Opera Magazine wrote of American singer John Packard that his is “a seamless voice, with character and gleaming upper register.”  John Packard garnered international prominence and has performed leading roles in opera houses from San Francisco to Venice to Tel Aviv and has worked with as many prominent directors.

John created the role of Joseph deRocher for San Francisco Opera’s world premiere of Jake Heggie’s highly acclaimed Dead Man Walking. He reprised the role with Semper Oper in Dresden, Vienna at Theater an der Wien, Pittsburgh Opera, New York City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Baltimore Opera, and can be heard on the world premiere recording on the Erato Disques label.

In his debut as Rigoletto, Opera Magazine said, “...a superb Verdi baritone in John Packard – a seamless voice, with character and a gleaming upper register. There are surely big things ahead for him.” A return to Rossini’s Barber brought high praise from The Buffalo News ,”… but John Packard was the best Figaro I have ever seen, and others said the same thing. His singing is lusty, on the mark and marvelously expressive. He even does his own guitar playing, accompanying the count’s serenade.

Of his performance as Billy in Billy Budd, The Kansas City Star reviewer wrote “everything about this 50th anniversary production sparkled, especially John Packard.”

He has performed Braxton in Richard Rodney Bennett's The Mines of Sulphur at the Wexford Festival; made his role debut as Sweeney in Sweeney Todd, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Comunale di Modena; and Teatro Comunale in Piacenza, Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Columbus, Germont in La Traviata at the Duluth Festival Opera and Opera on the James, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Baltimore Opera. Mr. Packard performed Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Kentucky Opera, Germont in La Traviata in Theatre Erfurt in Germany, High Priest in Samson et Dalilah with Dayton Opera, Emille de Becque in South Pacific with Fresno Grand Opera, and Germont in La Traviata with the Akron Symphony.

Among the many outstanding directors John has had the good fortune to work with are: David Alden (Faust), Leonard Foglia (Dead Man Walking, The End of the Affair), Joe Mantello (Dead Man Walking), Paolo Micciche (Madama Butterfly) and Franco Zeffirelli (La Boheme), Stefano Vizioli (Madama Butterfly, La Fenice) and Nikolaus Lehnhoff (Dead Man Walking, Theater an der Wien).

John is the recipient of a Robert Jacobson grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, and has been a winner of the Puccini, Loren Zachary, MacAllister and Liederkranz competitions.