Christópheren (Chris) Nomura

Christópheren (Chris) Nomura, Vocal Arts Faculty, Classical Voice

Mr. Nomura has earned a prominent place on the opera, musical theatre, concert and recital stages, appearing with many of the leading North American orchestras, in wide-ranging repertoire under internationally renowned conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, James Conlon, Sergiu Comissiona, Christof Perick, Roger Norrington, Christopher Hogwood, Ton Koopman, Bruno Weil, Paul Goodman, Jane Glover, Andrew Parrott, and Nicholas McGegan. 2015-16 brought his first Musical Theater performances in the role of Tatsuo Kimura in Allegiance, which ran on Broadway with George Takei, Lea Salonga and Telly Leung. A noted Bach and early music specialist, Mr. Nomura has been a frequent performer with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Oregon Bach Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, Music of the Baroque, Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival, Handel & Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival, Boston Baroque and the Berkshire Choral Festival.

He has performed with Apollo’s Fire, Tafelmusik and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. His collaborations with such ensembles as the S’Kampa, Boromeo, Brentano and St. Lawrence String Quartets and pianists Martin Katz, Dalton Baldwin, Charles Wadsworth, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and William Bolcom have brought him to the leading American Chamber Music Festivals across the United States. In the realm of opera, Mr. Nomura is a noted Mozartean, known for his portrayals of Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva and Guglielmo. He has likewise had a strong association with Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. He was Prince Yamadori in the SONY film codirected by Martin Scorsese and Frédéric Mitterand, conducted by James Conlon and appeared in Butterfly for his debuts with the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa, Dallas Opera and Cincinnati Opera.

Known for his deep commitment to the art of the recital, he has given more than 250 recitals throughout North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. He has appeared at Lincoln Center, the “Making Music” series at Carnegie Hall, the Celebrity Series in Boston, Ravinia, the John F. Kennedy Center and the Vancouver Recital Society. He was Artist-In-Residence with San Francisco Performances for four seasons. Mr. Nomura was invited to sing Bernstein’s Mass at the Vatican for the “Jubilee Year,” in 2000 performing before an audience of 15,000 in the Salla Nervi, simulcast to some 200,000 people in Vatican Square.

His discography includes recordings on the Sony, Dorian, Teldec, London, Denon, TDK and L’oiseau Lyre labels. His recording of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 on Telarc was nominated for a Grammy (Best Classical Ensemble Recording). ​Mr. Nomura has been the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions including a four-year Fulbright Grant to study with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey and Gérard Souzay. He was winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions as well as the Naumburg, United States Information Agency Music Ambassadors and the Marilyn Horne Foundation competitions.

Besides his private studio for vocal instruction, Mr. Nomura has been on faculties at Boston University and Stony Brook University and currently teaches at Seton Hall University. With his recent experiences on Broadway, he now works extensively with students in non-Classical genres including musical theatre, jazz, gospel and pop as well.