biography

American tenor Eric Rieger has enjoyed success performing opera throughout Europe where he has sung under such conductors as John Elliot Gardner, Stefano Ranzani, and Franz Welser-Möst. His career has led him to the opera companies of Zürich, Luzern, Basel, Trier, Regensburg, Kaiserslautern, Bremerhaven, Osnabrück, Nordhausen, Konstanz, Novara, Treviso, as well as Zomeropera Alden Biesen in Belgium, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Citizens Theatre in Scotland, and Everyman Palace Theatre in Ireland.  Known for his interpretations of Rossini, Donizetti, and Mozart, Dr. Rieger has excelled in such roles as Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Lindoro (L’Italiana in Algeri), Nemorino (L’Elisir d’Amore), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Tonio (La Fille du Régiment), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), and Ferrando (Cosí fan tutte). His large repertoire spans from the Baroque (Alcina, Dardanus), to the 20th century (The Rake’s Progress, Albert Herring).

Equally at home on the concert platform, Dr. Rieger has been featured at the Claudio Monteverdi Festival in Italy, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and Carnegie Hall. He has appeared with many notable orchestras including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Basel Sinfonietta, St. John’s Orchestra (London), the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra “Les Musiciens,” the Trier Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestras of Harrisburg and Lubbock, and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. Frequent oratorio and concert performances have included Handel’s Messiah; J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew and St. John Passions, B Minor Mass, Magnificat and many Cantatas; Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass; Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Rossini’s Messe Solennelle; Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, among many others. A passionate recitalist, Dr. Rieger has performed an eclectic repertoire of art song with the Boston Art Song Society, Lyric Fest in Philadelphia, Market Square Concerts in Harrisburg, St. John’s Smith Square in London, and many other venues across the U.S. and Europe. His solo debut album Poet’s Journey: Song Cycles of Benjamin Britten is available on the Affetto/Naxos record label, and he is featured on the Naxos International recording James Whitbourn: Carolae with the Grammy nominated Westminster Williamson Voices.

In addition to his performance career, Dr. Rieger is in demand as a voice teacher and currently serves as Associate Professor of Voice at Florida State University and on the voice faculty at Si Parla, Si Canta in Italy. Prior faculty appointments include Western Washington University (Coordinator of Vocal Studies/Director of Opera), Westminster Choir College, Texas Tech University, and Nazareth College. Additionally, he was Assistant Director and faculty member of the CoOPERAtive Program, a young artist program for singers at Westminster Choir College. His frequent masterclass engagements have included appearances at the University of Memphis, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Missouri State University, Texas Tech University, Colorado State University, Nazareth College, Buffalo State College (SUNY), and Carnegie Mellon University. He has presented research nationally and regionally at conferences for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). A passionate language and diction specialist, he is fluent in German and Italian, conversant in French, and has coached singers on diction and dialect throughout Europe, South America, and the United States. Dr. Rieger is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (DMA & BM with distinction) and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (MM).