Biography
Brad Ludwin is a tenor who has quickly established himself as a strong young interpreter of the Italian and French Romantic repertoire throughout the United States. Most recently he sang his first series of Rodolfos in Puccini’s La Bohème with the Boston Opera Institute to great acclaim. This production of La Bohème was a part of the Boston Masterworks’ Series and it was consistently sold out. In the previous fall he had a strong success with the principal role of Araquil in Massenet’s under-performed La Navarraise with that same Institute. Having a strong affinity for Massenet, it was Mr. Ludwin who encouraged the Opera Institute to present this opera to the Boston public for the first time. A frequent concert performer with the Boston Lyric Opera, he was a principal soloist in their Three Tenors Concert in the Summer of 2006, which was repeated by popular demand in late November. The concerts feature many of the great Italian opera arias as well as the popular Neapolitan song repertoire at which he greatly excels. Future Three Tenors Concerts are intended with BLO. Also while in Boston, he added to his Puccini cannon by singing Rinuccio in the composer’s one comedy, Gianni Schicchi. Mr. Ludwin was so popular in Boston that he was invited to perform the national anthem live for the Red Sox at Fenway Park on May 3rd.
As a Studio Artist at the Sarasota Opera this 2007 season, Mr. Ludwin covered the powerful role of Foresto in Verdi’s early masterpiece, Attila. As a great lover of Verdi and his operas, this was an especially meaningful production to him. During that time he did a series of performances for Sarasota Opera as the Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly. He also participated in one of Maestro Victor DeRenzi’s highly anticipated Verdi lectures, singing one of Verdi’s great early songs, L’esule, as a demonstration of his early musical structure as it applied to Attila. Strangely enough, Sarasota Opera was not Ludwin’s first experience with Attila. In 2006 he sang the smaller role of Uldino in the Boston premiere of the opera with the Coro pro Musica. It was a highly anticipated and well-received event both critically and for the audience.
In 2006 Mr. Ludwin sang principal roles in excerpts from Carmen and Il Trovatore with world renowned mezzo soprano Denyce Graves and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in celebration of Opera Memphis' 50th Anniversary. Other acclaimed singers that he has worked with include the great bass Simon Estes, Lucine Amara, and the American tenor Jerry Hadley. With Opera Memphis Mr. Ludwin performed Borsa in Rigoletto while he covered the famed role of the Duke in that same opera. He was pleased to have had the opportunity to rehearse the Duke with the Memphis Symphony as they prepared for the production.
Brad Ludwin has participated in the Young Artist Programs of both the Sarasota and Chautauqua Opera Companies, the later of which awarded him the Artist Encouragement Award of 2005. His recital at Chautauqua featured Italian and Spanish songs, and he was coached by Met conductor and Verdi specialist Joseph Colaneri on his Verdi art song set. He was Tamino in scenes from Die Zauberflöte in his Merkin Hall debut at Lincoln Center. With the BASOTI program, he sang Laurie in the West Coast premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women, which has quickly become one of the most beloved works of modern opera. While in San Francisco he also sang Alfredo in highlights from La Traviata. In Hartford, Connecticut, Mr. Ludwin was conducted by the great Metropolitan Opera conductor, Steven Crawford, as the Chevalier in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites. Additional roles to his credit include Tebaldo in I Capuleti e I Montecchi, the title role of Werther, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Camille in The Merry Widow, and Don José in Carmen, to name only a few. He has displayed a great comfort level in a wide variety of musical styles ranging from Mozart’s operas to 20th Century works, the bel canto to the verismo, and nearly everything in between. Having performed opera from a very early age, (he made his debut as Don Ottavio at only the age of 18), Mr. Ludwin has sung in highlights and scenes from countless works by virtually all of the great composers. Although of American origin, he has a great aptitude for languages and romantic styles. He is most at home in Italian, which he speaks, but is also comfortable in French and Spanish.
Don José is Ludwin’s most performed role to date, as he has sung it in several productions and enjoys the many facets of this complex character. He looks forward to reprising José yet again in Houston for Opera in the Heights in their Carmen this coming fall. With Opera in the Heights he is also scheduled to perform in a well publicized gala entitled Bravissimo! this June featuring selections from Un Ballo in Maschera and La Bohème.