Timothy Oliver

Tenor Timothy Oliver, renowned for his "glowing," "ringing" voice capable of "captivating through its beauty and evenness," began his career with a Soloist Ensemble position at the Semperoper in Dresden, Germany. Over a 13-year tenure, he performed in over 60 operas, singing more than 70 roles, including the Steuermann in Der fliegende Holländer, Brighella and the Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Arbace in Idomeneo, Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Fool-in-Christ in Boris Godunov, and Camille de Rosillon in Die lustige Witwe. His portrayal as the 2nd Soldier in the Dresden premiere of Henze’s We Come to the River was hailed by Die Welt as "the strongest vocal performance of the evening."

Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, Timothy Oliver earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, graduating Magna Cum Laude with honors in 2001 and 2003. During his university years, he performed leading roles at the Ohio Light Opera, including Captain Fitzbattleaxe in Utopia Limited, Camille de Rosillon in The Merry Widow, and the title role in Robin Hood. He also participated in summer opera festivals such as the St. Louis Opera Apprentice Program and Central City Opera, where he sang the lead roles of Larry/Matt in Face on the Ballroom Floor and received the John Moriarty Award.

In 2008, Timothy joined the Bayreuther Festspiele as the Vierte Knappe in Parsifal, performing the role again the following season along with Ulrich Eislinger in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. He also made his concert debut at Frankfurt’s Alte Oper under the baton of Sebastian Weigle, performing as the Dying Swan in Carmina Burana.

In 2010, Oliver began a close collaboration with conductor Fabio Luisi, who brought him to Vienna’s Musikverein to sing the title role in Berlioz’s Damnation de Faust. This partnership led to performances with the London Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Timothy is also a sought-after interpreter of Bach’s works, particularly the Weihnachtsoratorium, Johannes-Passion, and Matthäus-Passion.

Oliver has been a regular performer at the Komische Oper since 2015, debuting in HK Gruber's Die Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald and taking on roles in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Philip Glass' Satyagraha, Candide, Triquet in Barry Kosky’s Eugen Onegin, and Váňa Kudrjaš in Kát'a Kabanová. His recurring role as Monostatos in Die Zauberflöteincludes tours to Japan and performances at Lincoln Center in New York as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival.

In 2016, Oliver debuted the role of Gandhi in Satyagraha with the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater and returned to debut as Loge in Rheingold and Mime in Siegfried for their new production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Another notable debut came at the Salzburg Osternfestspiele in 2018 as Habinnas in Bruno Maderna’s Satiricon. Shortly thereafter, in winter 2019, he debuted in Florence at the Maggio Musicale under the baton of Fabio Luisi as the Steuermann in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer.

In the 2024 season, Oliver made a notable debut with the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden as Max in Der Freischütz. In 2025, he will reconnect with Maestro Fabio Luisi for a new production of Die Liebe der Danae at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genua, debuting as Merkur. He continues to perform at the Semperoper as a guest artist, featuring roles such as Ivan in Die Nase, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Uldino in a concert premiere of Verdi's Attila. Upcoming engagements at the Semperoper for the 2024-2025 season include reprises of Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, his debut as the 2. Juden in Salome, and a concert version of Candide as the Alchemist-Sultan.