Salvatore Champagne, Tenor
Tenor Salvatore Champagne began his professional singing career as soloist for the European tour of Songfest, composed and conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Immediately thereafter he joined the ensemble of the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Germany, appearing in a wide range of lyric tenor roles including Mozart's Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Rossini's Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia) and Strauss's Henry (Die schweigsame Frau). Guest engagements soon brought him to some of Europe's most prestigious opera houses: the Operhaus Zürich, Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg, Teatro Bellini in Catania, and the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich.
In addition to his operatic performances, Mr. Champagne is a frequent concert and recital singer. He has appeared with the London Philharmonia, Cologne Philharmonic, Concertgebouw, and VARA radio orchestra under such noted conductors as James Conlon, Leonard Slatkin and Henry Lewis.
His singing has been recognized with numerous awards, including prizes at the 1989 Mirjam Helin Competition in Helsinki and the 1990 International Vocal Competition in s'Hertogenbosch, Holland, and grants from MUSICA, the Sullivan Foundation, and the National Institute for Musical Theater.
In 2004 Mr. Champagne joined the voice faculty of his alma mater, the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, as Associate Professor of Singing. His recordings are available on EMI and Mark Recordings labels.