©Photo: Jonathan Tichler

©Photo: Frances Marshall

Paul Appleby

Tenor

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“The vocal star, however, is Paul Appleby … who soars effortlessly through the role’s high-lying demands.”
(Richard Morrison, The Times)

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American tenor Paul Appleby is frequently praised for his interpretive depth and is one of the most admired tenor voices of his generation, regularly appearing on the world’s leading opera, concert, and recital stages.

Appleby’s 2024/25 season includes his first performances of Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust with Hannu Lintu and the Gulbenkian Orchestra, as Prunier in concert performances of La Rondine with Sir Antonio Pappano and London Symphony Orchestra, Haydn’s The Creation with Martin Pearlman and Boston Baroque, and Evangelist in Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Kent Tritle at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He also returns to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera as Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra, continuing his long-standing collaboration with conductor and composer John Adams who wrote the role for him. With the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, he performs John Corigliano’s captivating Poem in October, inspired by the Dylan Thomas work.

A graduate of New York’s Juilliard School and the Lindemann Young Artist Program, Appleby remains a leading artist of the Metropolitan Opera where he has given many critically acclaimed performances including as David in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under Sir Antonio Pappano, as Grimoaldo in Handel’s Rodelinda under Harry Bicket, in the title role of Pelléas et Mélisande conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and in The Rake’s Progress under the baton of James Levine. In addition to performances in both Don Giovanni and Die Entführung aus dem Serail, he received unanimous acclaim in the North American premiere of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys with David Robertson.

BEATRICE ET BENEDICT - Ah! je vais l’aimer © Opus Arte, Glyndebourne

Appleby has appeared as Pelléasat Dutch National Opera led by Stéphane Denève, and as Stravinsky’s Tom Rakewell at both Oper Frankfurt and in Simon McBurney’s production at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Dutch National Opera, broadcast on ARTE. At Glyndebourne Festival Opera he has appeared as Jonathan in Barrie Kosky’s production of Handel’s Saul under Ivor Bolton, as Bénédict in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict with Laurent Pelly and Antonello Manacorda, both released by Opus Arte, and most recently as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Constantin Trinks. He made his debut at La Monnaie in the world premiere of Cassandra, written by Bernard Foccroulle and Matthew Jocelyn under the baton of Kazushi Ono, and at both Opéra de Lyon and at Gran Teatre del Liceu as Bernstein’s Candide. Appleby created the role of Joe Cannon in the world premieres of John Adams and Peter Sellars’ Girls of the Golden West at Dutch National Opera, San Francisco Opera and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel, and of Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra at San Francisco Opera conducted by Music Director Eun Sun Kim and in the European premiere at Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Last season prominently featured Igor Stravinsky with performances of Les Noces conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen with both San Francisco Symphony and Orchestre de Paris, Pulcinella with Music Director Gustavo Gimeno and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and in the title role of Œdipus Rex with Santtu-Matias Rouvali and the Münchner Philharmoniker. As the Evangelist in Schmidt’s seldom-heard oratorio Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln he joined Dallas Symphony and Fabio Luisi. Further concert appearances in recent seasons include Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with The Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst and Mozart’s Requiem with Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, Schubert’s Mass No.6 with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Riccardo Muti. He made his debut with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin in Roméo et Juliette under Robin Ticciati, joined The Met Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings and most recently he collaborated with Jaap van Zweden in Bach’s St Matthew Passion with both New York Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras.

Appleby is a passionate advocate of art song and has performed at Carnegie Hall and Park Avenue Armory, Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, the Aspen and Caramoor Festivals, The Schubert Club, Boston Celebrity Series and for the Marilyn Horne Foundation. With pianist Ken Noda, he performed Schumann’s Dichterliebe at Lincoln Center and has recorded works by Schubert and Britten as part of The Julliard Sessions Digital Debut series, released by EMI Classics. He made his Tanglewood debut in a performance of Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Vanished with Emanuel Ax, and with pianist Conor Hanick, Appleby gave a North American recital tour with concerts in New York City, Philadelphia, Berkeley, and Sacramento.

