Jay Hunter Morris (born July 3, 1963) is an American operatic tenor. He is best known internationally for the role of Siegfried in the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

's 2011–12 series of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

's ''

Ring Cycle (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compos ...

'', performances of which were cinecast and

radio broadcast Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

live worldwide, aired on U.S. television, and released on DVD.

Early life and education

Jay Hunter Morris was born and raised in

Paris, Texas Paris is a city and county seat of Lamar County, Texas, United States. Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods, the population of the city was 24,171 in 2020. History Present-day Lamar County was part of Red River ...

. Both of his parents were professional musicians: His father, Jack Hunter Morris, who died when Jay was 13, was a

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

music minister, and his mother, Carolyn, was a church organist. Morris sang in the church choir, and in high school also sang in rock 'n' roll

garage band Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

s."An Understudy Turned Star Shines On The Met Stage"
Interview with

Scott Simon Scott Simon (born March 16, 1952) is an American journalist and the host of '' Weekend Edition Saturday'' on NPR. Early life Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of comedian Ernie Simon and actress Patricia Lyons.

for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

. (audio and full transcript) He graduated from Paris High School in 1981."Jay Morris Outstanding Vocal Student at Baylor"
''The Paris News''. May 29, 1986. p. 10. Morris studied music at

Paris Junior College Paris Junior College (PJC) is a Public college, public community college with three campuses in East Texas: Paris, Texas, Paris, Greenville, Texas, Greenville, and Sulphur Springs, Texas, Sulphur Springs. The college was founded in 1924 as a cam ...

, and received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

in 1986. After college, he moved to Nashville and performed gospel and country music, and was involved in ministry, but he had little enthusiasm for these pursuits. A friend took him to see '' La Traviata'' in Dallas, and Morris became fascinated by opera; he also met

Alfredo Kraus Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (; 24 November 192710 September 1999) was a distinguished Spanish tenor from the Canary Islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus), particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was ...

, who recommended a voice teacher to him. Morris received a

Master of Music The Master of Music (MM or MMus) is, as an academic title, the first graduate degree in music awarded by universities and conservatories. The MM combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually performance in singing or i ...

degree in vocal performance at

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

, and also studied vocal performance for two years at

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named afte ...

Career

Early operatic career

In November 1995, Morris performed the role of Anthony Candolino in the original production of

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning ''

Master Class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

''. In June 1996 he sang Pinkerton with

Cheryl Barker Cheryl Ruth Barker (born 22 April 1960, Sydney) is an Australian operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the late 1980s. She has sung on several complete opera recordings with Chandos Records, including the title rol ...

in ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

'' for

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with t ...

. Morris made his

Seattle Opera Seattle Opera is an American opera company based in Seattle, Washington. The company's season runs from August through late May, comprising five or six operas of eight to ten performances each, often featuring double casts in major roles to all ...

debut in 1999 in

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...

's ''

Vanessa Vanessa may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Vanessa'' (Millais painting), an 1868 painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais * ''Vanessa'', a 1933 novel by Hugh Walpole * ''Vanessa'', a 1952 instrumental song written by Bernie W ...

''Jay Hunter Morris – Bio
at

and his

debut in 2007 as Steva in '' Jenufa'', the latter being broadcast worldwide. In addition to his traditional tenor roles and performances,"Roles"
. ''JayHunterMorris.com''. Morris has sung lead roles in the world premieres of several new operas. He made his

San Francisco Opera The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...

debut in the role of Mitch, alternating with originator Anthony Dean Griffey, in the world premiere season of

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

's ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...

'' (1998). Morris originated the roles of Father Grenville in

Jake Heggie Jake Heggie (born March 31, 1961)Slonimsky, Nicholas; Kuhn, Laura; ed. (2001). Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians Volume 3: Haar-Levi'. New York: Schirmer Books. pp. 1509–1510. . is an American composer of opera, vocal, orchestra ...

