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John David Nevergall

photo: Oshin Gregorian

     Originally from Elmore, Ohio, John David's formal music training began with, and focused upon, classical and jazz percussion. Over a decade of study resulted in a Bachelor’s Degree from Valparaiso University in 2008, at which point he began his graduate studies at The Ohio State University in historical musicology.  While working in this program, and with the encouragement of the OSU voice faculty, John David began work on a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance -- a program he completed in 2011.

 

     His career took its first significant steps in the autumn of 2012. While spending his days working as a bus driver, John David made his professional opera debut as Rodolfo in Opera Columbus’ award-winning new production of La Bohème. This production was a joint venture between Opera Columbus and the Shadowbox Live theatre, and ran for over twenty performances. In the following months, John David made company debuts with Nevada Opera (Remendado, Carmen), Opera Project Columbus (Rinuccio, Gianni Schicchi), and Cleveland Opera Theater (Prunier, La Rondine). He later returned to the stage with Opera Columbus as Goro in their 2013 production of Madama Butterfly.

 

     For three seasons (2014-2017), John David was as a resident artist at the prestigious Boston University Opera Institute. As a member of this program, he sang numerous leading roles, including Don José (La Tragédie de Carmen), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Matthew Gurney (Emmeline), and Werther (Werther). Additionally, John David established himself as a sought-after concert soloist, performing with numerous ensembles around the Boston area. These engagements included performances of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and a concert presentation of Bizet’s Carmen. In the spring of 2016, he made his debut in Boston’s historic Symphony Hall, as the Tenor Soloist for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of renowned maestro Ken-David Masur.

     John David spent the 2017/18 season as a member of the Young Artist Program at Tulsa Opera. During his time there, he made his Tulsa Opera debut in the company's 75th Anniversary Gala Concert and returned to the stage as L'Imperatore Altoum in Turandot. He also covered the role of Calàf in the same production, as well as covering the title role in Gounod's Faust. In addition to this, John David appeared with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and the Signature Symphony at TCC. After concluding his season in Tulsa, he made debuts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (Monostatos, Die Zauberflöte) and the Missouri Symphony (Rodolfo, La Bohème; Tenor Soloist, VERDI: Messa da Requiem).    

     In the following seasons, John David returned to the stage with Tulsa Opera (Snake/Vain Man, The Little Prince), Missouri Symphony (Don José, Carmen), and Opera Columbus (Rinuccio, Gianni Schicchi). Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled engagements with Chautauqua Opera (John Adams, The Mother of Us All), Signature Symphony at TCC (Tenor Soloist, Das Lied von der Erde), and Mid-Ohio Opera (Der Steuermann, Der Fliegende Holländer). In May, 2021, John David reprised the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème with Opera Columbus.

     As an apprentice artist, John David has worked at three of the nation’s most well-known summer opera festivals. He spent the summers of 2014 and 2016 in Central City, Colorado as a member of the Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program at Central City Opera. While with CCO, John David appeared on the mainstage (Motorcycle Cop, Dead Man Walking, 2014; Sam, The Ballad of Baby Doe, 2016), was featured in a solo art song recital (2014), and covered the role of Cavaradossi in Tosca (2016). During the summer of 2015, John David worked with Des Moines Metro Opera, where he covered the role of Nick in La Fanciulla del West and was featured in the festival’s Apprentice Artist Scenes Program. Finally, during the summer of 2020, John David participated in Chautauqua Opera's Digital Festival Season. Through this experience he created video content, collaborated with artists from around the country, and premiered a new song by Francis Pollock and Jerre Dye titled "Sheltering Our Dreams." 

 

     In January, 2016, John David was named a winner in the Boston District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. During the following year, he was selected as a Phyllis Curtin Artist by the Boston University Opera Institute. In    addition to these honors, John David has received awards from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Boston University Opera Institute, The Ohio State University, and Central City Opera.

     John David is an attorney in the State of Ohio, and an associate at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in Columbus, where he is a member of the firm's Real Estate practice.

Verdi's Messa da Requiem

photo: Nashoba Valley Chorale

© 2024, John David Nevergall

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