Mike Eldred (born June 12, 1965) is an American

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

, known for his work in musical theater. He has performed on Broadway and in regional productions. He has also appeared in concert, as well as on recordings, radio, and television.

Early life

Eldred was born part of a musical family that traveled by bus, performing in Christian revivals and events. His father was not only a Baptist preacher but also a classic baritone and a tuba player. Young Mike was harmonizing with music on the radio at the age of four.

Career

Early years (Contemporary Christian, Nashville)

Eldred, whose voice was classically trained, majored in voice at Stephen F. Austin State University. While still in his teens, however, he left to join a contemporary Christian band; he was with

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs ...

for around two years. At age 21, he went to Nashville and launched a career in country and gospel music. In addition to two solo records, he sang backup for

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...

and

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...

. He also worked with

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

and

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

Theater

With no previous experience as an actor, Eldred began his stage career in 1996 when he landed a role in the 25th anniversary tour of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

''. He was in the original Broadway cast of '' The Civil War'' (1999), which was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

. In 2003, during the final months of the long Broadway run of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'', Eldred was understudy and performer in the starring role,

Jean Valjean Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

. He then went on to perform as Valjean in other theaters around the United States. In particular, his performance during the

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) is a professional theatre company in residence at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania and the official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Festival is organized a ...

in 2015 drew praise. He starred as "The Tenor" in the 2010 national concert tour of ''Handel's Messiah Rocks''.

Audio and video

Numerous appearances on recordings and DVDs. Solo CDs: * ''Uncommon Love'' (1989): a collection of gospel songs and ballads for the

Home Sweet Home Records Home Sweet Home Records (also known as CC Entertainment) is a record label, based in Dallas, Texas. History Home Sweet Home began in 1981, in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded by singer, songwriter and producer Chris Christian. Since its in ...

label. * ''Never Stop'' (1990): synth-flavored soft rock and ballads, also issued by Home Sweet Home. * ''Me'' (2001): features favorites from the stage drawn from Eldred's years on Broadway. ''The Tennessean'' praised Eldred's vocal abilities during the recording of this album. * ''Let It Begin'' (2006): a holiday album. * ''Come Love Me Again'' (2011): a celebration of the music of

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

In concert

* Has performed with many of North America's leading symphony orchestras. * Toured with

Dennis DeYoung Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx, and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. DeYoung was th ...

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

for symphony concerts in 2003. The ''Chicago Tribune'' called Eldred's performance "inspiring." * Has also given well-received concerts devoted to John Denver songs.

As concert producer

Eldred, who lives in

Whitefish, Montana Whitefish (Salish: epɫx̣ʷy̓u, "has whitefish") is a town in Flathead County, Montana, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, there were 7,751 people in the town. History Long before the first Europeans came to Whitefish, ...

, launched a quarterly concert series called "On the Stage" in Whitefish in 2018. His goal was to keep the shows intimate and bring various accomplished friends to the

Flathead Valley The Flathead Valley is a region of the U.S. state located in the Northwestern Montana. It includes parts of Flathead County and Lake County. Notable communities include Kalispell, Bigfork, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Polson, Ronan, and St. ...

. The first performer was

Marcus Hummon Marcus Spencer Hummon (born December 28, 1960) is an American country music artist. He is the father of country singer Levi Hummon. Early life Hummon was born in Washington, D.C.. He graduated from Williams College. Career After several years o ...

. Subsequent acts included Victoria Shaw and Sylvia. NFL player turned singer Mike Reid was scheduled for March 2020.

References

External links

Mike Eldred website

Mike Eldred page on IMDb.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eldred, Mike 1965 births Living people American tenors American male musical theatre actors