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{{short description|American operatic tenor (born 1981)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
'''Sean Panikkar''' (born September 17, 1981)<!-- See Talk:Forte Tenors#Birthdates --> is an American [[opera]]tic [[tenor]]. He has performed in many leading opera houses both nationally and internationally, including the [[Opera Theatre of Saint Louis]], [[Fort Worth Opera]], the [[Metropolitan Opera]], [[Teatro alla Scala]], and [[Carnegie Hall]].
'''Sean Panikkar''' (born 17 September 1981)<!-- See Talk:Forte Tenors#Birthdates --> is an American [[opera]]tic [[tenor]]. He has performed in many leading opera houses both nationally and internationally, including the [[Metropolitan Opera]], [[Teatro alla Scala]], [[Carnegie Hall]], [[Salzburg Festival]], as well as [[Opera Theatre of Saint Louis]], [[Fort Worth Opera]],


==Early years==
==Early years==
Sean Panikkar was born and raised in [[Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania]], the second son of [[Demographics of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan]] immigrants—a father of [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] and [[Indian people|Indian]] ancestry and a [[Tamils|Tamil]] mother.<ref name=JFK>{{cite news|last=Daniel|first=Smriti|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/160508/plus/hitting-a-personal-note-in-jfk-193081.html|title=Hitting a personal note in ''JFK''|work=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]]|date=May 8, 2016|accessdate=May 8, 2016}}</ref> Panikkar first began studying voice as a high schooler with [[Juilliard]]-trained soprano Li Ping Liu. At the [[University of Michigan]] he double majored in civil engineering and vocal performance for three years before committing himself entirely to music. At the [[University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance|School of Music, Theatre & Dance]] there he studied with Daniel Washington and Luretta Bybee and received his bachelor's degree in vocal performance.<ref>{{cite interview | website = Madison Opera | access-date = October 30, 2020 | url = https://www.madisonopera.org/2017/10/31/ten-questions-with-sean-panikkar/ | title = Ten Questions with Sean Panikkar | date= October 31, 2017 }}</ref> He pursued his master's degree there as well. He went participated in the Merola training program of the [[San Francisco Opera]] and became an Adler Fellow with that company.<ref name=warhorses>{{cite web|last=Burnett|first=William|url=http://www.operawarhorses.com/2015/12/17/singing-opera-and-unexpectedly-famous-a-conversation-with-sean-panikkar-part-1/|title=Singing Opera and Unexpectedly Famous: A Conversation with Sean Panikkar|website=Opera Warhorses|date=December 17, 2015|accessdate=February 27, 2016}}</ref>
Sean Panikkar was born and raised in [[Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania]], the second son of [[Demographics of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan]] immigrants—a father of [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] and [[Indian people|Indian]] ancestry and a [[Tamils|Tamil]] mother.<ref name=JFK>{{cite news|last=Daniel|first=Smriti|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/160508/plus/hitting-a-personal-note-in-jfk-193081.html|title=Hitting a personal note in ''JFK''|work=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]]|date=May 8, 2016|accessdate=May 8, 2016}}</ref> Panikkar first began studying voice as a high schooler with [[Juilliard]]-trained soprano Li Ping Liu.<ref>{{cite interview |interviewer = William Burnett | url=http://www.operawarhorses.com/2012/10/27/rising-stars-an-interview-with-sean-panikkar/|title=Rising Stars: An Interview with Sean Panikkar, Part 1|publisher=Operawarhorses.com|date= October 27, 2012 |accessdate=March 18, 2014}}</ref> At the [[University of Michigan]] he double majored in civil engineering and vocal performance for three years before committing himself entirely to music. At the [[University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance|School of Music, Theatre & Dance]] there he studied with Daniel Washington and Luretta Bybee and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in vocal performance.<ref>{{cite interview | website = Madison Opera | access-date = October 30, 2020 | url = https://www.madisonopera.org/2017/10/31/ten-questions-with-sean-panikkar/ | title = Ten Questions with Sean Panikkar | date= October 31, 2017 }}</ref> He participated in the Merola training program of the [[San Francisco Opera]] in 2004<ref>{{cite web | access-date = November 1, 2020 | url = https://merola.org/program-alumni#p | title = Program Alumni | website = Merola Opera Program }}</ref> and held an Adler Fellow with that company in 2005 and 2006.<ref>{{cite web | website = San Francisco Opera | access-date = November 1, 2020 | title = Adler Fellowship Alumni | url = https://sfopera.com/about-us/opera-center/adler-fellowship-program/adler-alumni/ }}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Panikkar has performed several roles with Metropolitan Opera, including Tybalt in ''[[Roméo et Juliette]]'' under the baton of [[Plácido Domingo]], Arturo in ''[[Lucia di Lammermoor]]'' conducted by Marco Armiliato, Brighella in ''[[Ariadne auf Naxos]]'' led by [[Kirill Petrenko]], and Prunier in ''[[La rondine]]''. Further credits include roles in ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]'', ''[[Le pauvre matelot]]'', ''[[The Maid of Orleans (opera)|The Maid of Orleans]]'', ''[[Manon Lescaut (Puccini)|Manon Lescaut]]'', ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'', ''[[Fidelio]]'', ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'', and ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'' with the San Francisco Opera, as well as ''[[Nabucco]]'' at [[Washington National Opera]], the title role of ''[[Béatrice et Bénédict]]'' with [[Opera Boston]], [[Kurt Weill|Weill]]'s ''[[Lost in the Stars]]'' at the [[Glimmerglass Festival]], ''[[Salome (opera)|Salome]]'' at Washington National Opera and the [[Saito Kinen Festival]], and Lensky in ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'' and Count Almaviva in ''[[The Ghosts of Versailles]]'' with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.
Panikkar has performed several roles with Metropolitan Opera, including Tybalt in ''[[Roméo et Juliette]]'' under the baton of [[Plácido Domingo]], Arturo in ''[[Lucia di Lammermoor]]'' conducted by Marco Armiliato, Brighella in ''[[Ariadne auf Naxos]]'' led by [[Kirill Petrenko]], and Prunier in ''[[La rondine]]''. Further credits include roles in ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]'', ''[[Le pauvre matelot]]'', ''[[The Maid of Orleans (opera)|The Maid of Orleans]]'', ''[[Manon Lescaut (Puccini)|Manon Lescaut]]'', ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'', ''[[Fidelio]]'', ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'', and ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'' with the San Francisco Opera, as well as ''[[Nabucco]]'' at [[Washington National Opera]], the title role of ''[[Béatrice et Bénédict]]'' with [[Opera Boston]], [[Kurt Weill|Weill]]'s ''[[Lost in the Stars]]'' at the [[Glimmerglass Festival]], ''[[Salome (opera)|Salome]]'' at Washington National Opera and the [[Saito Kinen Festival]], and Lensky in ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'' and Count Almaviva in ''[[The Ghosts of Versailles]]'' with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.


