Nicholas Nestorak
Nicholas Nestorak is emerging as a tenor to watch, having joined the Metropolitan Opera roster this past season as well as performing leading role debuts regionally. Nestorak joined the roster of The Met to cover Pang in their production of Turandot and Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos. In addition, he returned to Opera Grand Rapids as Pong in Turandot and stepped in as Brighella for Lakes Area Music Festival in Ariadne auf Naxos, as well as the roles of Anton Scalia in Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg and Monsieur Vogelsang in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor, both for the Princeton Festival. This season, Nestorak will return to The Metropolitan Opera for Falstaff, join Opera San Antonio’s Pagliacci as Beppe, and return to the Princeton Festival for Il barbiere di Siviglia as Almaviva.
Recently, Nestorak performed Goro in Madama Butterfly with Knoxville Opera and Florida Grand Opera, the role of Monostatos in The Magic Flute with Toledo Opera and Opera Grand Rapids, The Witch in Hansel and Gretel with Brava! Opera, and Grant Wood in Strokes of Genius, a new work about Cedar Rapids native Grant Wood, with Cedar Rapids Opera Theater. He also made his debut as Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville with Opera Roanoke to critical acclaim.
Nestorak has delighted audiences at the Glimmerglass Festival as Tobias in Stephen Sondheim’s gruesome favorite, Sweeney Todd, after he made his début at the festival as Monastatos in Die Zauberflöte the season before; appeared in the title role of Albert Herring and Jupiter in Semele at Opera MODO; and as Lord Geoffrey in The Picture of Dorian Gray at Opera Fayetteville. Additional operatic engagements include the Physician in The Fall of the House of Usher; Borsa in Rigoletto and Spoletta in Tosca with Wolf Trap Opera; Pang in Turandot with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, the role of Gastone in La Traviata with Austin Lyric Opera, and a performance in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins.
As a Benson Young Artist at Palm Beach Opera, Mr. Nestorak’s assignments included: Tonio in La fille du régiment, Spalanzani and Nathanaël in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Oronte in Alcina, George Gibbs in Our Town, and Malcolm in Macbeth. He is also an alumnus of the Young Artist Program at the Crested Butte Music Festival where his assignments included Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Harlequin in Der Kaiser von Atlantis.
Also maintaining an active concert calendar, Nestorak’s concert credits include Händel’s Messiah and Alexander’s Feast, Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, Beethoven’s Mass in C and Choral Fantasy; and Mozart’s Mass in C-Major. Nestorak regularly earns accolades in the competition circuit including recognition by Classical Singer Magazine, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Crested Butte Music Festival, and the Marcello Giordani International Voice Competition.
Nestorak holds a Master of Music degree in Voice from University of Michigan, where he appeared as Der Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea. He also earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Hillsdale College, where his credits include Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Nestorak’s training also includes time at the Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar where he performed Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.
Recently, Nestorak performed Goro in Madama Butterfly with Knoxville Opera and Florida Grand Opera, the role of Monostatos in The Magic Flute with Toledo Opera and Opera Grand Rapids, The Witch in Hansel and Gretel with Brava! Opera, and Grant Wood in Strokes of Genius, a new work about Cedar Rapids native Grant Wood, with Cedar Rapids Opera Theater. He also made his debut as Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville with Opera Roanoke to critical acclaim.
Nestorak has delighted audiences at the Glimmerglass Festival as Tobias in Stephen Sondheim’s gruesome favorite, Sweeney Todd, after he made his début at the festival as Monastatos in Die Zauberflöte the season before; appeared in the title role of Albert Herring and Jupiter in Semele at Opera MODO; and as Lord Geoffrey in The Picture of Dorian Gray at Opera Fayetteville. Additional operatic engagements include the Physician in The Fall of the House of Usher; Borsa in Rigoletto and Spoletta in Tosca with Wolf Trap Opera; Pang in Turandot with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, the role of Gastone in La Traviata with Austin Lyric Opera, and a performance in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins.
As a Benson Young Artist at Palm Beach Opera, Mr. Nestorak’s assignments included: Tonio in La fille du régiment, Spalanzani and Nathanaël in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Oronte in Alcina, George Gibbs in Our Town, and Malcolm in Macbeth. He is also an alumnus of the Young Artist Program at the Crested Butte Music Festival where his assignments included Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Harlequin in Der Kaiser von Atlantis.
Also maintaining an active concert calendar, Nestorak’s concert credits include Händel’s Messiah and Alexander’s Feast, Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, Beethoven’s Mass in C and Choral Fantasy; and Mozart’s Mass in C-Major. Nestorak regularly earns accolades in the competition circuit including recognition by Classical Singer Magazine, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Crested Butte Music Festival, and the Marcello Giordani International Voice Competition.
Nestorak holds a Master of Music degree in Voice from University of Michigan, where he appeared as Der Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea. He also earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Hillsdale College, where his credits include Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Nestorak’s training also includes time at the Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar where he performed Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.