’s '' Dead Man Walking'' (2000) at the San Francisco Opera, Unferth in

Elliot Goldenthal Elliot Goldenthal (born May 2, 1954) is an American composer of contemporary classical music and film and theatrical scores. A student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, he is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend variou ...

's and

Julie Taymor Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director and writer of theater, opera, and film. Her stage adaptation of ''The Lion King (musical), The Lion King'' debuted in 1997 and received eleven Tony Awards, Tony Award nominations, with ...

’s ''

Grendel Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem ''Beowulf'' (700–1000 AD). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. He is referred to as b ...

'' (2006) at the

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera, originally called the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler P ...

, Captain James Nolan in

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

's ''

Doctor Atomic ''Doctor Atomic'' is an opera by the contemporary American composer John Adams, with a libretto by Peter Sellars. It premiered at the San Francisco Opera on October 1, 2005. The work focuses on how leading figures at Los Alamos dealt with the ...

'' (2005) at the San Francisco Opera, and Marky in '' The Fly'' (2008) at

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

in Paris. In August 2011, Morris sang the role of

Captain Ahab Captain Ahab is a fictional character and one of the protagonists in Herman Melville's ''Moby-Dick'' (1851). He is the monomaniacal captain of the whaling ship '' Pequod''. On a previous voyage, the white whale Moby Dick bit off Ahab's leg and ...

in Jake Heggie's ''

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

'' in its Australian premiere at

State Opera of South Australia State Opera South Australia (SOSA) is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976. History State Opera South Australia was established in 1976 as a statutory corporation under the ''State Opera of South Au ...

.Jay Hunter Morris – Biography
at

IMG Artists IMG Artists is a performing arts management company. The company manages the careers of classical and contemporary artists, dance companies, film with orchestra presentations and shows and attractions as well as produce and manage tours and events ...

He reprised this role in February 2012 at the

San Diego Opera The San Diego Opera (SDO) is a professional opera company based in San Diego, California. The opera performs at the San Diego Civic Theatre. The San Diego Symphony serves as the orchestra for the opera. History San Diego Opera Guild was founded ...

and sang it at the San Francisco Opera October–November 2012.Schedule
at ''JayHunterMorris.com''.

Siegfried

The

's ''

'' role of Siegfried — a lengthy, difficult role that very few tenors can sing — brought Morris to international attention beginning in the fall of 2011. His introduction to the role came from a 2008 invitation by Speight Jenkins to understudy the part for ''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'' and ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...

'' at the Seattle Opera for their 2009 season. He then also understudied the role at the

in 2010. Morris made his debut as Siegfried in ''Siegfried'' at the

in June 2011.Malitz, Nancy
"Forget Brass Ring, Tenor Jay Hunter Morris Appears from Nowhere to Grab Wagner Gold"
''Chicago on the Aisle''. February 9, 2012. Beginning October 27, 2011, Morris sang the title role in the Metropolitan Opera's new production of ''Siegfried'' and the November 5 performance in the series was broadcast live in movie theatres worldwide via the ''

Metropolitan Opera Live in HD Metropolitan Opera Live in HD (also known as The Met: Live in HD) is a series of live opera performances transmitted in high-definition video via satellite from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to select venues, primarily movie theaters, ...

'' cinecasts.

Ben Heppner Thomas Bernard Heppner (born January 14, 1956) is a renowned Canadian tenor and broadcaster, now retired from singing, who specialized in opera and other classical works for voice. Early life Heppner, was born in Murrayville, British Columb ...

had originally been scheduled to perform the role, but had dropped out in February.

