Baritone Justin Austin Announces 2024/2025 Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mallory McFarland | Morahan Arts and Media
mallory@morahanartsandmedia.com | 646.241.0899 

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Baritone Justin Austin
Announces 2024/2025 Season

House Debut at Los Angeles Opera as Mercutio in
Romeo and Juliet; Plus Così fan tutte

World Premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House with
Opera Theatre of St. Louis

My Brother’s Keeper Conceived by Justin Austin and
Presented by New York Festival of Song at 
Kaufman Music Center

Suite from Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up In My
Bones with soprano Adrienne Danrich, The
E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet at La Jolla
Music Society and The Soraya

Return to Carnegie Hall for Brahms’s German
Requiem with Cecilia Chorus of New York

Return to Stuttgart, Germany for Concert with the
Stuttgart Philharmonic and Opera for Peace

“Justin Austin…did not disappoint. On stage he was everywhere at once, captivating with easy magnetism, singing beautifully and raising everyone’s game whenever he entered.” - Opera Magazine

“...a velvet-voiced, intensely charismatic performance.” - New Yorker

“Austin knows how to balance force and frailty in his voice to bold dramatic effect, without ever sacrificing his careful control.” - Washington Post

https://www.justin-austin.com/ 

New York, NY (August 19, 2024) — Drama Desk Award-nominated baritone Justin Austin announces his 2024-2025 season with performances at Sag Harbor Song Festival in September, followed by his house debut at Los Angeles Opera as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet in November. He returns to the company later in the season as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte as well as returns to Opera Theatre of St. Louis for the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House, starring as Lindon. In concert, he returns to Carnegie Hall for Brahms’s German Requiem with the Cecilia Chorus of New York, and joins for selections from Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up In My Bones at La Jolla Music Society in La Jolla and The Soraya in Northridge, California, among others. He also returns to Stuttgart, Germany for a concert with the Stuttgart Philharmonic and Opera for Peace as well as New York Festival of Song for My Brother’s Keeper at Kaufman Music Center, an event he personally conceived. He and pianist Howard Watkins additionally give a recital at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina, and Justin appears at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music for a guest recital.

“I am energized to participate in another exciting season of standard opera, contemporary opera, recital, concert, and oratorio,” shares Justin Austin. “I’m especially looking forward to returning to my hometown of Stuttgart, Germany for a solo concert with the philharmonic orchestra. I’ll also be giving a joint recital with my father, tenor Michael Austin in April. Music has been a part of me for my entire life and I’m honored to have opportunities this season to go back to my roots and celebrate that.”

Justin Austin kicks off his 2024-2025 season at the Sag Harbor Song Festival on Friday, September 20, 2024 at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. at The Church. Joining a cast of opera stars including sopranos Erika Baikoff and Lydia Grindatto, mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko, tenor Duke Kim, and bass William Guanbo Su, Austin sings a wide range of opera, musical theater, songs and lieder from Ravel and Rossini to Rodgers & Hammerstein. Later that month, Austin gives a guest recital on September 25, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music’s Ford-Crawford Hall.

In November, Austin makes his house debut as Mercutio in LA Opera’s production of Romeo and Juliet from November 2 - 23, 2024 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. He then travels to NYC for New York Festival of Song’s My Brother’s Keeper, a story of brotherly love and community among Black men in America conceived by Austin himself and performed by a star-studded cast including tenor Joshua Blue, baritone Will Liverman, bass-baritone Joseph Parrish, baritone Jorell Williams, and tenor Chaz’men Williams-Ali, alongside NYFOS’s own Steven Blier on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. at Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Music Center.

On Friday, December 6, 2024 at 8:00 p.m., Austin returns to his hometown of Stuttgart, Germany for a concert with the Stuttgart Philharmonic and Opera for Peace, conducted by Christoph Gedschold. Opera for Peace is a global network for the promotion of young opera talent that is committed to artistic excellence regardless of origin in the name of an inclusive future. The organization cooperates with opera and concert halls as well as high-profile projects and festivals. This winter, Justin Austin continues the series featuring young voices that began in 2022 in cooperation with Opera for Peace and the Stuttgart Philharmonic.

