“A show-stopping tenor” (Ludwig van Toronto), Canadian tenor Zachary Rioux is an artist whose voice has been described as “excitingly powerful and resinous” (Parterre Box). He recently concluded a two-year residency as a member of the Opernstudio at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. His mainstage assignments included Parpignol in La Bohème, Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, Erster Brabantischer Edler in Lohengrin, Gastone in La Traviata, and Vierter Knappe in Wagner’s Parsifal. In addition to these roles, he was featured prominently in the Opernstudio’s scenes concerts, performing as Ruggero in La rondine, Don José in Carmen, and most recently, Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur. Further showcasing his versatility, he also performed as Ctésippe in the Staatsoper premiere of Fauré’s Pénélope, and as the title role in the children’s opera Max und die Superheld:Innen.

This upcoming season signals a significant next step in his international career with a series of important house and role debuts. It began by covering Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and having one performance there, followed by tour performances at the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse and with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra in Saskatoon. Upcoming highlights include Bravi! with Edmonton Opera and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and a return to Europe to perform as Altro contadino in Pagliacci at the Bayerische Staatsoper and sing Dvořák's Stabat Mater in Switzerland with Concerts de l’Avent de Villars-sur-Glâne. He will then make his house and role debut as the Prince in Dvořák's Rusalka with Nouvel Opéra Fribourg, and later in the season he will make his house debut at Vancouver Opera as Rodolfo in La Bohème.

Zachary is increasingly sought after for the lyrico-spinto tenor repertoire. His professional role debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème at Manitoba Opera was met with critical acclaim, praised for his “resonant, fully rounded tones, even range and heroic delivery” (Opera Canada). He further deepened his interpretation of Puccini with performances of Cavaradossi in Tosca recently on tour as mentioned above, for Toronto City Opera and as a cover for the same role with Edmonton Opera in the 2022-23 season.

He is a recipient of numerous awards in international singing competitions – he was a prize winner at the Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition in Germany, receiving a Talent Development Award, a Second Prize from the Mario Lanza Competition in Philadelphia, and Gold Medals from both the Rising Stars Grand Prix International Music Competition Berlin and the Vienna International Music Competition.

His artistic development includes residencies with several elite training programs. As a Resident Artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, his leading roles included Rodolfo in La Bohème and Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. He was also a Young Artist at the Glimmerglass Festival, performing the Marquis in John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, and participated in the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie (IMA). His repertoire also extends to the concert stage, with notable performances of Handel’s Messiah and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Zachary Rioux holds a Performance Certificate from the Academy of Vocal Arts and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.