During the 2013/14 season, Panikkar sang Rodolfo in ''[[La bohème]]'' at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London, Macduff in ''[[Macbeth (opera)|Macbeth]]'' at [[Palm Beach Opera]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Erstein|first=Hap|url=http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/entertainment/arts-theater/pop-opera-star-appears-in-macbeth-at-palm-beach-op/ncxrt/|title=Pop-opera star appears in ''Macbeth'' at Palm Beach Opera|work=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|date=January 23, 2014|accessdate=March 18, 2014}}</ref> and return engagements with [[Pittsburgh Opera]] as Tamino in ''The Magic Flute'' and with Fort Worth Opera as Nadir in ''[[Les pêcheurs de perles]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Weuste |first=David|url=http://www.operapulse.com/opera-reviews/2014/04/20/sean-panikkar-wows-in-fort-worth-opera-festival-opener-the-pearl-fishers/ |title=Sean Panikkar Wows at Fort Worth Opera – ''The Pearl Fishers''|work=OperaPulse|date=April 20, 2014|accessdate=June 3, 2014}}</ref> In the 2014/15 season, he sang in ''[[The Death of Klinghoffer]]'' at the Metropolitan Opera.,<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2014/2/Reviews/PITTSBURGH__Die_Zauberflote.html|title=''Die Zauberflöte''| journal=[[Opera News]]|date= February 2014 | volume = 78 | issue= 8 |first= Robert | last = Croan | accessdate=March 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=George Hall|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/02/la-boheme-zambello-royal-albert-hall-review|title=''La Bohème'' review – 'Jessica Rose Cambio's Mimì offers a grandly expressive soprano'|work=The Guardian|date= |accessdate=June 3, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.operawarhorses.com/2012/10/27/rising-stars-an-interview-with-sean-panikkar/|title=Rising Stars: An Interview with Sean Panikkar, Part 1|publisher=Operawarhorses.com|date= |accessdate=March 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>[http://www.seanpanikkar.com/_/Biography.html Biography], seanpanikkar.com</ref> and in the world premiere of [[Giorgio Battistelli]]'s ''CO2'' at Teatro alla Scala.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://operatraveller.com/2015/05/25/nihilistic-pessimism-co2-at-the-teatro-alla-scala/|publisher=OperaTraveller|title=Nihilistic Pessimism: ''CO2'' at the Teatro alla Scala|date=May 25, 2015|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>
During the 2013/14 season, Panikkar sang Rodolfo in ''[[La bohème]]'' at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London,<ref>{{cite web|first= George |last=Hall|date= March 2, 2014 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/02/la-boheme-zambello-royal-albert-hall-review|title=''La Bohème'' review – 'Jessica Rose Cambio's Mimì offers a grandly expressive soprano'|work=The Guardian |accessdate=June 3, 2014}}</ref> Macduff in ''[[Macbeth (Verdi)|Macbeth]]'' at [[Palm Beach Opera]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Erstein|first=Hap|url=http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/entertainment/arts-theater/pop-opera-star-appears-in-macbeth-at-palm-beach-op/ncxrt/|title=Pop-opera star appears in ''Macbeth'' at Palm Beach Opera|work=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|date=January 23, 2014|accessdate=March 18, 2014}}</ref> and return engagements with [[Pittsburgh Opera]] as Tamino in ''The Magic Flute'' and with Fort Worth Opera as Nadir in ''[[Les pêcheurs de perles]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Weuste |first=David|url=http://www.operapulse.com/opera-reviews/2014/04/20/sean-panikkar-wows-in-fort-worth-opera-festival-opener-the-pearl-fishers/ |title=Sean Panikkar Wows at Fort Worth Opera – ''The Pearl Fishers''|work=OperaPulse|date=April 20, 2014|accessdate=June 3, 2014}}</ref> In the 2014/15 season, he sang in ''[[The Death of Klinghoffer]]'' at the Metropolitan Opera<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2014/2/Reviews/PITTSBURGH__Die_Zauberflote.html|title=''Die Zauberflöte''| journal=[[Opera News]]|date= February 2014 | volume = 78 | issue= 8 |first= Robert | last = Croan | accessdate=March 18, 2014}}</ref> and in the world premiere of [[Giorgio Battistelli]]'s ''CO2'' at Teatro alla Scala.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://operatraveller.com/2015/05/25/nihilistic-pessimism-co2-at-the-teatro-alla-scala/|publisher=OperaTraveller|title=Nihilistic Pessimism: ''CO2'' at the Teatro alla Scala|date=May 25, 2015|accessdate=July 20, 2015}}</ref>


