Luke Grooms
Tenor

Newport, Tennessee born Luke Grooms, is quickly earning a name for himself around the country as an up-and-coming leading tenor. This season Mr. Grooms has been heard as Jaquino in Fidelio for Empire Opera and joined The Metropolitan Opera roster as a cover in The Gambler by Prokofiev . He also made his Carnegie Hall debut as Fante in Opera Orchestra of New York's concert of Verdi’s I Due Foscari, and covered the roles of Barbagio (I Due Foscari), and Elivino, as well as singing The Notary (La Sonnambula) also with Opera Orchestra of New York.

In January Grooms sang the duel roles of Dwight/God in Jerry Springer: The Opera, also at Carnegie, in its New York premiere with Harvey Keitel, where New York Daily News declared him the evening's standout. June will see Mr Grooms singing the role of Adolphus in Passion, Poison and Putrification with Encompass New Opera at Symphony Space in New York, and he will make his role debut as Lindoro in L'italiana in Algieri at The Yard at Martha's Vineyard in August. Mr. Grooms' work focuses mainly on the beautiful Bel Canto and Mozart repertoire.

Mr. Grooms' roles have inluded Riccardo Percy in Anna Bolena, Belmonte, Nemorino, Albert Herring, The Duke in Rigoletto, Ruggero in La Rondine, Rinuccio, Elvino, Pinkerton, Leon in Pasatieri's Signor Deluso, Rodolfo, Hoffmann in Les Contes D’Hoffmann (cover), Tonio in La Fille du Regiment, and Sam in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah.

Mr. Grooms has also worked for some of the most respected opera companies in the industry, including Chautauqua Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera North, Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Operafestival di Roma, Dicapo Opera Theatre, and Opera Orchestra of New York. He has also worked for New York City Opera, Opera Company of the Highlands, Opera Company of Brooklyn, Regina Opera, Cantiamo Opera Theatre, Chelsea Opera, Baltimore Opera, Empire Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and National Lyric Opera.

Luke’s training includes a B.A. in Music from Emory and Henry College, and a M.M. in Voice from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Mr. Grooms is the recipient of an encouragement award from The Mario Lanza Scholarship Competition, as well as an encouragement from the West Tennessee Metropolitan National Council Auditions. He was also chosen as a semi-finalist for the Belle Voce Competition in Eugene, Oregon, and the Mobile Opera competition.

In 2006 Luke recorded his first professional recording, of Thomas Pasatieri’s opera Signor Deluso, with The Opera Company of Brooklyn on Albany Records, singing the tenor lead of Léon. Of his performance in the recording Opera News said, “…Luke J. Grooms shows sweet toned promise as the earnest lover, Léon." Concerning a recent concert with OONY, held at Verdi Square in NYC, The New York Times said, "Hearing the earnest young Mr. Grooms sing the lyrically ornate “A te, o cara, amor talora” from Bellini’s “Puritani,” I thought back to the mid-1970s, when Luciano Pavarotti sang this music in his glory."

He currently resides in Manhattan and continues his studies with the wonderful baritone, Mark Oswald. Robert Lombardo & Associates, Michael Rosen and Lewis Ehlers managers, currently represent him.