ALAN FISCHER - stage director

American tenor Alan Fischer has performed with the opera companies of San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, New Jersey State, Toledo, New York Grand, Palm Beach, Mississippi, National Grand, and the Spoleto Festival, U.S.A. In Europe he debuted at the Rasigueres Festival where he sang a concert with soprano Elizabeth Harwood and returned to sing the Verdi Requiem with the Worthing Philharmonic in England.

He made his European opera debut in 1994 as Lacouf in Les Mamelles des Tiresias at the Spoleto Festival. He recently made his Alice Tully Hall debut with L'Opera Francaise in Orphee aus Enfers and in 1996 made his San Diego Opera debut as Spoleta in Tosca where he also sang Turandot in 1997 in addition to returning to Fort Worth Opera for Carmen. He also sang Altoum in Opus Productions’ Turandot in Montreal.

He has sung Gastone in La Traviata with Dallas Opera and Fort Worth Opera, the four character roles in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with the Peoria Civic Opera, and both Normano and Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Schubert Theatre in New Haven. He created the role of the Doctor in the world premiere of Menotti's The Singing Child at the Spoleto Festival USA. He has returned to Fort Worth as Goro in Madama Butterfly, Spoleta in Tosca and Arturo in Lucia and Altoum in 1998’s Turandot.  

In recent seasons he has made important debuts with San Francisco Opera as the Priest in Die Zauberfloete, Dallas Opera as Ovlour in a new production of Prince Igor, Spoleto Festival, U.S.A. as the First Knight in Parsifal, Opera Delaware as Nathanael and Spalanzani in Hoffmann, Opera Company of Philadelphia as Borsa in Rigoletto, the Shubert Opera (New Haven) as Goro and Piedmont Opera as Caius in Falstaff. He debuted with the Hawaii Opera as L'Abate and Incredibile in Andrea Chenier and as Guillot in Manon, in addition to Pang in Turandot with Opera Columbus and Cassio in Otello in Peoria.  He debuted with Virginia Opera  in Le Nozze di Figaro and returned for Tosca. He will appear with the company again in 2002 in Andrea Chenier.

Alan Fischer maintains over 50 character and supporting roles in his repertoire. Highlights of his career include Falstaff with Mississippi Opera, Chenier with Palm Beach Opera, Pedrillo in Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail with Toledo Opera, and Pinkerton with Peoria Civic. A popular guest artist, he has had long associations with National Grand Opera (Carmen, Norma, Il Trovatore, Otello, Nabucco, Turandot, and Rigoletto), N. J. State Opera (Iris, Lodoletta, Samson et Daliila and Butterfly) and N. Y. Grand Opera  (Carmen, Lucia, Traviata, Il Trittico, Un Ballo in Maschera, Le Nozze di Figaro and Butterfly). Mr. Fischer performed in the world premieres of Rudenstein's Faustus and Hoiby's The Tempest and the American stage premieres of Giordano's La Cena della Beffe, Boito's Nerone, Ricci's Crispino e la Comare as well as the NY stage premiere of Moniuszko's The Haunted Castle.

A native of New York, Alan Fischer began his professional singing career at age of 6 as a soloist with the Metropolitan and New York City Opera Children's Choruses. He is a graduate of the High School of Music and Art in New York City and was a scholarship student with the Goldovsky Opera Institute. He graduated from City College of the City of New York majoring in Psychology and Education. He taught school for 11 years prior to returning to active performing. He studied voice with his father, Bernard Fischer, Carlo Bergonzi and Placido Domingo. In addition to his busy performing schedule (which also includes cantorial duties around New York), Alan Fischer is an accomplished teacher specializing in operatic character development and audition presentation for singers and has been a member of the teaching/directing staff at the Master Opera Institute. Alan Fischer was the artistic director of the Jefferson Village Opera from 1983 to 1987.  Mr. Fischer is currently Chair of Vocal Music  Department at the Governor's School of the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia teaching voice and opera where he has also directed his own productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflaute, La Serva Padrona, The Impressario, Dido and Aeneas  and The Ballad of Baby Doe, among others.