In 2013, Panikkar was recruited to join the [[classical crossover]] group [[Forte (vocal group)|FORTE]] during [[America's Got Talent (season 8)|season eight]] of ''[[America's Got Talent]]''; he replaced Hana Ryu, who did not qualify to participate under the show's rules.<ref name=warhorses/>{{efn|Ryu re-joined FORTE in 2015 after [[Fernando Varela (opera singer)|Fernando Varela]] chose to pursue a solo career.<ref>{{cite tweet|author=ForteTenors|title=Major Announcement: We are thrilled ...|user=ForteTenors|number=556839175354208258|date=January 18, 2015|accessdate=May 9, 2015}}{{indent|3}}{{cite news|last=Violante|first=Tony|url=http://www.villages-news.com/fernando-varela-reflects-whirlwind-year-ready-back-villages/|title=Fernando Varela reflects on whirlwind year, ready to be back in Villages|work=Villages-News.com|location=[[The Villages, Florida]]|date=July 12, 2014|accessdate=April 5, 2015}}{{indent|3}}{{cite news|last=Gallardo|first=Margaret|url=http://archive.elpasotimes.com/entertainment/ci_26253438/americas-got-talent-finalist-stops-el-paso/|title=The Vibe: ''America's Got Talent'' finalist Fernando Varela stops in El Paso|work=[[El Paso Times]]|date=July 31, 2014|accessdate=October 11, 2015}}</ref>}} Panikkar has released two albums as a member of FORTE: their self-titled debut in 2013, and ''The Future Classics'' in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last=Weatherford|first=Mike|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/internet-helps-singers-find-harmony-tv-exposure-and-their-own-vegas-show|title=Internet helps singers find harmony, TV exposure and their own Vegas show|work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]|date=December 25, 2013|accessdate=April 30, 2015}}{{indent|3}}{{cite web|author=FORTE|url=http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/fortetenors/updates|title=Forte Tenors from ''America's Got Talent'': Updates|website=[[PledgeMusic]]|accessdate=March 19, 2016}}</ref>
In 2013, Panikkar was recruited on short notice to join the [[classical crossover]] trio [[Forte (vocal group)|FORTE]] during [[America's Got Talent (season 8)|season eight]] of ''[[America's Got Talent]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Burnett|first=William|url=http://www.operawarhorses.com/2015/12/17/singing-opera-and-unexpectedly-famous-a-conversation-with-sean-panikkar-part-1/|title=Singing Opera and Unexpectedly Famous: A Conversation with Sean Panikkar|website=Opera Warhorses|date=December 17, 2015|accessdate=February 27, 2016}}</ref> Panikkar has released two albums as a member of FORTE: their self-titled debut in 2013, and ''The Future Classics'' in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last=Weatherford|first=Mike|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/internet-helps-singers-find-harmony-tv-exposure-and-their-own-vegas-show|title=Internet helps singers find harmony, TV exposure and their own Vegas show|work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]|date=December 25, 2013|accessdate=April 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=FORTE|url=http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/fortetenors/updates|title=Forte Tenors from ''America's Got Talent'': Updates|website=[[PledgeMusic]]|accessdate=March 19, 2016}}</ref>


