Damian Savarino has firmly established himself as a reputable professional singer of opera, oratorio, and music theater. He has appeared throughout the U.S. performing operatic roles such as Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Colline in La Bohème, Angelotti and the Jailor in Tosca, Zuniga in Carmen, Guglielmo in Cosí Fan Tutte as well as operetta roles such as Étienne in Naughty Marietta, Pish-Tush in The Mikado, and Michael in I Do! I Do!. While at the Ohio Light Opera, he sang and recorded the roles Colonel Lester in Victor Herbert’s Eileen and Lord Dramaleigh in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Utopia Limited for the Newport Classic label as well as performed roles in Patience, Eduard Künneke’s Der Vetter aus Dingsda, Romberg’s New Moon, and Camelot. He recently sang the roles of Boatswain in HMS Pinafore and Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance with the Harrisburg Symphony where a critic commented, “Damian Savarino… contributed a rich voice and expert comic timing.”

In the 2008 season, Mr. Savarino sang the role of Dr. Gibbs in Ned Rorem’s new opera Our Town for its Washington D.C. premiere.  Of this performance, a local critic reported, “Damian Savarino and Bridgid Eversole demonstrated such fine singing and acting as Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs that one wishes Rorem could expand their roles… Savarino’s rich, sonorous bass-baritone voice was the surprise of the evening for audience members who, like me, missed him in L’elisir last year.”  Another critic remarked that the “Standout performers… were Zachary Nelson as Mr. Webb and Damian Savarino as Dr. Frank Gibbs.”

Recent concert performances include the bass solos in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra/Symphonic Choir and the Choral Arts Society of Messiah College, Händel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem withthe Choral Arts Society of Messiah College, Aaron Copland’s Old American Songs with the West Shore Symphony (PA), and Schubert’s Mass in G, as well as several concerts of Bach and Händel with the Handel & Haydn Society of Boston.  During a trip to Greece, Mr. Savarino performed the bass solo in Mikis Theodorakis’ oratorio Canto General, based on texts by Pablo Neruda.

In February of 2005 he was a finalist in the annual Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition where critics touted he “polished off Figaro’s First Act aria in splendid voice” and he “proved to be a fine singer and excellent actor”.  From his recent performances in Camelot, a critic hailed him by saying “the songs of Camelot haven’t sounded so sweet since Robert Goulet brought them to Broadway in 1960.”

Mr. Savarino is also an active recitalist who recently performed recitals in Katerini, Greece and Ravanusa, Sicily as well as presented a guest artist recital at Penn. State University.  He is a graduate of Ithaca College and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he worked and trained extensively with John Moriarty.  Currently, he is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance degree at Catholic University of America.  Originally from Iowa City, he is serving on the voice faculty of Messiah College.