Lauded for his “grand voice, with a rich and colorful timbre, and beautiful smooth legato” (Anaclase.com), bass John Paul Huckle has quickly established himself as an international talent of immense promise. Recently, Mr. Huckle was seen making his Wagnerian debut as König Marke in Tristan und Isolde with the Claude Heater Foundation, performing Dottore Grenvil in La Traviata with Teatro Carlo Felice, and as Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Noli Musica Festival. A favorite among Italian audiences, Mr. Huckle began his 2019 season with multiple appearances at the Teatro Carlo Felice where he sang the role of Bonzo in Madama Butterfly and Angelotti in Tosca. In the spring of 2020, Mr. Huckle again joined Teatro Carlo Felice where he performed Quinalt in Adriana Lecouvreur. During the summer of 2021, Mr. Huckle returned to the US through Central City Opera to reprise the role of Sparafucile in Rigoletto and to make a role debut as Jigger Craigin in Carousel. In the 2021-2022 season, Mr. Huckle will present a solo recital at Texas Tech University, sing the role of Lodovico in Verdi’s Otello with Pacific Symphony and make his debut with Boston Modern Orchestra Project as 2nd Crapshooter in The Jumping Frog (Foss/Karsavina). In the summer of 2022,  Mr. Huckle cover Vanuzzi in Strauss’ Die schweigsame Frau with Bard SummerScape and in the fall, he will make his Salt Marsh Opera debut as Simone in Gianni Schicchi and Usher in Trial by Jury and his debut with White Snake Projects as Apsu/General Aps in Cosmic Cowboys (Ruehr/Jacobs). In 2023, he will return to Teatro Carlo Felice as Samuel in Un Ballo in Maschera.

 

Mr. Huckle’s 2018 season began with two appearances at the Festival Lyrique en Mer; first as Angelotti in Tosca, and second as the bass soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass.  Much of his season was then spent in Parma, where Mr. Huckle covered the title role in Attila as well as performed Banquo in Macbeth at the Teatro Regio di Parma. In 2017, Mr. Huckle returned to the Royal Opera House in London where he covered Il signor di Béthune in Verdi’s Les vêpres siciliennes.  Additional Royal Opera House engagements include covering Giorgio Talbot in Maria Stuarda, and covering Ensemble 5 in Shostakovich’s The Nose. 

 

Enjoying a strong, continuing relationship with the Festival Lyrique en Mer, Mr. Huckle’s credits with the company include Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Colline in La bohème, Lodovico in Otello, Zuniga in Carmen, and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia.  In addition to performances in Italy and France, Mr. Huckle has made numerous appearances with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, making his debut in 2011 as Un ufficiale in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and continuing on to perform Sciarrone in Tosca, Geharnischter Mann in The Magic Flute, Kommissar in Dialogues des Carmélites, Steuermann in Tristan und Isolde, Il sergente dei doganieri in La bohème, L’Ufficiale del registro in Madama Butterfly, and Un Mandarino in Turandot. 

 

Additional career highlights include Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, Angelotti in Tosca, Dansker in Billy Budd, and Petro in Simon Boccanegra, all with Teatro Carlo Felice Genova. In the 2016 season Mr. Huckle made his debut with Teatro di San Carlo Napoli in the roles of Cirillo and Boroff in Fedora, and was invited back to Napoli for their 2017-2018 season opener where he performed Ashby in La fanciulla del west which was recorded for DVD and Blue-Ray. 

 

As a young artist, Mr. Huckle made appearances with Central City Opera, Tulsa Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera North, Brevard Music Center, and Sarasota Opera.  Mr. Huckle is a recipient of the Leo Rogers Outstanding Apprentice Award, a First Prize winner in the New York City Opera Foundation Competition, and a National Semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Mr. Huckle received both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University, as well as a Professional Opera Certificate from the Boston University Opera Institute.