In 2018 Panikkar joined the [[Salzburg Festival]] in performances of ''[[The Bassarids]]'',<ref>{{cite news|author=Katerina Bezgachina|url=http://operawire.com/salzburg-festival-2018-review-the-bassarids/|title=Salzburg Festival 2018 Review: The Bassarids Sean Panikkar & Russell Braun Bring Krzysztof Warlikowsky‘s Strong Vision To Life|work=Opera Wire}}</ref> and in the lead role of Gandhi in Philip Glass’s opera ''[[Satyagraha]]''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Joshua Barone|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/05/arts/music/philip-glass-satyagraha-bam-la-opera.html|title=Two Ways of Looking at Philip Glass's 'Satyagraha' |date= November 5, 2018 | work=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Gordon Williams|url=http://operawire.com/los-angeles-opera-2018-19-review-satyagraha/|title=Los Angeles Opera 2018-19 Review: Satyagraha Philip Glass’ Opera Is a Transcendent Experience About Opera’s Effect On Our Social Conscience|work=Opera Wire}}</ref> Panikkar was also named "Artist of the Week" by ''[[Opernwelt]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operawire.com/artist-of-the-week-sean-panikkar/|title=Artist Of The Week: Sean Panikkar Rising Star Tenor Makes His Anticipated Debut At the Salzburg Festival|work=Opera Wire}}</ref>
In March 2018 Panikkar sang the role of Greenhorn in [[Jake Heggie]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick (opera)|Moby-Dick]]'' at the [[Pittsburgh Opera]].<ref>{{cite web | website = OperaWire | url = https://operawire.com/pittsburgh-opera-2017-18-moby-dick-jake-heggies-masterpiece-gets-tremendous-performances-from-honeywell-panikkar-mayes-among-others/ | date = March 19, 2018 | access-date = November 1, 2020 | title = Pittsburgh Opera 2017-18 – Moby Dick: Jake Heggie's Masterpiece Gets Tremendous Performances From Honeywell, Panikkar, Mayes, Among Others | first = John S. | last = Twinam }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | access-date = November 1, 2020 | url = https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2018/03/18/Review-Pittsburgh-Opera-in-Moby-Dick-Jake-Heggie-Gene-Scheer-Michael-Mayes-Reynolds/stories/201803180148| work = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date= March 18, 2018 | title = Review: Pittsburgh Opera pits man against nature in 'Moby-Dick' | first = Jeremy | last = Reynolds }}</ref> He then joined the [[Salzburg Festival]] in performances of ''[[The Bassarids]]'',<ref>{{cite news|first=Katerina |last= Bezgachina|url=http://operawire.com/salzburg-festival-2018-review-the-bassarids/|title=Salzburg Festival 2018 Review: The Bassarids Sean Panikkar & Russell Braun Bring Krzysztof Warlikowsky's Strong Vision To Life|date=August 22, 2018 | work=Opera Wire}}</ref>. He was named "Artist of the Week" by ''[[Opernwelt]]'' prior to the anticipated Salzburg Festival debut.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 13, 2018 |title=Artist Of The Week: Sean Panikkar Rising Star Tenor Makes His Anticipated Debut At the Salzburg Festival |url=https://operawire.com/artist-of-the-week-sean-panikkar/ |work=Opera Wire}}</ref> He also plays the lead role of Gandhi in Philip Glass's opera ''[[Satyagraha (opera)|Satyagraha]]''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Joshua Barone|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/05/arts/music/philip-glass-satyagraha-bam-la-opera.html|title=Two Ways of Looking at Philip Glass's 'Satyagraha' |date= November 5, 2018 | work=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Gordon Williams|url=http://operawire.com/los-angeles-opera-2018-19-review-satyagraha/|title=Los Angeles Opera 2018-19 Review: Satyagraha Philip Glass' Opera Is a Transcendent Experience About Opera's Effect On Our Social Conscience|work=Opera Wire}}</ref> Of his experience in that role he said:<ref name=srmiti/>
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{{Blockquote| As the first brown person to sing Gandhi, it brought an extra level of emotion to some of the oppressive scenes that doesn’t necessarily come across quite as powerfully when a white singer is doing it.}}Panikkar began 2019 with a four-night run of the reunited AGT finalist lineup of FORTE at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center in The Villages, Florida. He then visited his family's homeland of Sri Lanka for the first time to present song recitals with soprano Tharanga Goonatilleke and pianist Rohan De Silva.<ref name=srmiti>{{cite news | last = Daniel | first= Smriti | access-date = October 31, 2020 |url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/190224/plus/the-music-brought-him-home-337290.html|title=The music brought him home|work=The Sunday Times Sri Lanka | date = February 24, 2019}}</ref> Panikkar began May with the performance of Nadir in Bizet's ''[[The Pearl Fishers]]'' at Kansas City Lyric Opera.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/kansas-city/article/BWW-Review-THE-PEARL-FISHERS-at-KC-Lyric-Opera-20190428|title=BWW Review: THE PEARL FISHERS at KC Lyric Opera|work=Broadway World}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kshb.com/entertainment/kcl/the-stunning-the-pearl-fishers-opera-at-kauffman-center|title=The stunning "The Pearl Fishers" opera at Kauffman Center|work=Kansas City Live|date=May 2, 2019 }}</ref>


