Download Mr. Brent's Full Resume


 

“Joseph Michael Brent, sang Mayor Upfold with a penetrating sound
and remarkably projected diction (the best of the entire cast).”
David Shengold, Opera News

Joseph Michael Brent is a member of the Michigan Opera Theatre Studio. His roles in Michigan Opera Theatre’s 2016/17 season include Laurie in Mark Adamo’s Little Women, the Kronprinz in Kevin Puts’s Silent Night, Trin in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West, and El Remendado in Bizet’s Carmen.

Mr. Brent joined the Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) Studio in 2015, as a member of the inaugural resident artist quintet. He made his debut with MOT that season as the 3^rd SS Officer in Weinberg’s The Passenger; he sang Martin in The Tender Land, Malcolm in Macbeth, and first armored man in Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

In the 2015/16 season, Mr. Brent made several important role debuts. He made both role and company debuts as Mayor Upfold in the Bronx Opera’s production of Albert Herring, Edgardo in the New York Opera Exchange production of Lucia di Lamermoor, and Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly at the Quisisana Resort. Of his Edgardo Lei, a co-authors of the Allegri con Fuoco blog, said “Tenor Joseph Michael Brent made me weep too, his sound is beautiful, round and tender but also agile and powerful. Brent is truly a romantic hero, with a handsome stage presence and an expressiveness to match.”

Mr. Brent is a sought-after concert soloist and recitalist. He most recently performed Ralph Vaughn William’s song cycle for tenor and piano quintet On Wenlock Edge, at Detroit’s Scarab Club. Last season Mr. Brent was selected by Empire Opera and composer Michael Fiacc to premiere four of Mr. Fiacc’s songs for tenor and piano. Other performances of note include tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 (Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium), Mozart’s Requiem (Orchestral Nepal), Handel’s Messiah (Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity), Schubert Mass in B-flat, D. 234 (with members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra).

Other recent performances include concerted arias with the orchestra of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria; as well as company debuts with Pittsburgh Opera Theatre (Camille in The Merry Widow), Capitol City Opera in Atlanta (Camille in The Merry Widow), the Martina Arroyo Prelude to Performance Program (E.T.A. Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann), and La Musica Lirica (Rodolfo in La Bohème).

He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Georgia in the fall of 2014 with a dissertation on selected vocal works of Giovanni Paolo Bottesini. During his tenure as a student at the University of Georgia Mr. Brent sang all of the lead tenor roles between the spring of 2010 and 2014, including Rodlofo (La Bohème), E.T.A. Hoffmann (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Don Jose (Carmen), Frederick (Pirates of Penzance), Ralph Rackstraw (H.M.S. Pinafore). He is a native New Yorker, a proud graduate of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, holds an undergraduate degree from the conservatory of music at Purchase College S.U.N.Y. He was a student of Metropolitan Opera veteran, baritone, Frederick Burchinal.