GRAMMY® nominated baritone and director, Johnathan McCullough, originally premiered his production of David T. Little’s Soldier Songs produced by Opera Philadelphia which was nominated by the Recording Academy for Best Opera Recording, an International Opera Award nomination, and won the Artistic Creation Prize at the inaugural Opera America Awards for Digital Excellence. He went on to make his Canadian directing debut this season with the Atelier lyrique of Opéra de Montréal with a program entitled “Emily” centered around works written by Emily Dickinson which he co-created. Other recent appearances include appearances with Pittsburgh Opera as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera Philadelphia as Ophémon in The Anonymous Lover, and Lyric Opera Kansas City as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with New Orleans Opera and Dr. Falke in a new production of Die Fledermaus with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. He also recently performed the baritone soloist in Britten’s “War Requiem” at Walt Disney Concert Hall and recital with pianist Carol Wong as part of the Carnegie Hall Citywide Series.

He has sung leading roles at Opera Philadelphia, Komische Oper Berlin, English National Opera, Opéra de Lausanne, Portland Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and many more. Johnathan was also selected by Renée Fleming to participate in the Weill Institute Song Studio at Carnegie Hall where he has performed in concert on multiple occasions.

He holds a B.M., M.M., and Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music and has been engaged as a guest speaker with institutions across the US and Canada including Yale, Curtis, Wolf Trap, UCLA, Young ARTS, Opéra de Montreal, and Pacific Opera Victoria. He currently serves as the Opera Program Director of the National Youth Opera Academy. As a director, McCullough’s work has been noted by The New York Times as “a pacesetter for cinematic opera”.