Faculty Biography

Eric Rieger, Lecturer


Contact:
(585) 389-2700
erieger3@naz.edu

Departmental Responsibilities:
Applied Voice
Voice Class


Education:
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, MM
Eastman School of Music, BM (with distinction)


Biography:
Tenor Eric Rieger has consistently received critical praise for his beautiful singing and exciting performances throughout his impressive international career. Opernnetz.de hails his “erotic, radiant voice” and “cultivated manner.” The Trierischer Volksfreund applauds his “fine-timbered tenor voice” and “beautiful lyric singing,” and continues by stating, “There is bel canto style to be felt, skillfulness and every amount of talent.” Indeed, musicweb-international.com says, “this is a lovely tenor voice and a winning personality who will go a long way on both the recital platform and the opera stage."

His first professional engagements led him to the Ohio Light Opera (Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore); the Everyman Palace Theater in Cork, Ireland (Camille de Rosillon in Die lustige Witwe); Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland (Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto) and the Mozart and Friends Opera Festival in New Jersey (Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore). Afterwards, he was engaged by the International Opera Studio of the Zurich Opera where he sang roles under such conductors as John Elliot Gardner, Stefano Ranzani and Franz Welser-Möst. He also appeared in studio productions as Britten’s Albert Herring, Giocondo in Rossini’s La Pietra del Paragone and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni.

In the summer of 2003, the young tenor received much acclaim when he jumped in on short notice to sing the title role in Gazzaniga’s Don Giovanni at the Constance Chamber Opera in Germany. In autumn of 2003, he made his debut in Italy as Emerico in Carlo Coccia’s Clotilde at the Teatro Coccia in Novara. He appeared again in 2004 at the same theater as Conte d’Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia). While in Italy, he was invited to the Eurobottega in Treviso to study Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola) with Regina Resnik in preparation for a production at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

From 2004-2009 Mr. Rieger was engaged as the principle lyric tenor at the opera house in Trier, Germany. He had much success there as, among others, Nemorino (L’Elisir d’Amore), Lindoro (L’Italiana in Algeri), Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Beppe in Donizetti’s Rita, Oronte in Handel’s Alcina, Caramello (Eine Nacht in Venedig), Chateauneuf (Zar und Zimmermann) and the title role in Rameau’s Dardanus.

Guest performances in Germany and Switzerland have led him to the opera houses of Regensburg (Ernesto in Don Pasquale), Kaiserslautern (Tonio in La Fille du Régiment), Bremerhaven (Kudrjáš in Kaťá Kabanová), Osnabrück (Steuermann in Der Fliegende Holländer), Nordhausen (Andrés/Cochenille/Frantz/Pittichinaccio in Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Luzern (Stanislaus in Der Vogelhändler) and Basel (Cecco in Haydn’s Il Mondo della Luna). This spring he will make his debut in Belgium, where he will sing Conte d’Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) at the Zomeropera Alden Biesen.

Equally at home on the concert platform, Mr. Rieger has appeared with such notable orchestras as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Alexander Lazarev, the Basel Sinfonietta (Switzerland), St. John’s Orchestra (London), the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra “Les Musiciens” and the Trier Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also been featured at the Claudio Montedverdi Festival in Cremona, Italy. Frequent oratorio and concert performances have included Handel’s Messiah; J.S. Bach’s Matthäus-Passion, Magnificat and many Cantatas; Mozart’s Requiem; Rossini’s Messe Solennelle; Donizetti’s Requiem; Orff’s Carmina Burana and Britten’s Serenade, among others. A passionate recitalist, he has been heard in the United States and Europe interpreting a vast array of song literature.

Mr. Rieger is the recipient of numerous awards including 2nd prize of the Clonter Opera Competition in England. He is a recipient of the Richard Wagner Society Stipend (Germany) and was named a “Samling Scholar” in the United Kingdom, entitling him to intense study with Sir Thomas Allen, Malcolm Martineau and others.

In addition to his busy performance career, Mr. Rieger is in demand as a voice teacher and is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He is currently adjunct professor of voice at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. Previously, he has served on the faculties of Settlement Music School (Philadelphia), Community Music School (Trappe, PA) and maintained a private studio in Germany for several years. He has studied voice with such renowned teachers as Lee Cass, Dale Moore, Horst Günter, Neil Semer and Robert McIver and is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BM with distinction) and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (MM).