Nathaniel Bear
He took the audience to an emotional place one wouldn't expect to go.
"While I ultimately thought the entire cast was amazing, special mention must also be given to Nathaniel Bear as The Chaplain. He took the audience to an emotional place one wouldn’t expect to go, forced to imagine what it would be like to have priests forbidden from saying mass and dressing in their vestments, that is to say, what it would be like to lose the right of religious freedom. And, too, Bear’s portrayal endeared the character to the audience especially during the voting scene, when he quietly hears each sister’s vote for or against martyrdom, then blesses all of them. The sisters singing with him was powerful, too. Poulenc writes glorious music both a cappella and accompanied for the ensemble, and I thought the singing of the “Ave Verum” in particular was worthy of stopping the show."
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OPERA TODAY
Dialogues of the Carmelites, Wolf Trap Opera
At a glance.
Nathaniel Bear, tenor from Melville, NY, joins the Wolf Trap Opera Studio Artist Program this summer, covering Don José in Carmen and singing L’Aumônier in Dialogues des Carmélites. His recent credits include Don José in La tragédie de Carmen, Rodolfo in La bohème, Giovanni in La Hija de Rappaccini, and David in the Midwest premiere of Jake Heggie’s If I Were You. Nathaniel recently completed his second summer as a Vocal Arts Fellow with the Tanglewood Music Center, where he performed operatic, concert, and art song repertoire including performances of scenes from Die Zauberflöte with the TMC Orchestra, as well as numerous chamber music projects from the works of Benjamin Britten to Amy Beach.
In 2023, Nathaniel and pianist Elias Dagher took part in the North American premiere of a set of unpublished works for voice and piano by Les Six composer, Louis Durey at the Linde Center for Music and Learning. He pursued his Master of Music Degree at Northwestern University, and he holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Voice Performance as well as History from The Eastman School of Music and University of Rochester. Nathaniel enjoys singing Jewish cantorial music, and has served as a cantorial soloist in synagogue communities all over the country. Nathaniel resides in Philadelphia where he maintains a private studio of voice students.
Season spotlight: Carmen
After debuting as Don José in La tragédie de Carmen with Seaglass Theater Company in 2023, Nathaniel is delighted to return to the role with Wolf Trap Opera, where he covers in their summer production of Carmen. While with the company, he also debuts as L’aumônier in Dialogues des Carmélites.
Contact Nathaniel.
For all professional inquiries, Nathaniel can be reached directly via his contact form. For inquiries regarding his teaching studio, visit his studio page. To follow along with his traveling and his artistic endeavors, connect with him on social media.
