Bass-baritone John Taylor Ward’s work seeks to broaden the impact of the arts. Whether as a classical singer, folk music researcher/practitioner, or a builder of institutions which set the standard for classical music’s community-driven future, each element of his artistry amplifies the others.
His performances have been praised for their “stylish abandon” by Alex Ross of the New Yorker and their “intense clarity and color” by the New York Times. Recent stage highlights include the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Heartbeat Opera, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress under the baton of Barbara Hannigan (recently released on DVD), and several roles in a world tour of Monteverdi’s operas with Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
As one of the founders of the Lakes Area Music Festival, Taylor has helped to nurture a thriving arts hub in rural central Minnesota. His work has developed the LAMF opera program into a destination for world-class artists, while fostering hundreds of new opera-lovers. Originally from southern Appalachia, he has an innate understanding of rural America, and his work is uniquely positioned to bring high art to small towns while bringing down-hominess to the world’s great stages.
EQ CONCERTS
Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress
12, 14, 15 December 2018
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra