I heard Jeremy Brauner this spring at Sarasota Opera, where he was singing Sam in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah. Our Artistic Director Anthony Barrese had Jeremy in mind for our Cavalleria rusticana, so I was excited to hear him live.
Jeremy made an impression. One of the challenges of casting opera is that an audition, a recording, and a recommendation can tell you a great deal about a singer, but there’s still no substitute for sitting in a theater and hearing what actually happens.
Jeremy is making his Opera Southwest debut as Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana, a role he previously covered at Sarasota Opera. His résumé also includes Canio in Pagliacci, Don José in Carmen, and Fritz in Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz.
An interesting biographical detail: Jeremy began his operatic career as a baritone before deciding, with the assistance of a voice teacher, that he was actually a tenor. He made the transition in 2016 and has since worked his way into some of the heaviest tenor repertoire, including Turandot, Il trovatore, and Pagliacci. Changing voice types is not quite as simple as changing jobs, especially when the new job involves singing over an enormous orchestra.
Turiddu requires a tenor with substantial vocal horsepower, but also the ability to make a rather unsympathetic character seem recognizably human. He’s impulsive, selfish, and spectacularly bad at evaluating the consequences of his actions. In other words, an excellent operatic protagonist.
Maestro Barrese knew what he was doing.
Visit Jeremy Brauner’s website
Cavalleria runs October 25-November 1, 2026
