Performer Biography

Brian Skoog

Brian Skoog is an American tenor known for his “strong voice” (Cleveland Classical) and “fine lyric tenor” (Toledo Blade). In 2020, he will sing the role of The Defendant in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial By Jury with Toledo Opera. Skoog performed with Central City Opera in the summer of 2018, singing the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute for the Nina Odescalchi Kelly Family Matinee and the dual role of Larry/Matt in Mollicone’s The Face on the Barroom Floor. He also presented a recital of German Lieder and English song with pianist Michael Baitzer on the “Lunch and a Song” Recital Series.  In the fall of 2018, Skoog performed the role of Tebaldo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi with The Cleveland Opera. Skoog has previously appeared in Cleveland as Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Tito (La clemenza di Tito), Jenik (The Bartered Bride), Guillot (Le mariage aux lanternes), and The Witch (Hänsel und Gretel). Recent seasons include: Mark (The Divorce Box) and Gastone (La traviata) with Cleveland Opera Theater, Le Remendado (Carmen) with Dayton Opera, Theseus (Hercules vs. Vampires) and Elder Hayes (Susannah) with Nashville Opera, Chester A. Arthur (The Ballad of Baby Doe) with Toledo Opera, and Mark Smeaton (Rex) and Jacey Squires (The Music Man) with Utah Festival Opera.

Skoog is an active performer of oratorio and concert work across the United States. He debuted with the Toledo Symphony in December of 2018 as the tenor soloist for Handel’s Messiah. Having initially appeared with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016 (also performing Messiah), Skoog was featured on the 2017-2018 DPO season, singing solos for Bach’s cantata Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80 as well as Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. In the fall of 2017, he appeared in Cleveland, Ohio as the tenor soloist for the world premiere of Margaret Brouwer’s Voice of the Lake: An Oratorio for Vocal Soloists, Choirs, and Instruments. Seen and Heard International praised his “brilliant” singing and called him “one of the highlights.” He reprised his role in the environmental oratorio the following season with performances in Cleveland and Cincinnati. A video recording of the entire work was released on DVD in 2019. Skoog was featured in Fort Collins, Colorado in 2017, where he presented a recital including Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Four Hymns for Tenor, Viola and Piano. In 2018, he returned to Colorado for a performance of Messiah with members of the Fort Collins Symphony. Last season, Skoog appeared in a series of ten performances of Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe in partnership with The Cleveland Opera. Skoog has frequently appeared in concert with chamber group M.U.S.i.C., singing operatic excerpts with the M.U.S.i.C. International Chamber Orchestra as well as twice performing Johannes Brahms’s Liebeslieder Waltzer. In May 2019, he was a soloist for Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Stambaugh Chorus and Festival Orchestra.

Skoog completed his graduate work at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with acclaimed tenor Vinson Cole and appeared in many leading roles with CIM Opera Theatre under the direction of David Bamberger and the baton of Harry Davidson. Skoog received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama, where he studied with Sandra Walker and Doff Procter. During his time at Alabama, he performed as a soloist with The University Singers under Dr. John Ratledge at Carnegie Hall and the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea. Skoog has completed many prestigious artist training programs including Aspen Opera Center, Central City Opera, Dayton Opera, Nashville Opera, and Toledo Opera. For more information, please visit www.brianskoog.com.