John Ken Nuzzo '91

What catapulted tenor John Ken Nuzzo’s quick rise in the international opera scene was the 2000 audition for the Wiener Staatsoper in Austria. Although Mr. Nuzzo had already won first prize in the Japan round of the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in 1998, having signed exclusively with this renowned Viennese Opera House brought him such opportunities as performing the Novice in Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd, a role Mr. Nuzzo received high acclaims for. The following year, Mr. Nuzzo was heard as Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicci at the same House as well as Tony in Bernstein’s West Side Story at the Wiener Volksoper. In recognition of his outstanding work, he was awarded in June the Eberhard Waecheter Medal which is given annually to the two most promising new artists among the Austrian opera houses. In 2002, Mr. Nuzzo continued on to make his Salzburg Festival debut as Syphax in Zemlinsky’s King Kandaules in 2002.

Although various engagements took Mr. Nuzzo traveling around the globe, he always remained close to the land of his birth, Japan. In December of 2001, Mr. Nuzzo’s career was feature in the television documentary “Jounetsu Tairiku” through which his activities in Vienna became widely known in Japan. After just one year, his fame had risen to a point where he was invited to sing in NHK’s “2002 Kouhaku Uta-Gassen”, Japan’s longest running New Year’s Eve Concert on television. In March of 2003, he appeared in the prestigious musical program “Daimei No Nai Ongaku-kai 21 (Concert Without a Name)”” on TV Asahi. For his various contributions to classical music, he was awarded the Idemitsu Music Award in 2003. In December, he gave his first solo concert in Tokyo at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

2003 also marked Jon Ken Nuzzo’s debut at the Metropolitan Opera as he was invited by Maestro James Levine to perform Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos and Sellem in The Rake’s Progress. Also under the baton of Mo. Levine, he sang in concert Fidelio with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. In August that same year, Mr. Nuzzo returned again to Salzburg to make appearances in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Don Carlo and Samson and Delilah.

In addition to returning to the Wiener Staatsoper as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicci, Mr. Nuzzo continued to make a strong presence in Japan in 2004; he was heard singing the theme song of NHK’s historical drama series Shinsengumi as well as making a return visit to “Daimei No Nai Ongaku-kai 21”, and singing the role of Fenton in Falstaff at the New National Theatre Tokyo. He also sang both the American and Japanese national anthems at the season opening games of the Major League Baseball in Japan. He again appeared in “Jounetsu Tairiku Special Live”. He also appeared in ”Yakushiji Otobutai” in September. In December, he performed in concert “Mozart: His Life, His Operas” which he himself produced. At the end of the year, he was featured in a mineral water commercial for which he sang the main theme.

2006 brought John Ken Nuzzo back to New York’s Metropolitan Opera where he was heard singing Tybalt in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette and Jacquino in Beethoven’s Fidelio.

American tenor John Nuzzo is quickly making a name for himself on the international opera scene.  Mr. Nuzzo is an exclusive recording artist with Universal.  Born in Tokyo, Mr. Nuzzo received his vocal training at Chapman University in Southern California under Patrick Goeser.

John Ken Nuzzo as Nemorino in Pittburgh Opera's production of "The Elixir of Love"