One of the most sought after tenors on the international opera scene, William Joyner has performed with more than 40 opera companies and symphony orchestras around the world.  In the U.S., he has appeared with The Washington Opera (Don Jose in Carmen, Faust in Boito’s Mefistofele, Rodolfo in La Boheme, the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier), the New York City Opera (Don Jose and Rodolfo), the Houston Grand Opera (Faust in Boito’s Mefistofele), Santa Fe Opera and Pittsburgh Opera (Don Jose), Minnesota Opera (Cavaradossi in Tosca, Rodolfo and the Duke in Rigoletto), Florida Grand Opera (Don Jose, the Duke of Mantua, and Macduff in Macbeth), Florentine Opera (Rodolfo), the Cleveland Opera (Duke of Mantua), New Orleans Opera (Don Jose), Orlando Opera (Don Jose and Alfredo in La Traviata), Opera Carolina (Don Jose), Kentucky Opera (Nicias in Thais), Opera Memphis (Duke of Mantua) and the Sarasota Opera, as well as with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.  In Canada, he has appeared with Calgary Opera (Don Jose and the title role in Les Contes d’Hoffman) and with Opera Lyra Ottawa (Romeo in Romeo et Juliette).  In South America, he has appeared with the Teatro Muncipal in Santiago, Chile (Faust and Don Jose). 

Mr. Joyner has also enjoyed success throughout Europe, including the Teatro alla Scala in Milan (des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon), the Rome Opera (Jimmy Mahoney in Weill’s Mahagonny), Cagliari Opera (Don Jose), the Opéra National de Paris (title role in Gounod’s Faust, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Opera National de Lyon (title role in Gounod’s Faust), Theatre du Capitole Toulouse (Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor), Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie (Don Jose and the title role in Berlioz’ Le Damnation du Faust), the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin (Zen in Eliot Carter’s What’s Next), the Deutsche Oper Berlin (title role in Gounod’s Faust), Teatro Massimo Palermo (Danilo in The Merry Widow, title role in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette), Teatro Filarmonico di Verona (Ruggiero in La Rondine),  Teatro Massimo di Bellini di Catania (Arturo in La Straniera and Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress), Teatro Comunale di Bologna (title role in Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande), the Teatro Regio di Parma (Don Jose), the Gran Teatro la Fenice in Venice (Nicias in Thaïs), Teatro Real de Madrid (des Grieux) and Oper Frankfurt (Pinkerton, des Grieux, Schubert’s Fierrabras)

Mr. Joyner’s concert repertoire includes Verdi’s Requiem, which he has performed under the baton of Georges Prêtre at the Arena di Verona, Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Dvoràk’s Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Liszt’s Eine Faust Symphonie, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, in which he made his debut with the New York Philharmonic led by Kurt Masur.

This past season, he appeared with Opera Omaha as Cavaradossi, Opera Carolina as Pinkerton, Kentucky Opera as Nadir in Les Pecheurs des Perles, and the Florida Grand Opera and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Stiva in the world premiere production of David Carlson’s Anna Karenina.  This season, he will appear in Graz, Austria as Pinkerton in a new production of Madama Butterfly, Dresden in the title role of Le Damnation du Faust, and, in America, with the Indianapolis Opera as Cavaradossi and with Austin Lyric Opera as Don Jose.

Born in North Carolina, William Joyner holds degrees from the Juilliard School and the Catholic University of America.  He has been the recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, a Sullivan Foundation Award, a Silver Medal from the Rosa Ponselle Foundation, and the Martin and Berenice Feinstein Artist of the Year at the Washington Opera.  He is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.