Photographer: Lyndon England
Hans Tashjian, bass-baritone’s 2025-26 season opened with his return to Opera Essentia singing Tiridate in their adaptation of Handel’s Radamisto. He also joins Opera Lafayette in a company and role debut as Sorceress in Dido & Aeneas, Sarasota Opera as Alcindoro in La Bohème and as cover to Olin Blitch in Susannah, and Opera Southwest as Faraone in Rossini’s Mosè in Egitto.
In the 2024-25 season, Hans joined Opera Essentia as Hercules in Admeto, Heartbeat Opera as Misery in Slaylem, St. Petersburg Opera as Dr. Dulcamara in Pinocchio, Raylynmor Opera as the Commentator in Scalia/Ginsburg, He also premiered two new operas: American Opera Projects’ State of the Jews singing the roles of Tchelenov, Lippay, and Ussishkin, and Schiele in Prison singing the role of Max Oppenheimer. In concert, Hans returned as soloist to the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival, sang in an evening of Kander & Ebb with St. Petersburg Opera and created his own death-themed solo recital featuring, among many pieces, Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death.
Recent highlights include productions of Don Carlo, Hamlet, and Rigoletto with the Metropolitan Opera making his company debut in the latter as Ceprano, Méphistophélès in Faust with Opera Baltimore, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Teatro Nuovo, and Billy in the world premiere of The Snowy Day at Houston Grand Opera. Hans also joined Opera Essentia as the title role in Handel's Imeneo and as Hercules in Admeto, Teatro Nuovo as Callistene in Poliuto, Salt Marsh Opera as le Fauteuil and L'Arbre in L'enfant et les sortilèges, and in concert he made his first appearance with the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival, joined Connecticut Choral Society as soloist in Monteverdi’s 1810 Vespers and Handel’s Messiah, and premiered three pieces at American Opera Projects’ First Glimpse Concert.
Tashjian's impressive credits include a wide range of roles, from the title role in Aleko and el Capitán in Florencia en el Amazonas to Enrico in Anna Bolena, Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Ferrando in Il trovatore, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Melchtal in Guillaume Tell, Banco in Macbeth, and Wurm in Luisa Miller. A frequent concert soloist, Mr. Tashjian has appeared with Orchestra Nexus, The Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival, Charleston Symphony, Jackson Symphony, Chelsea Symphony, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Bach Chorus of Pittsburgh, the Bach Music Festival of Canada, the Canadian Chamber Orchestra of NYC, in concert at NYU’s La Maison Française, and as soloist with the New Jersey Conservatory's performance of the Rachmaninoff Vespers, and Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
A sought-after interpreter of new works, Tashjian has workshopped Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fallen Giant for American Lyric Theater and joined AOP for The Stonewall Operas. He appeared with Harlem Stage in the new opera The Swann and developed and performed the role of Donald in Julian Grant and Mark Campbell's The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare.
Tashjian holds degrees from the Yale School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and Carnegie Mellon University.