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George Hogan, voice
Mr. Hogan made his operatic debut at the young age of 19 years of age for the Des Moines Metro Opera Company as Theseus in a PBS televised production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His New York debut occurred at Alice Tully Hall in the PBS televised and EMI recording of the “Rossini Gala” with Marilyn Horne, Samuel Ramey, Thomas Hampson, and others. His Australian debut took place at the famed Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia under the baton of Sir Richard Bonynge. His debut at Chicago Lyric came when he stepped in at the last minute to sing Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for an indisposed colleague. He made his European debut with the Der Vlaamse Oper in Antwerp, Belgium. He has performed at nearly every opera house in North America during his prestigious operatic career.
Mr. Hogan continued his vocal studies with the great Metropolitan Opera Bass, Giorgio Tozzi with a grant made possible by the San Francisco Opera Company. Other awards include a Sullivan Career Grant from the Sullivan Foundation, International Finalist in the Luciano Pavarotti Competition, ‘First Prize’ Winner in the New York City San Francisco Merola Opera Auditions, a Grand Finals Winner at the San Francisco Merola Opera Program, and the winner of the George London Voice Competition and the Arturo Giargiari Bel-Canto Voice Competition.
Mr. Hogan has been on NPR Radio and in Live from Lincoln Center Broadcasts. He has performed on the concert stage, in recital and in oratorio with the Houston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Washington Concert Opera, and many others in such works as the Verdi Requiem, Mozart Requiem, Mendelssohn Elijah, Handel Messiah, Bach B Minor Mass, Beethoven Ninth Symphony, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, and the Haydn Creation under the batons of Roger Wagner, Christoph Eschenbach, and Erich Leinsdorf to name a few.
Mr. Hogan will be retiring this December after serving 18 years as Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. While he was at UMHB his duties included applied voice, the Director of the Opera/Music Theatre program and Opera Cru, an elite vocal troupe, which he founded in 2002. His group Opera CRU performed for over 70 thousand elementary students in central Texas with their children’s opera productions. During his 18 years at Mary Hardin-Baylor he also executed the role of Artistic Director for the Natchez Festival of Music in Natchez, Mississippi for three seasons and made a rare Carnegie Hall debut as stage director for “Opera Shorts” which featured short operatic works by contemporary composers. He worked closely with Seymour Barab during this production. He continues to serve on the artist-faculty at the Lutheran Summer Music Festival and Academy in the United States.
His students have received graduate teaching assistantship positions at Florida State University, Michigan State University, University of Oklahoma, and LSU, and SMU to name a few. Many of his students are currently singing professionally in America, Mexico and Europe. He has produced winners at the TEXOMA NATS and the South Texas Chapter NATS auditions.
In January 2018 he will open the doors to his New York City voice studio. Although most of his time is currently spent teaching, his booming low voice is still in demand around the country in recital, concert, oratorio, opera, commercials and narration. Outside of his active teaching routine, he continues to serve as an adjudicator, vocal clinician, conductor and stage director. Mr. Hogan serves his community through churches, charities and local events. Upcoming engagements include recitals in the United States and a Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.
Mr. Hogan holds a Masters of Music degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, a Bachelors of Music from Trevecca Nazarene University and an Artist Diploma from the world-renowned Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
Omaha World Herald “The evening consisted of one high point after another. There was the stunning trio of Hogan, Miss Fleming and Drews from Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer "And it was a pleasure to encounter the up-and-coming George Hogan, whose bravura in the buffo role of Il Podesta wisely steered from the stereotypical. The clarity of his lowest register in the second-act “Si, per voi, pupille amate,” was riveting."
Opera News "George Hogan's Basilio was full of resonant deviousness."
La Fiamma (Italy) “…ed il basso Americano George Hogan riesce molto convincente nell’ambiguità del personaggio di Cecil.” Translation: “…and the American bass, George Hogan, succeeded very convincingly in the ambiguous personage of Cecil.”
New York Times “George Hogan gave a solid, comic performance as Elviro.”
Chicago Sun-Times “To Elviro, the bossy servant sung by George Hogan, deserved all the noisy applause and cheers Lyric’s audience lavished on him Friday night.”
SERGE MARTIN “On savoure les interventions du trucelent Elviro de George Hogan, proposant, déguise en tavendiére, ses “bloe-metjes” au grand plasir du public anversois.” Translation: “One savored the contribution of George Hogan’s Elviro disguised in lavender selling his flowers to the delight of the Antwerp audience.”
Opera Canada "In the supporting cast, George Hogan’s Frere Laurent was a standout. This young bass has a clear Cesare Siepi like resonance and timbre."
Opera Magazine "Thanks to George Hogan's gift of humor, I heard an audience laugh for the first time in many a year during Leporello's catalogue recitation."
San Francisco Chronicle "Hogan has oaken weight in his bass. It is also quite flexible and possesses a fetching cantabile warmth."
The Australian (Sydney, Australia) “One of the evening’s bright moments was the voice of American bass, George Hogan. His Handel was like dark crystal.”
LA TIMES (Martin Bernheimer) “George Hogan avoided second-hand buffoonery and sang an impressive Varlaam.”