Education
DMA (ABD), University of Oklahoma
MM, The Juilliard School
BM, Baylor University
Thomas Cannon has been acclaimed for his “sensitive artistry,” “keen dramatic sense,” and “passionate intensity”. A “vocal powerhouse” skilled across diverse genres, he has performed works of Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Brahms, Corigliano, Craig Bohmler and George Gershwin.
Cannon was Figaro in The Ghost of Versailles and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor during the 2018-19 season. He was Porgy in Porgy and Bess at Fort Worth Opera, Scarpia at Opera Roanoke, and played the roles of Senator Potter, General Arlie, and the “flamboyant” bartender in George Spears’ Fellow Travelers with Arizona Opera. He will reprise the role of Porgy with Greensboro Opera and will make a recital debut with The Lied Society of Minneapolis during the 2020-21 season.
He has been heard as Albert in Werther at Merkin Hall and has sung the role of Escamillo with Music Academy of the West. Additional roles in his growing repertoire include; Ford (Falstaff), Giorgio Germont (La Traviata), Count di Luna (Il Trovatore), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Gianni Schicchi, and Don Giovanni. Mr. Cannon has sung extensively with Arizona Opera where he was engaged as a resident artist. In addition, he is a graduate of the training programs at The Glimmerglass Festival, Chautauqua Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Dallas Opera and Music Academy of the West.
Cannon regularly appears on the concert stage. In 2019 he performed Haydn’s Harmoniemesse at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and Mozart’s Requiem at the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria. Was soloist with the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt in Die Schöphfung (The Creation) and sang Eine Messe des Lebens by Frederick Delius with the American Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leon Botstein. Further concert repertoire includes; Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s B Minor Mass, and St. Matthew’s Passion. He recently performed Handel’s Messiah at The Civic Music Hall in OKC.
Cannon has been honored for his work by The Dallas Opera Guild, Chautauqua Opera, The Anna Sosenko Foundation, West Palm Beach Opera, Opera Birmingham, and The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
He holds a Bachelor of Music from Baylor University, a Master’s in Vocal Performance from the prestigious The Juilliard School, and is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts from The University of Oklahoma. Notable teachers including Nico Castel, Mignon Dunn, Marlena Malas, Dr. John Van Cura, Kim Josephson and Marilyn Horne of The Metropolitan Opera.