“Shifting between vocal registers with the ease of a flying bird, there are few who could match Rutter’s skills as a countertenor, and fewer who could match the lovable heart he bears without restriction.”
- Quinn Rigg on THE SCARLET IBIS
With Lyrica Classic Jordan performed at the concert series "Chamber Vocal & Instrumental Music at Carnegie Hall" on October 2, 2019 at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.
BIOGRAPHY
New York City-based countertenor Jordan Rutter enjoys a career embracing opera, concert repertoire, and contemporary work. Last season, Mr. Rutter made his joint company and role debut with Chicago Opera Theater as the principal character of Doodle in Stefan Weisman and David Coté’s critically acclaimed The Scarlet Ibis in the work’s 2019 Chicago premiere and rejoined American Opera Projects and NYU Tisch School of the Arts for The Stonewall Operas. Additional recent highlights of his work include his long association with Three Way (Paterson / Coté) which he performed in the work’s world premiere full production at Nashville Opera and the New York premiere, at Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mr. Rutter also joined the American Modern Ensemble for his Merkin Hall debut in April 2017, performing excerpts from Three Way in concert, as well as for the work’s world premiere recording.
Dedicated to the creation and performance of new music, in 2017 Mr. Rutter has worked with American Opera Projects to develop and create the roles of Lola in (Legendary, Rubinstein / Kim), Kyle (Three Way), and the title role of Ashima (Jing Jing Luo).
In the classical repertoire, Mr. Rutter joined New York City’s operamission throughout the 2016-2017 season as co-curator and performer in 53rd St. Handel, a monthly series of original pastiches built upon scenes from twenty-one of Handel’s operas. Mr. Rutter made his off-Broadway debut with Origin Theater Company, curating and performing musical intermezzi of Lieder for the 2016 American premiere of Lot Vekemans’ POISON. During the 2015-2016 season, Mr. Rutter participated in the MET LiveArts installation of Mingwei Lee’s Sonic Blossom, performing Schubert Lieder in the Arthur M. Sackler gallery. In 2017, Mr. Rutter became the first countertenor to perform all four volumes of William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein’s Cabaret Songs in recital at the Duplex Cabaret Theater in New York City.
Additional highlights of Mr. Rutter’s operatic activity include Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Opera on the Avalon, the Sorceress in Dido & Aeneas with the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and the role of Le fils de Macduff in the American French-language premiere of Ernest Bloch’s Macbeth, a performance which earned Mr. Rutter praise from both Opera News and Gay City News.
RECORDINGS
Three Way - Act III. Masquerade, Aria: Why So Shy?
Performed by Jordan Rutter (countertenor, as Kyle), American Modern Ensemble, Dean Williamson (conductor)
Brooklyn, NY. June 16, 2017,
"Outside"
Music by Bryan Blaskie; Libretto by Seth Christenfeld; Directed by Francisco Rivera Rodriguez
Mark (Hans Tashjian), Kenny (Jordan Rutter), Davey (Brandon Coleman), Joan (Sara Couden)
NYU's Shubert Theatre. May 18th, 2019.