John Hancock

Vocalists — Baritone

• Manager: Ken Benson
  Management Territory: Worldwide

“The most memorable work came in the secondary roles, particularly baritone John Hancock's first-rate company debut as Sharpless. A giant of a man with a powerful and beautifully modulated voice, Hancock took the character of the American consul well beyond the usual sympathetic but feckless figure standing on the sidelines as Butterfly's tragedy plays out pitilessly. In his contributions to Pinkerton's Act 1 aria ("Dovunque al mondo") and to the great final trio (the Opera continues its practice of giving the piece in Puccini's original two-act structure), Hancock produced a warm but crisply audible tone, shaped with plenty of emotional verve. And in his frustrated interactions with Cio-Cio-San in the second act, he conveyed Sharpless' combination of fussiness and avuncular benevolence.” San Francisco Chronicle, January 13, 2003 —As Sharpless in Madama Butterfly in San Francisco:

"As Abelard, John Hancock strikingly creates the image of a sardonic scholar who comes to luxuriates in himself and the world physically, then closes down again. He achieves this with his commanding presence and his body language as well as his strong, dark baritone of subtle expressive potential and utterly clear diction." The New York Times, May 1, 2002 —As Abelard in Steven Paulus’ Heloise and Abelard:

About

Since John Hancock made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 2002 as the Gendarme in Les Mamelles de Tirésias , he has appeared in several roles with that company including the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro , Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus , Albert in Werther , de Brétigny in Manon , and Marcello in La Bohème . He has appeared in numerous leading roles with the New York City Opera. Additionally, with San Francisco Opera, he has performed Sharpless in . . . Madama Butterfly , Prince Yeletsky in Pique Dame , and Lescaut in Manon Lescaut . He has also appeared with Washington National Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Atlanta Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Florida Grand Opera, among others. Internationally, he has appeared in Antwerp, Tel Aviv, Strasbourg, and with the Seiji Ozawa Opera Project in Japan as Ramiro with Frederica von Stade and José van Dam in Ravel’s L’Heure Esapgnol . A gifted interpreter of contemporary music, he created the role of Abelard in Steven Paulus' Eloise and Abelard at the Juilliard Opera Center, and was acclaimed for his performances of the world premiere of The Picture of Dorian Gray at l'Opéra de Monte Carlo.

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