John Lucas Meachem (born June 11, 1978) (known professionally as Lucas Meachem) is an American lyric baritone known for performing the role of ''Figaro'' in 2016

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

's '' Ghosts of Versailles'' which earned him a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

Early life

Lucas Meachem was born and raised in Carthage, North Carolina and grew up singing

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

before discovering opera. Meachem trained at the Adler Program artist residency at the San Francisco Opera from 2004 to 2005. He had his big break soon after that in 2006, when he was discovered at a karaoke bar in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

by acclaimed

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

Susan Graham, who suggested he step in for

Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the ...

’s ''

Iphigénie en Tauride ''Iphigénie en Tauride'' (, ''Iphigenia in Tauris'') is a 1779 opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck in four acts. It was his fifth opera for the French stage. The libretto was written by Nicolas-François Guillard. With ''Iphigénie,'' Gluck took ...

'' at the Lyric Opera of Chicago from which the international star baritone Simon Keenlyside had withdrawn.

Career

Meachem made his

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

debut as General Rayevsky in '' War and Peace'' in 2008, and has since performed at the Met as ''Mercutio'' in '' Roméo et Juliette'', ''Silvio'' in ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...

'', and most recently ''Marcello'' in '' La bohème''. In 2016, Meachem won a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for

Opera's '' Ghosts of Versailles'' as ''Figaro''. Also in 2016, Meachem was voted as the ''inaugural Emerging Star'' by San Francisco Opera. In 2021, Meachem performed the role of ''Figaro'' in an abridged English-language adaptation of ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

'' for the San Francisco Opera. The production was held as an open-air, drive-in event at the Marin Center due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Personal life

Meachem is married to pianist/opera coach, Irina Meachem. They have a son, and live in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Discography

CD

DVD

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meachem, Lucas Living people 1978 births Grammy Award winners American baritones American operatic baritones People from Carthage, North Carolina 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers

Early life

Career

Personal life

Discography

CD

DVD

See also

References