Brandon Jovanovich
Brandon Jovanovich is an American operatic tenor whose repertoire encompasses Wagner, Puccini, Strauss, Britten, and from early Baroque to world premiere operas. He is most known for his passionate portrayals of Slavic, French and German operas. His signature roles include Don José in Bizet's Carmen, B. F. Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca, and the title role in Wagner's Lohengrin.
The 2007 Richard Tucker Award winner keeps a demanding schedule that sees him performing in both concerts and operas through the world.
Early life and education
Brandon Jovanovich is a native of Billings, Montana. He began in school choirs at a young age, before eventually being assigned the male lead in The Sound of Music in his senior year of high school.
Jovanovich excelled in sports and was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. After one year in North Dakota he applied for admission at Northern Arizona University and was accepted into the music department with a scholarship. Initially, it was not his intention to become a singer but vocal performance was a requirement of the music program. He was thought to be a bass-baritone at first and sang in the chorus in Carousel, then he was assigned as understudy for the role of Sarastro in The Magic Flute (in English). When the principal was unable to perform, he had to take over. He failed to meet some of the academic requirements for his music degree and so he switched to the theatre department in his final years, where he performed in roles from Neil Simon, Shakespeare and Sondheim.