Tenor Christian Sanders’ busy 2022-2023 season brings several significant engagements in new opera as well as standard repertoire. He begins with a return to Minnesota Opera as Prince/Rat/Doll Shop Father in Edward Tulane, makes his role debut as Loge in Das Rheingold at Dayton Opera, returns to Opera Santa Barbara as Dorvil in La scala di seta, reprises his Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd with Austin Opera, makes his role debut as Beppe with Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, and returns to Opera Theatre St. Louis as Little Bat in Susannah. In the previous season, he made his company debut with Opera Santa Barbara singing The Song Seller in Il tabarro, covered Miles Zegner in Proving Up with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (canceled due to COVID-19), performed Donald Trump in The Central Park Five with Portland Opera, appeared as the title role in Orpheus in the Underworld with Madison Opera, and joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis during the summer as Monostatos in The Magic Flute. The 2020-21 season featured his return to Des Moines Metro Opera as Tobais Ragg in Sweeney Todd and Timothy in Fellow Travelers, a number of workshops for new pieces such as The Opposable Thumb and Trade with American Lyric Theatre and Beth Morrison Projects as well as performances in The Shining as Lloyd the Bartender with Minnesota Opera (canceled due to COVID-19).
As a member of the Utah Opera Resident Artist Program, Christian performed as Il Messaggero in Aïda, Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro, Remendado in Carmen, the Padre in Man of La Mancha, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Castleman in Beck’s The Long Walk. In addition to these opportunities, Mr. Sanders had the honor of being a part of Des Moines Metro Opera’s Apprentice Artist program. His roles with DMMO include the Novice in Billy Budd and Mr. Erlanson in A Little Night Music in the summer of 2017. Christian joined the Young Artist Program at The Glimmerglass Festival for the 2018 season singing Jonathan Dale in the Pulitzer prize-winning opera Silent Night. He also stepped in as Tony in West Side Story during that same season under the baton of Maestro David Charles Abell. Christian rejoined The Glimmerglass Festival in 2019 to sing Bégearss in The Ghosts of Versailles by Corigliano and sang the same role in November 2019 with Château de Versailles Spectacles in France. Christian joined the Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Program for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons where he sang Bill in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, the Young Servant in Strauss’ Elektra, Prunier in La rondine, and Jonathan Dale in the original production of Kevin Puts’ Silent Night, which was recorded by Pentaton. He has appeared as the Prison Chaplain in the world premiere of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar with the Santa Fe Opera and has sung the title role in The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Aspen Music Festival.
On the concert stage, Mr. Sanders has been the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Point Loma Choral Union. He recently performed with the Rice Chorale at Rice University in Houston for Schubert’s Mass No. 2 and Orff’s Carmina burana. He has also appeared as a guest soloist with the San Diego Mormon Choir and Orchestra and as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the San Diego Festival Chorus in a live televised concert.