Gary Lehman Gary Lehman is an American operatic tenor, specialising in the Heldentenor repertoire. He initially trained as a baritone at Youngstown State University, continued his studies at Indiana University, and as a member of the Lyric Opera Center for ...

had been slated to perform instead but withdrew only eight days before opening night, citing illness, and Morris, as understudy, was called in as emergency replacement. Morris also sang Siegfried in the Met's new ''Götterdämmerung'' beginning January 27, 2012, and that production was also cinecast and radio broadcast live around the world on February 11, 2012. Morris reprised the role of Siegfried at the Met in April and May 2012 in two consecutive ''Ring'' cycles, including a live Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast of ''Siegfried'' on April 21. On May 7, 2012 a documentary film, ''Wagner's Dream'', which documents the making of the 2011–12 Met ''Ring'' cycle, including Morris's precipitous casting and rise to prominence, was cinecast worldwide in select cinemas. Encore cinecasts of Morris's ''Siegfried'' and ''Götterdämmerung'' occurred on May 16 and May 19, 2012, as part of the encore ''Ring''-cycle ''Metropolitan Opera Live in HD''; ''Siegfried'' was shown again in select movie theaters on November 22, 2012. On U.S. television,

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

broadcast ''Wagner's Dream'' and the entire 2011–12 Met ''Ring'' cycle on five consecutive nights starting September 10, 2012 as part of their ''

Great Performances at the Met Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

'' series. In 2013, Morris shared the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Opera Recording for the Met's recording of ''Der Ring des Nibelungen''. Morris performed two ''Ring'' cycles again at the Met in April–May 2013. He sang the role of Siegfried again at Budapest's Wagner Days Festival in June 2014, and repeated the role at

Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...

in 2016. Morris's other Wagnerian tenor roles include Tristan, which he sang in concert performances under Zubin Mehta of ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

'' in

Valencia, Spain Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

in June 2012, and Erik in '' The Flying Dutchman'', which he sang at Glimmerglass in the summer of 2013. His Wagnerian repertoire also includes Walther, Lohengrin, Parsifal, and Siegmund.

Personal life

Jay Hunter Morris married dancer-singer-actress Meg Gillentine in 2008. They have a son, Cooper Jack Morris, born in 2009. The family's home is in

Roswell, Georgia Roswell is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States. At the official 2020 census, the city had a population of 92,883, making Roswell the state's ninth largest city. A suburb of Atlanta, Roswell has an affluent National Registe ...

, a suburb of Atlanta.

DVDs and CDs

The following DVDs and CDs are available with Morris in principal roles:
''Madama Butterfly'' (2008)
(DVD) – Pinkerton
''Doctor Atomic'' (2008)
(DVD and Blu-ray) – Captain James Nolan
''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (2012)
(DVD and Blu-ray) – Siegfried
''Wagner's Dream''
(DVD and Blu-ray) – Siegfried
''Twilight of the Gods: The Ultimate Wagner Ring Collection''
(CD and MP3) – Siegfried
''Moby Dick'': San Francisco Opera
(2013) (DVD) – Captain Ahab

Book

Morris published his humorous autobiography in 2013, titled ''Diary of a Redneck Opera Zinger''. The book is published by Opera Lively Press, and is available in paperback and

Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, Audible audiobooks, and other digital media via wireless networking ...

.''Diary of a Redneck Opera Zinger''
at

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...

Notes

External links

;Official links
Jay Hunter Morris
– Official Website
Jay Hunter Morris – Biography
at

* ;Articles
"Out of the Spotlight, Until the Met Needed a Tenor"
from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (2011)
"Singing the Ring"
– April 2012 article from ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

'' ;Videos
Siegfried's "Forging Song"
– Morris singing at the Met in 2011
Interview
on ''

Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show ''Charlie Rose (talk show), Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg L.P., Bloombe ...

'' – May 7, 2013 (along with Deborah Voigt and

Fabio Luisi Fabio Luisi (born 17 January 1959) is an Italian conductor. He is currently principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Biog ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Jay Hunter Living people American operatic tenors People from Paris, Texas People from Roswell, Georgia Singers from Texas Baylor University alumni Southern Methodist University alumni Juilliard School alumni Grammy Award winners 1963 births 20th-century American male opera singers 21st-century American male opera singers Classical musicians from Texas