Published December 1, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO, CA: The press is in for Brandon's role debut as Walter von Stolzing in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at San Francisco Opera:

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL - Harvey Steiman
"The central lovers made a wonderful pair—musically, visually and dramatically. Tenor Brandon Jovanovich unfurled gorgeous lyric sound and fearlessly navigated Walther’s treacherous vocal lines. His renditions of the prize song started off with appropriate hesitance, but gained momentum and confidence, reaching a winning brilliance in the final scene."

SF EXAMINER - Janos Gereben
"Brandon Jovanovich, singing Puccini roles a few years ago, then triumphing as Siegmund in the "Ring" cycle here, is perfect now as a dashing Walther von Stolzing, with a vocal performance both heroic and lyrical."

BAY AREA REPORTER - Philip Campbell
"SFO regulars were justifiably excited at the prospect of attending American tenor Brandon Jovanovich's role debut as the young nobleman Walther von Stolzing. Talk about dream casting. Jovanovich has it all: a rich, ringing voice, good looks, magnetic stage presence and convincing acting skills. Despite an announcement cautioning he was soldiering through a slight cold, he didn't disappoint. Two noticeable but slight cracks didn't harm his strong performance. The final “Prize Song” came off without a hitch, probably aided by waves of support coming from the transfixed crowd."

SFGate - Joshua Kosman
"As Walther, tenor Brandon Jovanovich added to his long list of vocal triumphs with a performance marked by ardor, tonal beauty and obvious fearlessness in the face of the role’s high-lying athleticism (the audience was alerted before Act 3 that Jovanovich was singing with a cold, but the formulaic plea for indulgence was scarcely warranted)."

SF EXAMINER - James Ambroff-Tahan
"Tenor Brandon Jovanovich made for a dashing Walther von Stolzing, the knight who arrives in Nürnberg and sets out to win the Mastersinging contest whose prize is the hand in marriage of his love interest Eva. Jovanovich sang with romantic allure, clarity and freshness throughout the performance (in spite of a pre-Act 3 announcement that he was not feeling well)."

FINANCIAL TIMES - Allan Ulrich
“Tenor Brandon Jovanovich inhabits Walther von Stolzing as if the role were his birthright, … [delivering] an ardent Prize Song deserving of laurels."