Pelléas et Mélisande Act IV Excerpt © Metropolitan Opera

The Rake’s Progress trailer © Dutch National Opera

Handel: Saul ‘Birth and fortune I despise’

Girls of the Golden West ‘Moving Moment’ © San Francisco Opera

Schumann: Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden © WQXR

“the role of Caesar benefited from the bright, clear tenor of Paul Appleby…”

Seen and Heard, September 2022

“A voice of lyrical luminosity and iridescent phrasing complemented by a sympathetic presence.”

(Opera Actual, Xavier Cester, May 2022)

“Paul Appleby who brought his clear tenor sound and a troubled characterisation to his portrayal of the emotionally conflicted Jonathan.”

(OperaMag, Feb 2020)

“Appleby sang the tender pieces with warmth and heartache, and brought almost eerie vitality to moments of heady nostalgia.”

(NY Times, September 2021)

“The tenor Paul Appleby, smooth and tender in fare like Mozart, has immersed himself in the role of Joe Cannon with a Missouri twang and desperate fury.”

(New York Times, March 2019)

“Paul Appleby brought youthful impulsiveness and sweetness to Pelléas”

(Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, January 2019)

“John Butt also had a first-rate clutch of soloists [for Samson]…US tenor Paul Appleby floated with radiant serenity in his final air, “Thus when the sun”, before slipping off stage to his suicide, and took the iconic “Total eclipse” broadly, lingering poignantly on its opening words to let their horror sink in.”

***** (The Telegraph, August 2018)

“Paul Appleby was the Candide of one’s dreams: wide-eyed, innocent, winning. Every note he sang was pure gold.”

(Seen & Heard, April 2018)

“I suspect the title role [of Candide] has found an ideal interpreter in tenor Paul Appleby, comfortable on stage, with his innocent yet ardent demeanour and supple tenor, capable of smooth, legato lines from fine exclamations to sweet pianissimi.”

(Bachtrack, April 2018)

“In the title role [of Candide], Paul Appleby imbued the youthful qualities one expects from the character. He was agile, innocent and passionate.”

(OperaWire, April 2018)

“With his handsome timbre and innate way with the text, Paul Appleby is an endearing Tom. This character is one that is usually annoyingly weak-willed, but Mr Appleby manages to make of him a loveable character with whom one sympathises. One is gripped by his downfall.”

(Bachtrack, February 2018)

“The sweet-voiced tenor Paul Appleby sings ardently as Joe Cannon, a miner recovering from a broken heart”

(San Francisco Classical Voice, December 2017)

“tenor Paul Appleby as the frequently drunk and aggressive miner Joe Cannon nonetheless sounded charming with his bright, clear voice [in John Adams’ new work The Girls of the Golden West]”

(SF Examiner, November 2017)

“A tenor might easily be daunted by the demands of Joe Cannon – one of the most fascinating characters [in John Adams’ new opera The Girls of the Golden West]. The role is a stretch, requiring a voice with stamina plus a decent smattering of high notes, and Paul Appleby delivers in spades”

(Limelight, November 2017)

“the American tenor sings stylishly [as Bénédict] with a clean, pleasing voice: he acts with an endearing twinkle in the eye.”

(Hugo Shirley, Opera Magazine, November 2017)

“Paul Appleby’s Bénédict is much more than the bluff soldier when he marches into Act I – a handsome presence and a handsome voice.”

(***** review, BBC Music Magazine Opera Choice, August 2017)

“The tenor Paul Appleby (who has also sung the role at The Metropolitan Opera) embodied Tom’s eagerness and his blankness, singing with a sweet lyric tenor that easily projected in the large, mostly outdoor theatre…The final scene, in which Tom wanders through Bedlam, is acted with haunting economy by Mr. Appleby on bare stage.”

