American tenor John Carlo Pierce enjoys an international reputation for beautiful sound and incisive acting. He holds a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Connecticut. Prior to his appointment at CSU, Dr. Pierce was most recently assistant professor of voice at New Mexico State University (NSU), and director of the Doña Ana Lyric Opera, NSU’s educational opera company. He has directed productions of Dido and Aeneas, Serse, Orphée aux enfers, and Suor Angelica.

As a member of the Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Program, Dr. Pierce made his professional debut in 1995 as Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos, and also sang the roles of Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Beppe in I pagliacci with that company. He made his European debut in 1997 at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy as Victor in in Die tote Stadt. As a result of his work in this production, he was invited to join the International Opera Studio of the Cologne Opera in Germany. He was promoted soon after to principal soloist, and in the next two seasons sang leading roles in Die tote Stadt, Falstaff (Fenton) and Macbeth (Malcolm), among others.

From 2001-2006, Dr. Pierce held the position of resident lyric tenor for the State Theater in Mainz, Germany. He was responsible for over twenty-five roles covering a broad range of repertoire. Highlights from his tenure in Mainz include the role of Jonathan in Handel’s Saul, which was broadcast live on German television, and the world premiere of an opera based on the life of Johannes Gutenberg by Gavin Bryars. Other roles include Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Conte Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Alfredo (La traviata) and Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi).

Dr. Pierce joined the Giessen Theater in 2006, and over the next three seasons, added several new roles to his repertoire including Prince Ramiro in La cenerentola, Narraboth in Salome, and Medoro in Orlando Paladino, which was broadcast live on German radio. Dr. Pierce has appeared as guest artist at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Aargau Festival in Switzerland, and in Darmstadt, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Freiburg, Halle, Heidelberg, Kassel, Nuremberg, and Schwerin.

Recent and upcoming credits include debuts with the El Paso Opera, the New Mexico Philharmonic, the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra and the St. John’s Bach Project in Albuquerque, N.M.