In summer 2019, Panikkar starred in ''[[The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]'' at the Festival d’Aix-En-Provence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operawire.com/10-must-see-operas-for-the-summer-season-2019international-edition/|title=10 Must See Operas For The Summer Season 2019|work=OperaWire|date=April 29, 2019 }}</ref> In the fall at the [[Komische Oper Berlin]] he reprised the role of Dionysus in ''The Bassarids''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Bassarids {{!}} Operavision |url=https://operavision.eu/performance/bassarids |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=operavision.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Operawire |date=2019-10-20 |title=Komische Oper Berlin 2019-20 Review: The Bassarids |url=https://operawire.com/komische-oper-berlin-2019-20-review-the-bassarids/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=OperaWire |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/28/arts/music/barrie-kosky-komische-oper.html | date =October 28, 2019 |title= One of Opera's Great Directors, Binge-Worthy in Berlin | access-date= October 31, 2020 |first = Seth Colter| last= Walls | work= New York Times}}</ref> In January 2020 he sang the role of José in Bizet's ''Carmen'' at the [[English National Opera]].<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/feb/03/carmen-review-eno-coliseum-london-justina-gringyte-calixto-bieito | access-date = October 31, 2020 | title = Carmen review – revival's real stars are Peleggi and the ENO orchestra | first = Flora | last = Wilson | work = The Guardian | date= February 3, 2020}}</ref>
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Panikkar began 2019 with a four-night run of the reunited AGT finalist lineup of FORTE at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center in The Villages, Florida. He then visited his family's homeland of Sri Lanka for the first time to present song recitals with soprano Tharanga Goonatilleke and pianist Rohan De Silva.<ref>{{cite news | first = Daniel | last = Smriti | access-date = October 31, 2020 |url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/190224/plus/the-music-brought-him-home-337290.html|title=The music brought him home|work=The Sunday Times Sri Lanka | date = February 24, 2019}}</ref> Panikkar began May with the performance of Nadir in Bizet’s ''[[The Pearl Fishers]]'' at Kansas City Lyric Opera.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/kansas-city/article/BWW-Review-THE-PEARL-FISHERS-at-KC-Lyric-Opera-20190428|title=BWW Review: THE PEARL FISHERS at KC Lyric Opera|work=Broadway World}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kshb.com/entertainment/kcl/the-stunning-the-pearl-fishers-opera-at-kauffman-center|title=The stunning “The Pearl Fishers” opera at Kauffman Center|work=Kansas City Live}}</ref>


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Although the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] forced the cancellation of many of his engagements, in October 2020 at [[Michigan Opera Theater]] in Detroit he sang the role of Siegfried in an abridged version of Wagner's ''[[Götterdämmerung]]'', a radical reinterpretation of that opera set in a parking garage and viewed by audience members driving through in cars.<ref>{{cite magazine | magazine = The New Yorker | first = Alex | last = Ross | access-date = October 30, 2020 | quote = Sean Panikkar, a onetime lyric tenor whose voice has lately taken on commanding power and weight, proved thrilling in his brief appearance as Siegfried: I only wish that the abridgment had given him more to do. | title = Wagner's Götterdämmerung in a Detroit Parking Garage | date= October 26, 2020 | url = https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/02/wagners-gotterdammerung-in-a-detroit-parking-garage }}</ref>
In summer 2019, Panikkar starred in ''[[The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny]]'' at the Festival d’Aix-En-Provence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operawire.com/10-must-see-operas-for-the-summer-season-2019international-edition/|title=10 Must See Operas For The Summer Season 2019|work=OperaWire}}</ref> In the fall at the [[Komische Oper Berlin]] he sang the role of Dionysus in Hans Werner Henze’s ''The Bassarids''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operawire.com/sean-panikkar-anne-sofie-von-otter-leonardo-capalbo-lead-komische-oper-berlins-2019-20-season/|title=Sean Panikkar, Anne Sofie von Otter & Leonardo Capalbo Lead Komische Oper Berlin’s 2019-20 Season|work=OperaWire}}</ref> In November 2019 headlined Bizet’s ''Carmen'' at the [[English National Opera]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://operawire.com/corinne-winters-sarah-connolly-sean-pannikar-headline-english-national-operas-2019-20-season/|title=Corinne Winters, Sarah Connolly & Sean Panikkar Headline English National Opera’s 2019-20 Season|work=OperaWire}}</ref>


