singers, but also directs the choir program at the Gonzales Community School. He is a frequent choral adjudicator and clinician in and around New Mexico while maintaining an active private voice studio and performing regularly as part of the Young-Tiranno Duo, an ensemble that he started with his wife, violinist Elizabeth Young, in 2018. John has 4 children, Luca, Adelaide, Joseph, and Henry.   John Tiranno website