Christian Sanders has been hailed as a “…voice whose color belies his age. Someone to watch!” (Bill Eadie, SanDiego.com). His operatic repertoire encompasses Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, the title character in Albert Herring, Fenton in Falstaff, Laurie in Little Women, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, and Prince Charmant in Cendrillon, as well as a broad range of modern opera and work by living composers. Christian’s busy past season brought several significant engagements: Prince/Rat/Doll Shop Father in Edward Tulane with Minnesota Opera, Dorvil in Rossini and Foppa’s La scala di seta with Opera Santa Barbara, reprising his highly acclaimed Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd with Austin Opera, Beppe in Pagliacci with the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera and Opera Tampa, Loge in Das Rheingold with Dayton Opera, returning to the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Little Bat in Susannah, and Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte at the Ravinia Festival. This season includes a return to Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd with Dayton Opera, the Snake in The Little Prince with Utah Opera, and Rodolfo in La bohème with Minnesota Opera.
In the previous seasons, Christian made his company début with Opera Santa Barbara singing The Song Seller in Il tabarro, covered Miles Zegner in Proving Up with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (canceled due to COVID-19), performed Donald Trump in The Central Park Five with Portland Opera, appeared as the title role in Orpheus in the Underworld with Madison Opera, and joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis during the summer as Monostatos in The Magic Flute. Addtionally, he joined Des Moines Metro Opera as Tobais Ragg in Sweeney Todd and Timothy in Fellow Travelers, and participated in a number of workshops for new pieces such as The Opposable Thumb and Trade with American Lyric Theater and Beth Morrison Projects and was engaged as Lloyd the Bartender in The Shining with Minnesota Opera (canceled due to COVID-19).
As a member of the Utah Opera Resident Artist Program, Christian performed as Il Messaggero in Aïda, Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro, Remendado in Carmen, the Padre in Man of La Mancha, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Castleman in Beck’s The Long Walk. In addition to these opportunities, Christian had the honor of being a part of Des Moines Metro Opera’s Apprentice Artist program. His roles with DMMO included the Novice in Billy Budd and Mr. Erlanson in A Little Night Music. Christian joined the Young Artist Program at The Glimmerglass Festival for the 2018 season singing Jonathan Dale in the Pulitzer prize-winning opera Silent Night. He also stepped in as Tony in West Side Story during that same season under the baton of Maestro David Charles Abell. Christian rejoined The Glimmerglass Festival in 2019 to sing Bégearss in The Ghosts of Versailles by Corigliano and sang the same role in November 2019 with Château de Versailles Spectacles in France. Christian joined the Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Program for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons where he sang Bill in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, the Young Servant in Elektra, Prunier in La rondine, and Jonathan Dale in the original production of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Silent Night, which was recorded by Pentaton. He has appeared as the Prison Chaplain in the world premiere of Theodore Morrison and John Cox’s Oscar with the Santa Fe Opera and has sung the title role in The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Aspen Music Festival.
On the concert stage, Christian has been the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Point Loma Choral Union. He recently performed with the Rice Chorale at Rice University in Houston for Schubert’s Mass No. 2 and Orff’s Carmina burana. He has also appeared as a guest soloist with the San Diego Mormon Choir and Orchestra and as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the San Diego Festival Chorus in a live televised concert.
Christian was a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Region of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions in 2012. Additionally, he is a scholarship recipient of the R. Faulk and the D. Greiner Encouragement Awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Christian received his Master of Music degree in Operatic Performance from Rice University on the full-tuition Edward J. and Frances Bing Memorial Scholarship. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude in Music with a minor in Cell and Molecular Biology from Point Loma Nazarene University and currently lives in San Diego, California. Follow Christian on Instagram: @csanderstenor
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