-
Brian Skoog, voice
Brian Skoog is an American tenor known for his "strong voice" (Cleveland Classical) and "fine lyric tenor” (Toledo Blade). His current season includes appearances with The Cleveland Opera, Toledo Opera, and a company debut with Opera NEO in San Diego. Recent seasons include performances with Central City Opera, The Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Opera Theater, Dayton Opera, Nashville Opera, Pensacola Opera, Toledo Opera, and Utah Festival Opera. Skoog is an active performer of oratorio and concert work across the United States. In recent seasons, he has appeared as a soloist with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Heights Chamber Orchestra, Stambaugh Festival Orchestra, and Toledo Symphony, as well as with chamber ensembles across the country. A champion of new music and living composers, Skoog was recently the tenor soloist for the world premiere of Margaret Brouwer's environmental oratorio Voice of the Lake. Seen and Heard International praised his "brilliant" singing and called him "one of the highlights.” His performance of “The Lake: A Monologue for Tenor and Piano” was included on a 2022 album of Brouwer's compositions on the NAXOS label. In 2022, he gave the world premier of the song cycle "Quarantine Poems for Tenor and Three Bassoons" by Ryan Charles Ramer. Also a highly sought-after voice teacher, Skoog serves on the faculty of the Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music. His students have been accepted to prestigious colleges and summer programs, and have performed on stages across the country. Skoog completed his graduate work at the Cleveland Institute of Music and received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama.