BRIAN DOWNEN tenor, voice professor 616 Bristol Drive El Paso, TX 79912 (646) 591-6471 ● [email protected] ● www.briandownen.com
PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT Randsman Artists Management | (212) 244-5874 | [email protected] | www.randsman.com
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Israel Vocal Arts Institute (Tel Aviv) 2000 Lake George Opera Young Artist Program (Saratoga Springs, NY) 1998-2000 Ravinia Steans Music Institute (Highland Park, IL) 1998 Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for singers (Santa Fe, NM) 1997 Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Young Artist Program (St. Louis, MO) 1996 Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Young Artist Program 1995 Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers 1994
EDUCATION Yale University 1994 – 1997 • Artist Diploma, Vocal Performance • Master of Music, Vocal Performance • Talent scholarship Eastern Illinois University 1990 – 1992 • 30 hours toward Master of Arts, Music Theory and Composition • Full talent scholarship • Graduate assistantship in choral conducting Eastern Illinois University 1985 – 1987 • Bachelor of Science, Music Education • Full talent scholarship Western Illinois University 1983 – 1985 • Bachelor of Science, Music Education (transferred to EIU) • Full talent scholarship
TEACHING University of Texas at El Paso 2016 – Present • Assistant Professor of Voice – Applied voice lessons, graduate and undergraduate majors – German/French Lyric Diction – University Mixed Chorus University of Texas at El Paso 2014 – 2016 • Visiting Assistant Professor of Music – Applied voice lessons, undergraduate majors – Commercial Music Ensemble – University Mixed Chorus
Innovative Music Camps (summer show choir camp), Waterloo, IL 2010 – 2018 • Founder and Director • 18–50 junior high and high school students taught each summer • week-long intensive show choir training Friends Seminary, New York, NY 2012 – 2013 • Elementary Chorus Interim Director • 15 children 3 times a week for extracurricular chorus and performances Private voice studio, New York, NY 2010 – 2014 • Music theater performers • Community students • High school students Yale University, New Haven, CT 1994 – 1997 • Graduate voice instructor, teaching undergraduate non-majors Millikin University, Decatur, IL 1993 – 1994 • Adjunct voice professor Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 1990 – 1992 • Class voice instructor • Graduate voice instructor, teaching community students Lanphier High School, Springfield, IL 1989 – 1990 • Director of Choral Music – Mixed choir – Women’s choir – Show choir – Private voice lessons to students Decatur Park District, Decatur, IL 1987 – 1994 • Supervisor of Music – Director, Decatur Park Singers (college show choir) – Director, Decatur Young Park Singers (high school show choir) – Director, Greater Decatur Chorale (adult community choir) – Director, Greater Decatur Youth Chorale (high school choir) – Private voice lessons to high school and college students
MASTER CLASSES University of West Florida 2019 University of Texas El Paso 2012 University of Missouri–Kansas City 2010 Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 2007 Oakland University, Rochester, MI 2004
Downen, Brian – Curriculum Vitae 2 SOLO PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE Opera Tamino Die Zauberflöte Mozart at Ankor (Cambodia) 2020 General Wingrave/Narrator Owen Wingrave Little Opera Theatre of New York 2019 Tamino Die Zauberflöte El Paso Opera 2019 Il padre Piramo e Tisbe Little Opera Theatre of New York 2018 Tenor Soloist Mozart by Moonlight El Paso Opera 2018 Triquet Eugene Onegin The Metropolitan Opera 2017 Four Servants (Cover) Les contes d’Hoffmann The Metropolitan Opera 2017 Dance Master (Cover) Manon Lescaut The Metropolitan Opera 2016 Lord Cecil Roberto Devereux The Metropolitan Opera 2016 Crepuscolo/Zeriffo Veramonda L’Amazzone d’Aragona Spoleto Festival USA 2015 Don Ramiro La Cenerentola Shreveport Opera 2015 Don Ramiro La Cenerentola Pensacola Opera 2014 Belmonte Die Entführung aus dem Serail Opera Roanoke 2014 Nemorino L’elisir d’amore Opera Saratoga 2014 Damon Acis and Galatea Opera Bhutan at UTEP 2014 Harlekin Der Kaiser von Atlantis Opera Moderne (New York City) 2013 Harlekin Der Kaiser von Atlantis Klangforum Wien (Vienna) 2013 Count Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia Pensacola Opera 2013 Edward Milfort The Marriage Contract Opera Omaha 2013 Tamino (cover) Die Zauberflöte Opera Tampa 2013 Monostatos Die Zauberflöte Opera Tampa 2013 Dr. Baglioni La hija de Rappaccini Gotham Chamber Opera (NYC) 2013 Mathurin The Reformed Drunkard Little Opera Theater of New York 2013 Damon Acis and Galatea Opera Bhutan (Thimpu, Bhutan) 2013 Ruodi Guillaume Tell Caramoor Festival (NY) 2011 Marzio Mitridate, re di Ponte Little Opera Theater of New York 2011 Count Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia Teatr Wielki, (Poznan, Poland) 2009 Count Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia New Opera St. Louis 2009 Ernesto Don Pasquale Lake George Opera 2009 Little Bat Susannah Central City Opera 2008 Little Bat Susannah Mobile Opera 2008 Don Ramiro La Cenerentola Columbus Opera 2008 Count Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia Jacksonville Symphony (FL) 2007 Count Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia Kentucky Opera 2006 Belmonte Die Entführung aus dem Serail Opera Omaha 2006 Don Ottavio Don Giovanni Edmonton Opera (Canada) 2006 Lindoro L'italiana in Algeri Lake George Opera 2005 Lindoro L'italiana in Algeri Anchorage Opera 2005 Don Ottavio Don Giovanni Opera Birmingham 2005 Don Ottavio Don Giovanni Mobile Opera 2005 Tonio La fille du Regiment Knoxville Opera 2005 Harlekin Der Kaiser von Atlantis Edmonton Opera 2005 Alfredo La traviata Caramoor Festival (NY) 2005 Count Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia Columbus Opera 2004 Don Ottavio Don Giovanni Cleveland Opera 2004 Ralph Rackstraw H. M. S. Pinafore Colorado Symphony 2004 Ferrando Così fan tutte Caramoor Festival 2003 Gastone La traviata Tulsa Opera 2003 Don Ramiro La Cenerentola Bob Jones University (Greenville, SC) 2003 Lindoro L'italiana in Algeri Central City Opera 2003 Don Ramiro La Cenerentola Knoxville Opera 2002 Don Ramiro La Cenerentola Cleveland Opera 2002 Lindoro L'italiana in Algeri Pamiro Opera (where??) 2002 Belmonte Die Entführung aus dem Serail Lake George Opera 2002 Tamino Die Zauberflöte Dayton Opera 2002 Tamino Die Zauberflöte Colorado Symphony 2002 Count Almaviva Il barbiere di Siviglia Dayton Opera 2001
Downen, Brian – Curriculum Vitae 3 Publio Il sogno di Scipione Gotham Chamber Opera 2001 Elvino La sonnambula Caramoor Festival 2001 Spirit of the Masque Gloriana Central City Opera 2001 Ali Les pèlerins de la Mecque L'Opera Francais de New York 2001 Don Ramiro La Cenerentola Eugene Opera 2000 Tamino Die Zauberflöte Caramoor Festival 2000 Pasquin Le Docteur Miracle Orchestra of St. Luke’s (NY) 2000 Paolino Il matrimonio segreto Lake George Opera 2000 Gérald Lakmé Israel Vocal Arts Institute (Tel Aviv) 2000 Eisenstein Die Fledermaus Opera Idaho 2000 The Student Der Jasager Opera Theater of Pittsburgh 2000 Tamino Die Zauberflöte Opera Idaho 1999 Don Ottavio Don Giovanni Opera Delaware 1999 Roderigo Otello Virginia Opera 1999 Lindoro L'italiana in Algeri Nevada Opera 1999 Ferrando Così fan tutte Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra 1998 Little Bat Susannah Opera Theater of Pittsburgh 1998 Roméo Roméo et Juliette Opera Northeast 1998 Nanki-Poo The Mikado Eugene Opera 1997 Don Ramiro La Cenerentola Yale Opera 1997 The Mayor Albert Herring Yale Opera 1996 Bénédict Béatrice et Bénédict Yale Opera 1995 Ferrando Così fan tutte Yale Opera 1995 Concert/Oratorio Tenor Soloist Messiah El Paso Chorale and Orchestra 2018 Tenor soloist Symphony No. 9 El Paso Symphony Orchestra 2016 Fideo A Rose In Winter (World Premiere) St. Rita Catholic Church (Dallas) 2016 Tenor Soloist Symphony No. 9 York Symphony 2013 Tenor Soloist Esther First Presbyterian Church (Columbia, SC) 2013 Tenor Soloist Theresienmesse Ascension Singers Chorus & Orchestra (NYC) 2012 Tenor Soloist Carmina Burana York Symphony 2012 Tenor Soloist Liebeslieder Walzer Bridgeport Symphony 2011 Tenor Soloist Messiah Bridgeport Symphony 2011 Tenor Soloist Creation First Presbyterian Church 2009 Tenor Soloist Messiah Alabama Symphony 2007 Tenor Soloist War Requiem Daejeon Philharmonic (Korea) 2006 Tenor Soloist Messiah Jacksonville Symphony 2006 Tenor Soloist Messiah National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall 2006 Tenor Soloist Messiah Pensacola Symphony 2005 Tenor Soloist Symphony No. 9 Dayton Philharmonic 2004 Tenor Soloist Messiah Delaware Symphony 2004 Tenor Soloist Messiah Colorado Symphony 2003 Tenor Soloist Messiah Syracuse Symphony 2003 Tenor Soloist Messiah Florida Philharmonic 2002 Tenor Soloist Elijah Caramoor Festival 2002 Tenor Soloist Elijah Colorado Springs Symphony 2002 Tenor Soloist Messiah The Masterworks Chorus at Carnegie Hall 2001 Tenor Soloist Messiah Colorado Springs Symphony 2001 Tenor Soloist Messiah Boise Philharmonic 1999 Tenor Soloist St. John Passion Yale Camerata 1998 Tenor Soloist Messiah Hartford Symphony 1998 Tenor Soloist St. Matthew Passion Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA) 1997 Tenor Soloist Creation New Haven Symphony 1997 Tenor Soloist Requiem Delaware Symphony 1997
Downen, Brian – Curriculum Vitae 4 Recitals West Florida University 2019 The University of Texas at El Paso 2018 The University of Texas at El Paso 2019 University of Texas at El Paso 2012 Opera Company of Middlebury 2019 University of Missouri−Kansas City 2010 El Paso Community College 2019 Eastern Illinois University 2007
PROFESSIONAL CHORAL ENSEMBLES Central Synagogue, New York, NY (section leader) 2006 – 2014 Ascension Roman Catholic Church, New York, NY (section leader) 2007 – 2014 Substitute Section Leader (partial list) 1997 – 2014 • Church of the Ascension, New York, NY • Holy Trinity Catholic Church, New York, NY • Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, NY • Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, NY • Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, New York, NY • Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield, CT Freelance Professional Chorister 1997 – 2014 • New York Philharmonic Orchestra • The American Symphony Orchestra • The Bard Music Festival
MUSIC ARRANGING 200+ choral and show choir arrangements with instrumentation (partial list) ongoing • University of Texas at El Paso • Crete-Monee High School, Crete, IL • Danville High School, Danville, IL • Decatur Park Singers, Decatur, IL • Decatur Young Park Singers, Decatur, IL • Greater Decatur Chorale, Decatur, IL • King’s Academy, Sunnyvale, CA • Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis, IN • Lincoln High School, Des Moines, IA • Mt. Zion High School, Mt. Zion, IL • Pekin High School, Pekin, IL • Sullivan High School, Sullivan, IL • The Peoria Chorale, Peoria, IL • Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Decatur, IL
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS NATS – National Association of Teachers of Singing AGMA – American Guild of Musical Artists Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia – Honorary member of the Nu Lambda Chapter
LANGUAGES • Extensive performance experience in Italian, French, German and English • Three semesters of undergraduate Italian language courses • One semester of undergraduate French language course • Received extensive diction coaching and formal diction classes in Italian, French, German and English • Received private coaching in Spanish lyric diction
Downen, Brian – Curriculum Vitae 5 CONDUCTORS Marin Alsop, Dr. Robert Hart Baker, Maurizio Benini, John Baril, Aaron Carpene, Anton Coppola, Rick Cordova, Will Crutchfield, Brian DeMaris, Hal France, Neal Goren, Steven Jarvi, Rachelle Jonck, Christopher Larkin, Daniel Lipton, Jerome Shannon, Robin Ticciati, Curt Tucker, Gary Wedow, Ransom Wilson
VOICE TEACHERS teacher affiliation Arthur Levy Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College and the Metropolitan Opera Young Artists Development Program Laura Brooks Rice Westminster Choir College Gene Ferguson (deceased) Yale University Doris Yarick-Cross Yale University William Miller (deceased) University of Illinois Robert L. Hills (deceased) Eastern Illinois University
COACHES
Mitchell Cirker, Stephen Crawford, Alan Darling, Rachelle Jonck, Craig Ketter, Mark Lawson
SPECIAL SKILLS
Piano proficient Juggling
Downen, Brian – Curriculum Vitae 6