Dennis Jesse
Dennis Jesse (Galante Professor, Voice, and Manager of LSU Opera productions) has found much success in a wide range of vocal styles and characterizations in a career that has taken him from the madcap world of operetta to the dramatic depths of grand opera. He has appeared in more than 40 operettas including: The Desert Song, The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, Gräfin Maritza, Die Fledermaus, and The Merry Widow. His operatic credits include the title roles in Rigoletto, Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, Nabucco and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, as well as lead baritone roles in I Pagliacci, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Turandot, Faust, Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, La Bohème, Cavalleria Rusticana, Carmen, Romèo et Juliette, Les contes d'Hoffman, Così fan tutte and The Crucible to name just a few.
He has appeared in numerous productions with Des Moines Metro Opera, Central City Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Ithaca, Opéra Louisiane, New Orleans Opera, Arizona Opera, Eugene Opera, Knoxville Opera, Nevada Opera, Sacramento Opera, Pensacola Opera, Shreveport Opera, Triangle Opera Theater, Opera Idaho, Amarillo Opera, Metro Lyric Opera, El Paso Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Southwest, Ohio Light Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Opera Lenawee, Jefferson Performing Arts Society, and he toured for two years with the National Opera Company as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeri and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore. He has received critical acclaim as a well-rounded singing actor.
A versatile singer professor Jesse has also appeared in several Musical Theater productions including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Light in the Piazza, The Music Man, and Guys and Dolls, as well as many musical theater concerts with orchestra.
Of his performances many have written: “Whenever Dennis Jesse entered, he completely took over the stage as the toreador Escamillo. He showed an excellent and complete grasp of the character and a strong command of the language and nuance of the score.”
“Dennis Jesse drenches Tonio with a rich baritone sound. Jesse’s voice and subtle acting creates a menacing characterization, yet one of genuine pathos.”
“Dennis Jesse’s Giovanni was gentlemanly but menacing, handsome but heartless. He moved well on stage and was especially convincing in such seductive moments as the sensuous La ci darem la mano duet. The voice? Compact, solid and nicely gauged for the house, with a pleasantly husky quality. Jesse used his sense of the Italian text and of word accents to make the dramatic moments convincing, rather than overblowing the sound.”
Oratorio appearances include the Verdi Requiem with Baton Rouge Symphony; Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Shreveport Symphony; Messiah with Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; Johnstown Symphony and others; Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra; Carmina Burana with the Atlanta Ballet; The St. Matthew Passion with Louisiana State University; Elijah with the New Orleans Symphonic Chorus and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; and Baton Rouge Symphony, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Adrian Symphony; and a Carnegie Hall performance of Schubert’s Mass in G and Mozart’s Te Deum and Regina Coeli with Mid America Productions.
Some of his most recent and upcoming engagements include Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Palm Beach Opera, Nabucco in Nabucco with Opera Ithaca, Soloist in Verdi Requiem with the University of Southern Mississippi, Soloist in the Mozart Requiem with Baton Rouge Symphony, Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opéra Louisiane, Germont in La Traviata with Anchorage Opera, and Soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Johns Creek Symphony.
Upcoming recital appearances are currently scheduled for fall of 2023 at Louisiana State University.
Professor Jesse has taught internationally with several organizations including: FIO Italia, La Musica Lirica, both in Italy and FIO America in Brazil.
Jesse’s singing awards include being the national winner of the MTNA vocal recital competition, two-time winner of the Fredrick Shorr vocal competition, winner of the Junior Division of the Opera Columbus Vocal Competition, and an invitation to be a guest artist on A Night with the Diva-Dolora Zajick a gala concert for Nevada Opera.