BIO

Jacob Scharfman (he/him) is a lyric baritone singing opera, concert, and song repertoire. Originally from the United States, Mr. Scharfman performs in the Solo Ensemble of the Theater Lübeck, where his repertoire includes the title role in Eugene Onegin, the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, Schaunard in La bohème, Father in Hänsel und Gretel, Escamillo in Carmen, and Sid in Albert Herring, among others.

RECENT SEASONS

During the 2021-22 season, Mr. Scharfman debuted at the Staatsoper Hannover as Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He sang Steuermann in Tristan und Isolde at the Theater Chemnitz, and would have sung Escamillo (Carmen) and Father (Hänsel und Gretel) if not for Covid-19. He was featured in concert by the Lutheran Church of Honolulu and Bridging Arts Nürnberg.

Covid-19 disrupted Mr. Scharfman’s scheduled debuts at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Opéra national du Rhin, and the Theater Chemnitz, among others. Despite these cancellations, Mr. Scharfman won First Place in the 2021 National Opera Association Vocal Competition and was nominated for “Best Male Newcomer” by the Österreichischer Musiktheaterpreis.

During the 2019-20 season, Mr. Scharfman sang with the Opéra Studio of the Opéra national du Rhin. Roles included Ramiro in L’heure espagnole, Hunter/Gamekeeper in Rusalka, and Le maître-nageur in the world premiere of Marlène Baleine. Having won the Oratorio-Lied Prize at the 2019 Viñas Contest in Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, Mr. Scharfman was presented in recital by the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation. Also that year, he competed in the Finals of the Toulouse International Singing Competition.

Mr. Scharfman enjoyed his European debut in the 2018-19 Gerard Mortier International Opera Studio of the Salzburger Landestheater, where he sang Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Masetto (Don Giovanni), Lescaut and de Brétigny in Massenet’s Manon, Filippo in La gazzetta of Rossini, and Willem/Usher/Priest in The Trial by Philip Glass.

EDUCATION & EARLY CAREER

In 2018, Mr. Scharfman earned his Master of Music and a Novick Career Grant from The Juilliard School. He was a National Semi-Finalist in the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and sang on the Met Stage that April. He spent the summer of 2018 with the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera, singing Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress and Malatesta in Don Pasquale.

During the 2017-18 season at Juilliard, Mr. Scharfman sang Nardo in La finta giardiniera and covered Fluth in Nicolai’s Merry Wives of Windsor. Honored with Juilliard’s Risë Stevens and Mitzi Foundation scholarships, he traveled to Taiwan for a recital tour. Mr. Scharfman spent the summer of 2017 as a Studio Artist with Central City Opera in Colorado, winning the Iris Henwood Richards Memorial Award for his dedication and collegiality.

During Juilliard's 2016-17 season, Mr. Scharfman enjoyed his Alice Tully Hall debut as Pallante in Agrippina and covered Steward in Flight (Dove). He has sung masterclasses with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Pablo Heras-Casado (both live-streamed at Medici.tv) and participated in a recital of protest songs with the New York Festival of Song, repeated at his Merkin Hall and Hudson Hall debuts in 2018.

Operatic credits include Charlie in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers with Opera Fayetteville; Rugby in Vaughan Williams’ Sir John in Love with Odyssey Opera; and Mr. Webb in Ned Rorem’s Our Town with Boston Opera Collaborative. Mr. Scharfman has won prizes at competitions held by the Gerda Lissner Foundation, Career Bridges, MassOpera, the Arlington Philharmonic Society, and Piccola Opera. He has enjoyed concert engagements with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Musica Sacra, the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, the Brown University Chorus, Friends of Mozart, Boston University’s Marsh Chapel, and Trinity Church Boston. Mr. Scharfman is a graduate of Brown University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music and Italian Studies. He spent a year abroad at the Università di Bologna.