On November 22, 2022, he sang the role of [[Leonard Woolf]] in the stage premiere of Kevin Puts's opera ''[[The Hours (opera)|The Hours]]'' at the Metropolitan Opera.<ref>Zachary Woolfe (23 November 2022), [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/arts/music/the-hours-opera-review.html "Review: In ''The Hours'', Prima Donnas and Emotions Soar"], ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> The performance of December 10 was video-cast as part of the [[Metropolitan Opera Live in HD]] series.<ref>[https://www.metopera.org/globalassets/season/2022-23/hours-the/programs/121022-the-hours.pdf Met program for the performance of ''The Hours'' on December 10, 2022]. Retrieved December 15, 2022.</ref>
⚫
Although the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] forced the cancellation of many of his engagements, in October 2020 at [[Michigan Opera Theater]] in Detroit he took on a much abbreviated version of Wagner's ''[[Götterdämmerung]]'' Siegfried in a radical reinterpretation of that opera set in a parking garage and viewed by audience members driving through in cars.<ref>{{cite news | work = The New Yorker | first = Alex | last = Ross | access-date = October 30, 2020 | quote = Sean Panikkar, a onetime lyric tenor whose voice has lately taken on commanding power and weight, proved thrilling in his brief appearance as Siegfried: I only wish that the abridgment had given him more to do. | title = Wagner's Götterdämmerung in a Detroit Parking Garage | date= October 26, 2020 | url = https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/02/wagners-gotterdammerung-in-a-detroit-parking-garage }}</ref>


Panikkar has been honored by the George London Foundation with the 2007 Robert Jacobson Memorial Award and a 2009 George London Award; he was a First Prize winner of the 2010 Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, and second-place winner in the 2009 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition.<ref>{{cite news|author=Staff|url=http://asiantribune.com/sites/asiantribune.com/files/asian_tribune_epaper_page7.pdf|title=Sean Panikkar a young tenor of Sri Lankan heritage emerges in U.S. opera scene|work=[[Asian Tribune]]|format=PDF|date=September 20, 2009|accessdate=May 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Daniel|first=Smriti|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/130818/plus/being-asian-is-an-asset-in-opera-58259.html|title=Being Asian is an asset in opera|work=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]]|date=August 18, 2013|accessdate=March 18, 2014}}</ref>
Panikkar has been honored by the George London Foundation with the 2007 Robert Jacobson Memorial Award and a 2009 George London Award; he was a First Prize winner of the 2010 Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, and second-place winner in the 2009 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition.<ref>{{cite news|author=Staff|url=http://asiantribune.com/sites/asiantribune.com/files/asian_tribune_epaper_page7.pdf|title=Sean Panikkar a young tenor of Sri Lankan heritage emerges in U.S. opera scene|work=[[Asian Tribune]]|date=September 20, 2009|accessdate=May 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Daniel|first=Smriti|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/130818/plus/being-asian-is-an-asset-in-opera-58259.html|title=Being Asian is an asset in opera|work=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]]|date=August 18, 2013|accessdate=March 18, 2014}}</ref>


=== Discography ===
== Discography ==
*''[[Shalimar the Clown]]'', with the [[Opera Theatre of Saint Louis]], tenor soloist
*''[[Shalimar the Clown]]'', with the [[Opera Theatre of Saint Louis]], tenor soloist
*Stravinsky's ''[[Perséphone (Stravinsky)|Perséphone]]'', with the [[American Symphony Orchestra]], tenor soloist
*Stravinsky's ''[[Perséphone (Stravinsky)|Perséphone]]'', with the [[American Symphony Orchestra]], tenor soloist
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*[[William Bolcom]], ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'', soloist
*[[William Bolcom]], ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'', soloist
*''[[The Armed Man]]: A Concert for Peace'' (DVD) Rackham Symphony Choir and Orchestra, tenor soloist
*''[[The Armed Man]]: A Concert for Peace'' (DVD) Rackham Symphony Choir and Orchestra, tenor soloist
* [[Hans Werner Henze]], ''[[The Bassarids]]'', as Dionysus, with the [[Vienna Philharmonic]], [[Kent Nagano]], conductor; [[Salzburg Festival]], 2018

