About Roderick George
Photo Credit: Amarr Croskey
Renowned for his commanding stage presence, exceptional vocal prowess, and unwavering commitment to musical excellence, tenor Roderick George has captivated audiences across the globe. His concert repertoire spans from the classic masterpieces of Bach and Mozart to the contemporary compositions of composers like Adolphus Hailstork, including recent performances of I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes with the Nashville Symphony and in Minneapolis with VocalEssence. He has sung over eighty performances of Handel's Messiah, including his Lincoln Center debut, and recent appearances with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina Baroque Orchestra, and El Paso Choral Society. Other recent engagements have included Mozart Requiem with Northwest Florida Symphony, Carmina Burana with Huntsville Symphony, Ninth Symphony with Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Hélène with New York Repertory Orchestra, and DvoÅ™ák Stabat Mater with Highland Park Chorale and Orchestra. Highly regarded for his performances of Nathaniel Dett's The Chariot Jubilee, he has collaborated with ensembles throughout the country, including multiple performances and a recording with the Oakwood University Aeolians. More recently, he performed the work with the Savannah Philharmonic.
George has concertized internationally, with notable highlights including appearances throughout Russia with the Orpheus Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Krasnoyarsk Philharmonic. As a music ambassador, he was privileged to perform at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Hailed for his “lyrical and profoundly expressive” voice (TriangleSings North Carolina), George has performed a diversity of leading lyric tenor opera roles including Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, Rodolfo in La Bohéme, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, Gérald in Lakmé, the title role of Albert Herring, Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore, Camille de Rosillion in The Merry Widow and David in I Was Looking at the Ceiling and then I Saw the Sky. Most recently, George sang the role of Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Wilmington and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Greensboro Opera.
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An accomplished song recitalist, George is a champion of American art song with particular interest in the art songs of H.T. Burleigh. As a specialist in the songs set to texts of poets Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes, the tenor brings a profound understanding of the cultural and historical significance of these works. To that end, he had the honor of singing the world premiere of Adolphus Hailstork’s “Four Romantic Love Songs” on poems of Dunbar and he will be featured on the forthcoming recording of Doug McConnell’s “Langston’s Lot,” a song cycle for tenor, alto saxophone, and piano. A multifaceted artist, his professional ensemble affiliations have included recordings and multiple concert tours across North America and Europe with the American Spiritual Ensemble and currently he is a featured soloist with the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, including the ensemble's recent debut in London at Royal Albert Hall.
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With a career that seamlessly combines performance and academia, Dr. George is professor of music at the University of Montevallo where he teaches courses in applied voice, song literature, foreign language lyric diction, and African American music. He holds graduate degrees in voice performance, opera, and musical theater, including the Doctor of Music degree, from The Florida State University and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, with advanced training in Austria at the American Institute of Musical Studies. He completed undergraduate degrees in music and English at Stillman College. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, he also serves on the artist faculty of the Bay View Music Festival in northern Michigan. (Updated 3/25)
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"Roderick George sang with such control and ease as to imply Ottavio’s arias are simple. Mr. George’s tenor is lyrical and profoundly expressive. His intelligent and well conceived acting realized Ottavio’s deep love for Anna through understated, reserved mannerisms that only occasionally allowed his frustrations at being unable to enact vengeance to show through."
William Adams, TriangleSings North Carolina