Zachary Angus is a lyric baritone praised by Chicago Theater Review for his “earnest and spinning instrument.” Recently, he was chosen by Francis Lynch to create the eponymous role in the Chicago composer’s first opera, Joseph’s Gift. He has also appeared as Friedrich Bhaer in Eugene Opera’s production of Mark Adamo’s Little Women. In recent seasons he has been featured in a number of productions both around Chicago and on the west coast; as Marco (Gianni Schicchi, Salt Creek Chamber Orchestra), Bartley (Riders to the Sea, SCCO), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore, SCCO), Claudio (Béatrice et Bénédict, Eugene Opera), Captain Corcoran (H.M.S. Pinafore, The Savoyaires of Evanston), and Pangloss/Cacambo/Martin (Candide, Opera Notre Dame).
As former baritone section leader of The Choir of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Evanston, Mr. Angus has performed as a soloist in a number of sacred works ranging from Messiah, to Bob Chilcott’s contemporary Passion.
Two years of graduate studies at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts gave Mr. Angus the opportunity to perform ten operatic roles in repertoire ranging from Baroque through Minimalist pieces. Through CCPA, he has also had the opportunity to perform as a chorister at Chicago’s Symphony Center in Poulenc’s Gloria and Orff’s Carmina Burana, the latter with Chicago Sinfonietta under the baton of Mei-Ann Chen.
For his undergraduate studies, Mr. Angus attended The University of Notre Dame, where he originally intended to major in aerospace engineering. After two years and the realization that he was spending far more time and energy in practice rooms and theaters than in libraries and study sessions, he officially changed majors to music performance. His collegiate career was marked by the opportunity to perform the titular characters in both Sweeney Todd and Le nozze di Figaro for Opera Notre Dame.
Raised in a small town outside of Rochester, NY in a family steeped in its Scottish traditions and heritage, Mr. Angus’ first exposure to music came through learning to play the Great Highland bagpipe from his first music teacher, his father. Through the course of his adolescence he also took up cello, trumpet, electric guitar, and, of course, singing. Mr. Angus currently studies with Judith Haddon.