;
;As a member of [[Forte (vocal group)|FORTE]]
;As a member of FORTE
*''FORTE'' (2013)
*''FORTE'' (2013)
*''The Future Classics'' (2016)
*''The Future Classics'' (2016)
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==External links==
==External links==
*{{Official site | url = http://www.seanpanikkar.com/_/Home.html }}
*{{Official website | url = http://www.seanpanikkar.com/ }}
*Management: {{cite web | url = http://etudearts.com/artists/sean-panikkar/ | title = Sean Panikkar | website = Étude Arts }}
*Management: {{cite web | url = http://etudearts.com/artists/sean-panikkar/ | title = Sean Panikkar | website = Étude Arts }}
*{{YouTube|YefjuWh0kg0|From ''The Magic Flute''}}, "[[Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön]]", [[New Orleans Opera]], 2010
*{{YouTube|YefjuWh0kg0|From ''The Magic Flute''}}, "[[Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön]]", [[New Orleans Opera]], 2010
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[[Category:People from Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American people of Sri Lankan descent]]
[[Category:American people of Sri Lankan descent]]
[[Category:American musicians of Indian descent]]
[[Category:University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni]]
[[Category:University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni]]
[[Category:American operatic tenors]]
[[Category:American operatic tenors]]
[[Category:America's Got Talent contestants]]
[[Category:America's Got Talent contestants]]
[[Category:21st-century American opera singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American opera singers]]
[[Category:21st-century male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Singers from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Classical musicians from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Classical musicians from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American people of Tamil descent]]
[[Category:American people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent]]

Latest revision as of 09:02, 1 April 2024

Sean Panikkar (born 17 September 1981) is an American operatic tenor. He has performed in many leading opera houses both nationally and internationally, including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Carnegie Hall, Salzburg Festival, as well as Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Fort Worth Opera,

Early years[edit]

Sean Panikkar was born and raised in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, the second son of Sri Lankan immigrants—a father of Sinhalese and Indian ancestry and a Tamil mother.[1] Panikkar first began studying voice as a high schooler with Juilliard-trained soprano Li Ping Liu.[2] At the University of Michigan he double majored in civil engineering and vocal performance for three years before committing himself entirely to music. At the School of Music, Theatre & Dance there he studied with Daniel Washington and Luretta Bybee and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in vocal performance.[3] He participated in the Merola training program of the San Francisco Opera in 2004[4] and held an Adler Fellow with that company in 2005 and 2006.[5]

Career[edit]

Panikkar has performed several roles with Metropolitan Opera, including Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette under the baton of Plácido Domingo, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor conducted by Marco Armiliato, Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos led by Kirill Petrenko, and Prunier in La rondine. Further credits include roles in The Queen of Spades, Le pauvre matelot, The Maid of Orleans, Manon Lescaut, Tristan und Isolde, Fidelio, Norma, and Die Zauberflöte with the San Francisco Opera, as well as Nabucco at Washington National Opera, the title role of Béatrice et Bénédict with Opera Boston, Weill's Lost in the Stars at the Glimmerglass Festival, Salome at Washington National Opera and the Saito Kinen Festival, and Lensky in Eugene Onegin and Count Almaviva in The Ghosts of Versailles with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

During the 2013/14 season, Panikkar sang Rodolfo in La bohème at the Royal Albert Hall in London,[6] Macduff in Macbeth at Palm Beach Opera,[7] and return engagements with Pittsburgh Opera as Tamino in The Magic Flute and with Fort Worth Opera as Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles.[8] In the 2014/15 season, he sang in The Death of Klinghoffer at the Metropolitan Opera[9] and in the world premiere of Giorgio Battistelli's CO2 at Teatro alla Scala.[10]

In 2013, Panikkar was recruited on short notice to join the classical crossover trio FORTE during season eight of America's Got Talent.[11] Panikkar has released two albums as a member of FORTE: their self-titled debut in 2013, and The Future Classics in 2016.[12][13]

In March 2018 Panikkar sang the role of Greenhorn in Jake Heggie's Moby-Dick at the Pittsburgh Opera.[14][15] He then joined the Salzburg Festival in performances of The Bassarids,[16]. He was named "Artist of the Week" by Opernwelt prior to the anticipated Salzburg Festival debut.[17] He also plays the lead role of Gandhi in Philip Glass's opera Satyagraha.[18][19] Of his experience in that role he said:[20]

As the first brown person to sing Gandhi, it brought an extra level of emotion to some of the oppressive scenes that doesn’t necessarily come across quite as powerfully when a white singer is doing it.

Panikkar began 2019 with a four-night run of the reunited AGT finalist lineup of FORTE at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center in The Villages, Florida. He then visited his family's homeland of Sri Lanka for the first time to present song recitals with soprano Tharanga Goonatilleke and pianist Rohan De Silva.[20] Panikkar began May with the performance of Nadir in Bizet's The Pearl Fishers at Kansas City Lyric Opera.[21][22]

In summer 2019, Panikkar starred in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at the Festival d’Aix-En-Provence.[23] In the fall at the Komische Oper Berlin he reprised the role of Dionysus in The Bassarids.[24][25][26] In January 2020 he sang the role of José in Bizet's Carmen at the English National Opera.[27]

Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of many of his engagements, in October 2020 at Michigan Opera Theater in Detroit he sang the role of Siegfried in an abridged version of Wagner's Götterdämmerung, a radical reinterpretation of that opera set in a parking garage and viewed by audience members driving through in cars.[28]

On November 22, 2022, he sang the role of Leonard Woolf in the stage premiere of Kevin Puts's opera The Hours at the Metropolitan Opera.[29] The performance of December 10 was video-cast as part of the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD series.[30]