In the new year, Austin joins soprano Adrienne Danrich, along with The E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet for a new suite of music from Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones – the first work written by a Black composer to be staged by the Metropolitan Opera in 2021 telling the true coming-of-age story of a young boy growing up in the face of great adversity and forging his personal identity – presented by La Jolla Music Society on Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at The Baker-Baum Concert Hall. Austin closes out the month of January with a recital on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at Gunter Theatre at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC.

Austin returns to LA Opera in March playing the role of Guglielmo in Così fan tutte from March 8 - 30, 2025 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. 

The following month he rejoins Danrich, The E-Collective, and Turtle Island Quartet for a performance of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones and Champion - a collaboration between LA Opera and The Soraya and performed by Blanchard himself on Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. at The Soraya. Later that month, Austin takes the stage with the Cecilia Chorus of New York at Carnegie Hall for Brahms and Hailstork - Tribute Concert to Heather Heyer on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The program includes Brahms’s Requiem along with the New York premiere of Adolphus Hailstork’s The World Called with text by Rita Dove who attends as reciter and guest of honor alongside fellow speaker and guest of honor, Susan Bro. 

Austin closes out his 2024-2025 season performing the world premiere of This House presented by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis from May 31 - June 29, 2025 at the Loretto-Hilton Center in Webster Groves, MO. Written and composed by Ricky Ian Gordon, Lynn Nottage, and Ruby Aiyo Gerber, This House tells of Zoe Walker who tries to convince her family to renovate the Harlem brownstone they have occupied since the 1920s. But as hidden truths about the family’s legacy come to light, Zoe begins to realize that the secrets harbored within these walls are deeper and more profound than she ever dared to imagine.

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Concert Information

Sag Harbor Song Festival
Friday, September 20, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
The Church | 48 Madison St | Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Link: https://www.sagharborsongfestival.org/2024 

Program:
Works by Ravel, Robert Owens, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Kurt Weill, Rossini, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Eduardo di Capua, and more.

Artists:
Erika Baikoff, soprano
Lydia Grindatto, soprano
Sarah Mesko, mezzo-soprano
Duke Kim, tenor
Justin Austin, baritone
William Guanbo Su, bass
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Guest Recital
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Ford-Crawford Hall | 200 S Jordan Ave | Bloomington,
IN 47405
Link: https://events.iu.edu/musiciub/event/1536078-guest-recital-justin-austin-baritone 
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LA Opera: Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio) - House Debut
November 2 - 23, 2024
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion | 135 N Grand Ave | Los Angeles, CA 90012
Link: https://www.laopera.org/performances/202425-season/romeo/ 
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New York Festival of Song: My Brother’s Keeper
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center | 129 W 67th St | New York, NY 10023
Link: https://nyfos.org/24-25season/

Program:
Music that tells a story of brotherly love and community among Black men in America through art song, soul, gospel, and opera.

Artists:
Justin Austin, baritone
Joshua Blue, tenor
Will Liverman, baritone
Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone
Jorell Williams, baritone
Chaz’men Williams-Ali, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
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Justin Austin in concert with the Stuttgart Philharmoniker
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.
Community Center Ghibelline Hall | At the Talaue 4 | 71334 Waiblingen
Link: https://www.waiblingen.de/de/Die-Stadt/Kultur-Tourismus/Veranstaltungen/Veranstaltung?view=publish&item=eventDate&id=15567 
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La Jolla Music Society: Fire Shut Up in My Bones: Opera Suite in Concert
Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall | 7600 Fay Avenue | La Jolla, California 92037
Link: https://theconrad.org/events/fire-shut-up-in-my-bones/ 

Program:
Terence Blanchard  - Fire Shut Up in My Bones

Artists:
Terence Blanchard, trumpeter & composer
The E-Collective
Turtle Island Quartet 
Andrew F. Scott, visuals
Justin Austin, tenor
Adrienne Danrich, soprano
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Recital
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Peace Center, Gunter Theatre | 300 S Main St, Greenville | SC 29601
Link: https://www.peacecenter.org/events/detail/25-justin-austin 
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LA Opera: Così fan tutte (Guglielmo)
March 8 -30, 2025
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion | 135 N Grand Ave | Los Angeles, CA 90012
Link: https://www.laopera.org/performances/202425-season/cosi/ 
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The Soraya: Selections from Champion and Fire Shut Up In My Bones
Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts | 18111 Nordhoff St | Los Angeles,
CA 91325
Link: https://thesoraya.org/whats-on/en/terence-blanchard/ 

