About José
José Lemos was awarded both a 2003 and 2004 Tanglewood Music Fellowship where he made his USA operatic debut in Zuidam’s “Rage D’Amours” and in Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as Oberon. The following season he made his European debut at the Zürich Opernhaus as Nireno in “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” under the baton of Marc Minkowski. That was followed by appearances such as the prestigious Aldeburgh Festival in England, in a production of Purcell’s “Faery Queen” under the baton of Harry Bicket, receiving raving reviews by the London Times. Mr. Lemos is the First Prize Winner and the Audience Prize Winner of the 2003 International Baroque Singing Competition of Chimay, Belgium.
Some highlights of his career includes an extensive tour of Stefano Landi’s “Il Sant’Alessio” with Les Arts Florissant’s conducted by William Christie with performances at Thèatre de Caen, Opera National de Lorraine, Grand Thèatre de Luxemburg, Rose Theater in NYC, Barbican Hall in London, and the Thèatre des Champs Elysèe in Paris. In 2010 Mr. Lemos joined Maestro Christie along a stellar cast directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi as Nutrice in a production of Monteverdi’s “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain, and at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. Both “Il Sant’Alessio” and “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” are released as DVDs on Virgin/EMI Classics. He has also returned to the Zürich Opernhaus as Narciso in Handel’s “Agrippina” conducted by Marc Minkowski, and subsequently his debut at the Royal Festival Hall in London with critical acclaim in the same role. Also the roles of Ottone in Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea” with the Seattle Early Music Guild directed by Stephen Stubbs, the role of Tolomeo in Handel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” conducted by Nicolas McGegan at the Göttingen Handel Festspiele in Germany, he also made his debut at the Opera de Nice in the French Riviera on the role of Policare in Scarlatti’s “Tigrane”, that was followed by Narciso in Handel’s “Agrippina” at Vlaamse Opera in Ghent, Belgium under the baton of the renowned English conductor Paul McCreesh. In early 2013 Mr. Lemos portrayed his acclaimed role of King Darius in the medieval “Play of Daniel” directed by Mary Anne Ballard and Drew Minter as part of the 75th Anniversary of the Cloisters of the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. A regular guest with the Boston Early Music Festival José Lemos has portrayed Nerea in the 2011 production of “Niobe”, Nutrice in Monteverdi’s Poppea in 2017, the Spirit in Purcell’s “Dido & Aeneas” in 2010, and Silène in the 2007 production of Lully’s “Psyche” which was released on the German label CPO and nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award. Both the 2009 and 2010 seasons featured Mr. Lemos debut as soloist at Carnegie Hall in New York City in Mozart’s “Coronation Mass”, as well as the prestigious Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”. Mr. Lemos latest opera appearance was in his Monteverdi signature role of Nutrice at the acclaimed Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Ensemble Matheus directed by Jean-Christophe Spinosi.
José Lemos has toured extensively and is a guest member with the renowned Baltimore Consort performing in both concert and educational outreach. And he has been a regular guest with several American and European early music ensembles such as Christina Pluhar’s L’Arpeggiata, Brandywine Baroque, Boston Baroque, Magnificat (San Francisco), NY State Baroque, Chatham Baroque, Quartetto Brio among others. A versatile performer, he charms audiences in recitals with his exuberant renditions of native Brazilian and Sephardic songs in a duo with Uruguayan guitarist Marco Sartor. Both the Baltimore Consort and Quartetto Brio have recorded on the Dorian Label. Brio has released “Romance” and “Sol y Luna”, featuring the exotic music of the Sephardic Jews of Spain. The Baltimore Consort released “Adio España”, featuring the beautiful music of Spain’s Age of Discovery.
Among the several recordings of opera and song Mr. Lemos has made, “Io Vidi In Terra” is his solo album of XVII Century Italian Arias, a once in a lifetime collaboration envisioned by his mentor, opera director and virtuoso harspsichordist Jory Vinikour, and also with the incredible lute/theorbo player Deborah Fox who is part of this amazing project. “Io Vidi In Terra” made the recording highlight list of Gramophone Magazine in 2014.
Upcoming projects for the 2020 season include Mr. Lemos singing a rare masterpiece, Ester, by Alessandro Stradella with Salon Sanctuary Music Series directed by Jessica Gould in NYC, and in May that will be followed by a recording of this piece and concerts in Rome, Italy. November 2020 will take him to the Festival de Musica de Colonia in Uruguay, directed by Pianist Enrique Graf, for a concert of his native Brazilian Folk Songs.
José Lemos holds a Master Degree in Opera Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the College of Charleston in South Carolina.