Panikkar has been honored by the George London Foundation with the 2007 Robert Jacobson Memorial Award and a 2009 George London Award; he was a First Prize winner of the 2010 Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, and second-place winner in the 2009 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition.[31][32]

Discography[edit]

As a member of FORTE
  • FORTE (2013)
  • The Future Classics (2016)

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Daniel, Smriti (May 8, 2016). "Hitting a personal note in JFK". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  2. ^ "Rising Stars: An Interview with Sean Panikkar, Part 1" (Interview). Interviewed by William Burnett. Operawarhorses.com. October 27, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  3. ^ "Ten Questions with Sean Panikkar". Madison Opera (Interview). October 31, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "Program Alumni". Merola Opera Program. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  5. ^ "Adler Fellowship Alumni". San Francisco Opera. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  6. ^ Hall, George (March 2, 2014). "La Bohème review – 'Jessica Rose Cambio's Mimì offers a grandly expressive soprano'". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  7. ^ Erstein, Hap (January 23, 2014). "Pop-opera star appears in Macbeth at Palm Beach Opera". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  8. ^ Weuste, David (April 20, 2014). "Sean Panikkar Wows at Fort Worth Opera – The Pearl Fishers". OperaPulse. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  9. ^ Croan, Robert (February 2014). "Die Zauberflöte". Opera News. 78 (8). Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  10. ^ "Nihilistic Pessimism: CO2 at the Teatro alla Scala". OperaTraveller. May 25, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  11. ^ Burnett, William (December 17, 2015). "Singing Opera and Unexpectedly Famous: A Conversation with Sean Panikkar". Opera Warhorses. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  12. ^ Weatherford, Mike (December 25, 2013). "Internet helps singers find harmony, TV exposure and their own Vegas show". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  13. ^ FORTE. "Forte Tenors from America's Got Talent: Updates". PledgeMusic. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  14. ^ Twinam, John S. (March 19, 2018). "Pittsburgh Opera 2017-18 – Moby Dick: Jake Heggie's Masterpiece Gets Tremendous Performances From Honeywell, Panikkar, Mayes, Among Others". OperaWire. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  15. ^ Reynolds, Jeremy (March 18, 2018). "Review: Pittsburgh Opera pits man against nature in 'Moby-Dick'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  16. ^ Bezgachina, Katerina (August 22, 2018). "Salzburg Festival 2018 Review: The Bassarids Sean Panikkar & Russell Braun Bring Krzysztof Warlikowsky's Strong Vision To Life". Opera Wire.
  17. ^ "Artist Of The Week: Sean Panikkar Rising Star Tenor Makes His Anticipated Debut At the Salzburg Festival". Opera Wire. August 13, 2018.
  18. ^ Joshua Barone (November 5, 2018). "Two Ways of Looking at Philip Glass's 'Satyagraha'". New York Times.
  19. ^ Gordon Williams. "Los Angeles Opera 2018-19 Review: Satyagraha Philip Glass' Opera Is a Transcendent Experience About Opera's Effect On Our Social Conscience". Opera Wire.
  20. ^ a b Daniel, Smriti (February 24, 2019). "The music brought him home". The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  21. ^ "BWW Review: THE PEARL FISHERS at KC Lyric Opera". Broadway World.
  22. ^ "The stunning "The Pearl Fishers" opera at Kauffman Center". Kansas City Live. May 2, 2019.
  23. ^ "10 Must See Operas For The Summer Season 2019". OperaWire. April 29, 2019.
  24. ^ "The Bassarids | Operavision". operavision.eu. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  25. ^ Staff, Operawire (2019-10-20). "Komische Oper Berlin 2019-20 Review: The Bassarids". OperaWire. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  26. ^ Walls, Seth Colter (October 28, 2019). "One of Opera's Great Directors, Binge-Worthy in Berlin". New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  27. ^ Wilson, Flora (February 3, 2020). "Carmen review – revival's real stars are Peleggi and the ENO orchestra". The Guardian. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  28. ^ Ross, Alex (October 26, 2020). "Wagner's Götterdämmerung in a Detroit Parking Garage". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 30, 2020. Sean Panikkar, a onetime lyric tenor whose voice has lately taken on commanding power and weight, proved thrilling in his brief appearance as Siegfried: I only wish that the abridgment had given him more to do.
  29. ^ Zachary Woolfe (23 November 2022), "Review: In The Hours, Prima Donnas and Emotions Soar", The New York Times.
  30. ^ Met program for the performance of The Hours on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  31. ^ Staff (September 20, 2009). "Sean Panikkar a young tenor of Sri Lankan heritage emerges in U.S. opera scene" (PDF). Asian Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  32. ^ Daniel, Smriti (August 18, 2013). "Being Asian is an asset in opera". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  33. ^ Sean Panikkar at IMDb

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sean_Panikkar&oldid=1216662465"