(NY Times, July 2017)

“Aix fields a strong cast, headed by Paul Appleby’s headstrong Tom, his lyric tenor clean and focused”

(Bachtrack, July 2017)

“American tenor Paul Appleby as a beautifully sung Tom Rakewell”

(Opera Today, July 2017)

“Paul Appleby sings an exultant Tom Rakewell”

(L’Avant-Scène Opéra, July 2017)

“Paul Appleby fares equally well in the duskier role of Tom Rakewell, making it easy both to sympathise with and loathe his greedy, lyrical protagonist.”

(Shirley Apthorp, The Financial Times, July 2017)

“Paul Appleby knows how to ensure his speech is constantly expressive, loading the words with meaning, and sharing his character’s evolution without overdoing it.”

(Forum Opéra, July 2017)

“light and stylish, Paul Appleby is impeccable [as Bénédict]”

(ConcertoNet, March 2017)

“Tenor Paul Appleby as Belmonte sang with the agility that one would hope to hear in Mozart and had a youthful and lyrical sound.”

(Place de l'Opera, January 2017)

“Paul Appleby’s attractive voice…[gave us] a ‘Dalla sua pace’ graced by dynamic contrasts and an ‘Il mio tesoro’ in which the challenging long run was dispatched in one breath.”

(Opera Magazine, December 2016)

“Paul Appleby made the hapless role of Don Ottavio a thing of tenorial beauty”

(New York Times, October 2016)

“The best vocal performance of the evening came from Paul Appleby as Don Ottavio, who replaced the originally schedule tenor with a few weeks’ notice. His penetrating voice suited the role well, and he sang Ottavio’s two big arias with poise and elegance. His voice scaled up to the highest notes silvery smoothness and opened up with aching beauty. The tempo chosen was slow, and Mr Appleby caressed every phrase”

(Bachtrack, October 2016)

“Paul Appleby, whose light, flexible tenor was ideal for this repertoire”

(Opera Magazine, September 2016)

“Jonathan [is] tenderly sung by Paul Appleby”

(BBC Music Magazine, September 2016)

“The vocal star, however, is Paul Appleby, a charmingly confused Bénédict, who soars effortlessly through the role’s high-lying demands.”

(Richard Morrison, The Times, July 2016)

“so much of it sounds so good. D’Oustrac and Appleby generate a considerable sexual charge together and are gorgeous in their arias”

(Tim Ashley, The Guardian, July 2016)

“Paul Appleby sings attractively in the pallid role of Bénédict”

(Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, July 2016)

“Paul Appleby [is] a charmingly docile Bénédict.”

(Richard Fairman, Financial Times, July 2016)

“Paul Appleby [is] irresistible in the title role – his generous tenor warmth makes entirely credible the way his defiant cynicism [is] gradually eroded to reveal [a] passionately beating heart.”

(Independent, July 2016)

“Paul Appleby was a strong Belmonte”

(Opera Magazine, July 2016)

“as Mr. Appleby showed throughout this impressive recital, which included works by Lachner, Schumann, Berlioz, Wolf and Villa-Lobos, he is that special singer who puts word first in performing songs…Mr. Appleby’s voice, simultaneously virile and vulnerable, proved ideal for the teeming expressivity of this song…[and] was in excellent voice.”

(New York Times, March 2016)

“Appleby proved to be an extremely impressive performer throughout the evening both in terms of his vocal prowess and his acting abilities. He has a sweet, lyrical tenor voice but he is also capable of producing enormous vocal power and he has a wide and well differentiated dynamic range…Appleby gave a rapt and unforgettable performance of Ich wandelte unter den Bäumen. He sustained the line beautifully and brought a rich vocal colouring…and an expressive resonance to the high notes…The song crackled with energy and Appleby delivered a vocal tour de force while showing us his consummate acting skills…this was an excellent recital and Appleby is clearly a terrific performer and a name to watch out for in future.”

