American-Greek Bass-Baritone Joseph Calzada is currently refining his craft as a Professional Studies student at the prestigious San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he is under the tutelage of the renowned César Ulloa. Mr. Calzada is poised for a remarkable 2024-2025 season, In the summer of 2024, Calzada joins Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist, singing the role of British Major and chorus in Silent Night, Don Alfonso (Cover) and chorus in Così fan tutte, and Colline (Cover) and chorus in La Bohème. He will sing the Second Armoured Man and Papageno (Cover) in Opera San José’s production of The Magic Flute, and he will join Livermore Valley Opera in their production of Don Giovanni as Masetto.
He had a remarkable 2023-2024 season, featuring exciting performances as Captain Siegfried (King Cover) in The Three Feathers, Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi, Sodbuster in Proving Up, Elviro in Serse, and joining the acclaimed San Francisco Symphony for their Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Messiah, and their Gladiator.
He wowed audiences with his commanding portrayal of the Title Role in Don Giovanni in June 2022 at the Vienna Summer Music Festival. Mr. Calzada sang with the St. Petersburg Opera Company in Florida, where he was invited to perform at an event for donors.
In 2019, he was a standout performer with the Greek Opera Studio, enchanting crowds across the island of Syros and in Athens. While there, he also made his professional debut with the Festival of the Aegean, taking on the roles of Ein Lakai and covering Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos.
Mr. Calzada has performed with an array of companies, including the San Francisco Symphony, the Festival of the Aegean, Savannah Opera, The Pan-European Philharmonia of Warsaw, Napa Valley Youth Symphony, Music on Site, Inc., IU Opera Theater, SFCM Opera Theatre, Russian Opera Workshop, Harrower Summer Opera Workshop, and the Vienna Summer Music Festival. His repertoire is expansive, featuring numerous leading roles. His role credits include: Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Eugene Onegin (Eugene Onegin), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Harlekin (Ariadne auf Naxos), Maître Pausanias (Une éducation manquée), Secret Police (The Consul), Lotario (Flavio), Dr. Falke [Act II] (Die Fledermaus), Ein Lakai (Ariadne auf Naxos), Fiorello (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Don Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro), Marco (Gianni Schicchi), Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors), and Businessman (The Little Prince). In recent seasons, he has performed in IU Opera Theater’s productions of Dialogues of the Carmelites, L’elisir d’amore, Parsifal, La Traviata, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème, Falstaff, and La Rondine.
Notably, Mr. Calzada has received recognitions including Semifinalist in the MIOpera International Vocal Competition, Winner of the Coeur d’Alene Symphony National Young Artist Competition, Second-Place finishes in the VII Odin International Music Online Competition 2021, and Second-Place 2019 Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Competition for undergraduates. He holds a Masters of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with César Ulloa, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he trained with Timothy Noble and Carol Vaness.