Program:
Terence Blanchard  - Fire Shut Up in My Bones

Artists:
Terence Blanchard, trumpeter & composer
The E-Collective
Turtle Island Quartet 
Andrew F. Scott, visuals
Justin Austin, tenor
Adrienne Danrich, soprano
________________________________________

Brahms and Hailstork - Tribute Concert to Heather Heyer
Carnegie Hall | 881 7th Ave | New York, NY 10019
Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 8:00 p.m.
Link: https://ceciliachorusny.org/brahms-and-hailstork

Program:
A German Requiem by J.S. Brahms
*The World Called by Adolphus Hailstork (text by Rita Dove) - NY premiere

Artists:
The Cecilia Chorus of New York
Mark Shapiro, music director
Brandie Sutton, soprano
Justin Austin, baritone
Rita Dove, reciter and guest of honor
Susan Bro, speaker and guest of honor
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Opera Theatre of Saint Louis: This House (World Premiere)
May 31 - June 29, 2025
Loretto-Hilton Center | 130 Edgar Rd | Webster Groves, MO 63119
Link: https://opera-stl.org/whats-on/this-house/ 

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About Justin Austin
Possessing a “mighty lyric voice” (The New York Times) “with a burly, burnished tone capable of striking nuance and color” (Washington Post), Drama Desk Award-nominated baritone Justin Austin is the recipient of the 2024 Marian Anderson Vocal Award. Deemed “a natural performer – a star awaiting a galaxy to form around him” (Washington Post), he has been praised for his “intensity and charisma” (Opera), “rich, pointed expressiveness” (Parterre), and “immaculate musicianship” (Seen and Heard International).

Following the world premiere of Damien Geter’s American Apollo at Des Moines Metro Opera (“a galvanizing, Herculean performance”, Opera Today) and appearances at Caramoor and the Sag Harbor Song Festival in Summer 2024, Justin begins the 2024-2025 season with his house debut at Los Angeles Opera as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, returning to the company later in the season as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. He also returns to Opera Theatre of St. Louis for the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House, starring as Lindon. In concert, he returns to Carnegie Hall for Brahms’s German Requiem with the Cecilia Chorus of New York, and joins for selections from Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up In My Bones at La Jolla Music Society in La Jolla and The Soraya in Northridge, California, among others. He also returns to Stuttgart, Germany for a concert with the Stuttgart Philharmonic and Opera for Peace as well as New York Festival of Song for My Brother’s Keeper at Kaufman Music Center, an event he personally conceived. He and pianist Howard Watkins additionally give a recital at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina, and Justin appears at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music for a guest recital.

Last season, Justin starred as Young Emile in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Champion to great critical acclaim. He returned to the Metropolitan Opera, opening their season as the Motorcycle Cop in the company’s premiere of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking in a new production directed by Ivo van Hove and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, as well as Washington National Opera making his role debut as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. He additionally played the titular character in The Barber of Seville at Opera Theatre of St. Louis and performed in the New York premiere of Damien Geter’s song cycle COTTON alongside Denyce Graves at the 92nd Street Y. In concert, Justin gave the Marian Anderson Vocal Award Recital at the Kennedy Center as the 2024 recipient and shined in concerts with Houston Grand Opera, Strathmore and Washington Performing Arts, the Kimmel Center, and Des Moines Metro Opera. Solo recitals with pianist Howard Watkins further took Justin to Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Longy School of Music with the Celebrity Series of Boston, Gore Recital Hall (at the University of Delaware on Delaware’s Master Player’s Concert Series), and Atlanta’s Spivey Hall (Clayton State University).

Justin has received accolades and awards from The Recording Academy, NAACP, George London Foundation, Washington National Opera, Opera Ebony, Gerda Lissner Foundation, Manhattan School of Music, NANM, Choir Academy of Harlem, and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He is the recipient of a 2023 Mabel Dorn Reeder Award from Opera Theatre of St. Louis, which goes to “the single artist in each season with the greatest potential to make a significant contribution to the art form of opera.” Justin is under the tutelage and mentorship of Catherine Malfitano.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Justin Austin is an alumnus of the Choir Academy of Harlem, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Heidelberg Lied Akademie, and Manhattan School of Music (M.M. and B.M.). To learn more, please visit www.justin-austin.com.

Photo at top of release by Gillian Riesen

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