(Seen & Heard, March 2016)

“The gifted young tenor Paul Appleby [shaped] the phrases with melting tenderness.”

(New York Times, December 2015)

“He was at his best when [singing] at full voice, his natural power and amber tone ringing out.”

(New York Classical Review, December 2015)

“Tenor Paul Appleby was impressive in his San Francisco Opera debut as the love-struck prince Tamino, warmly conveying his ardour for the princess Pamina with beautiful lyricism and a moving dramatic performance.”

(San Francisco Examiner, October 2015)

“Tenor Paul Appleby made an impressively bold and ardent company debut as her prince, Tamino.”

(Mercury News, October 2015)

“Appleby has a flexible Mozart tenor full of expression”

(Bachtrack, October 2015)

“As Jonathan, Paul Appleby, a young American tenor fresh from Juilliard and small roles at the Met, made a most successful debut. In the first half especially he bore a heavy vocal load, dispatching it gracefully, with a pleasing and appropriately youthful sound, and he embodied the awkwardness of his emotional dilemma, torn between father and friend.”

(Opera Magazine, September 2015)

“Jonathan is sung by the rising young American Paul Appleby [who has a] bright, pingy lyric tenor”

(The Sunday Times, August 2015)

“The role of Jonathan is a tricky one, requiring clarity in the high notes, robustness low in the register and nobility in both: Paul Appleby duly delivered.”

(Bachtrack, July 2015)

“[a] fine performance from Paul Appleby as Jonathan”

(Financial Times, July 2015)

“The young American lyric tenor, Paul Appleby, brought a strong sense of interior drama to Jonathan”

(Opera Today, July 2015)

“Musically this evening is well-nigh flawless. No praise too high for the singing of Appleby.”

(The Independent, July 2015)

“Paul Appleby, another first timer here, sang Jonathan with sincerity and commitment.”

(Music OMH, July 2015)

“Paul Appleby was absolutely top notch as Tom”

(Opera Magazine, July 2015)

“a cast led by a radiant Paul Appleby in the lead role…Mr. Appleby was in spectacular form as Tom. Floppy-limbed and animated by idle nervous energy, he was every inch the “shuttle-headed lad” described in the libretto. His roomy, relaxed tenor was a source of unalloyed pleasure, especially in crescendos in which it bloomed without any hint of strain or steel. If this performance is any indication, his turn next season as Belmonte in Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio” will be one to watch.”

(New York Times, May 2015)

“Paul Appleby was engaging, his bright tenor conveying Tom’s shifting fortunes – whether his airy ‘Here I stand’ in the opening scene, petulance at Baba’s ceaseless chattering, defiance of Shadow in the graveyard, and finally his conviction that he is Adonis.”

(Classical Source, May 2015)

“As Tom Rakewell, tenor Paul Appleby is simply brilliant, managing to negotiate a difficult score and give a credible performance of a character who goes from nonchalant young man to sinner and finally raving lunatic.”

(Epoch Times, May 2015)

“As Tom, the thoroughly athletic Paul Appleby acquits himself well. Scampering about in the early sections and even leaping mercurially onto a table at one moment, he goes into the rake’s decline impressively.”

(Huffington Post, May 2015)

“Appleby not only handled the immediate, low register challenges of “The woods are green”, but sang with mesmerizing tonal clarity and melodic elegance in the tremendous, brief aria “Love, too frequently betrayed.” Appleby was excellent in Tom’s vocal transformations from naïve to worldly, desperate, and, finally, tragic. He was also easy and light on his feet, moving with a young man’s air – a natural in the role.”

(New York Classical Review, May 2015)

“Appleby excelled in several of his features, as in the act two spotlight, “Vary the song”, which consecrates a shift in Rakewell’s shallow desires.”

(The Guardian, May 2015)

“Paul Appleby sang lustrously, also tirelessly, and exerted as much sympathy as the callow title-role would allow.”

(Financial Times, May 2015)