Full biography
Voice like a force of nature!
The Roanoke Times
Tenor Allan Glassman has thrilled audiences throughout America and Europe for decades with his vibrant timbre and committed interpretations of roles. Critics exclaim "his very presence on stage made those around him sound better." A regular at The Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Glassman triumphed as Herod in a production of Salome and has since been heard in The Met's productions of Billy Budd as Red Whiskers; Die Frau ohne Schatten as The Hunchback Brother; Salome as the First Jew; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District as The Shabby Peasant; and in productions of Boris Godunov, The Great Gatsby, Carmen, Elektra, Káťa Kabanová, The Ghost of Versailles, Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina, and Wozzeck.
Mr. Glassman has performed the role of Herod in Salome to wide acclaim in opera venues throughout the world. Critics wrote: "His fear and distress seemed to come from his heart and soul." Some notable engagements as the patriarch include productions with San Diego Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera San Antonio, the Ravinia Festival (under the baton of Maestro James Conlon), with Cape Town Opera in Cape Town, South Africa, and most recently with Los Angeles Opera. This season, he returns to The Metropolitan Opera for their productions of Die Zauberflöte and Hänsel und Gretel.
Mr. Glassman's impressive career includes many titular roles in some of opera's most notable works, including Samson in Samson et Dalila at the former Opera Pacific, Sacco in Sacco and Vanzetti at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Hoffmann in Les contes d'Hoffmann, and Idomeneo at Los Angeles Opera, where he was double cast with the esteemed Plácido Domingo. Hailed as the Otello of his generation: "Glassman is a full-on Verdian tenor… Glassman is more than equal to the demands of the role, conveying Otello's pain and suspicion vividly." In past seasons, he has performed the role with Opera Company of Philadelphia, Arizona Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and at Chautauqua Opera. Other highlights from his leading roles résumé include Don José in Carmen, Cavaradossi in Tosca, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with New York City Opera; and Canio in Pagliacci with Arizona Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Nashville Opera.
Additional engagements from recent seasons include the roles of Herald in Assassinio nella cattedrale and Shuisky in Boris Godunov with San Diego Opera; Nick in La fanciulla del West and Monsieur Taupe in Capriccio in his début at Santa Fe Opera; Pollione in Norma with Palm Beach Opera; Walter Engelmann in Frau Margot with Fort Worth Opera; Dick Deadeye in H.M.S. Pinafore with Arizona Opera; The Witch in Hänsel und Gretel with Portland Opera; Boris in Kát'a Kabanová, Shuisky in Boris Godunov, and Caláf in Turandot all with Florida Grand Opera; and productions of Wozzeck, Das Rheingold, and Elektra with Lyric Opera of Chicago.
International performances include Manrico in Il trovatore with the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Samson in Samson et Dalila at the New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv; the Prince in Rusalka in the Czech Republic; title role in Verdi's Ernani, Don José in Carmen, and I vespri siciliani with L'Opéra de Nice; I vespri siciliani with Den Norske Opera; Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Belleayre Music Festival; Carmen with Opera Valencia in Spain; and the Prince in Rusalka with Oper Frankfurt.
Sought after by orchestras, both domestic and international, Mr. Glassman maintains an active concert calendar. Notable engagements include: Prince Osaka in Mascagni's Iris with the Münchner Philharmoniker, Verdi's Requiem with L'Opéra de Nice, Mahler's Lied von der Erde with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa in Mexico, Rusalka with The Fort Worth Symphony, Erik in Der fliegende Holländer in concert with the Syracuse Opera, Das Lied von der Erde with Grand Rapids Symphony, and Boito's Mefistofele with Boston Concert Opera.
