Hailed for his “astonishing solo singing” and “penetrating eloquence” (New York Times), countertenor Eric S. Brenner has been privileged to perform on many of the world's premier halls with many of the world's finest conductors. Eric made his solo debut in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms at Cornell University. He has sung the work many times since then, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola with Sacred Music in a Sacred Space. Some of Eric's current projects include eight sold-out performances in the role of Doodle in Stefan Weissman's and David Cote's highly acclaimed chamber opera, Scarlet Ibis; singing opposite actress Lili Taylor in Suzanne Bocanegra's Bodycast at CounterCurrent, Houston, TX; world premieres by Jessica Meyer and Doug Balliet with the Colonials; Volpino in Haydn's Lo Speziale in Rochester, NY; and Tolomeo in Händel’s Giulio Cesare in Roanoke, VA. Eric also covered David Daniels in the role of Didymus in Händel’s Theodora on tour with the choir of Trinity Wall Street and English concert under Maestro Harry Bickett.
Eric is a frequent alto and soprano soloist in Händel’s perennial favorite, Messiah. Featured performances include Alice Tully Hall - “unearthly purity” (Wall Street Journal), "remarkable" (Downtown Express) - with the choir of Trinity Wall Street, directed by Julian Wachner; at St. Thomas Church with John Scott - "graceful line" (New York Times); and at St. John’s Cathedral in New Mexico as the soprano in an all-male solo quartet - "His aria...glowed with an angelic reverence" (Albuquerque Journal).
Ahh Bach... Eric has been incredibly lucky to sing more than 20 Bach cantatas with various groups including American Virtuosi, the Boulder Bach Festival, & as a regular soloist in the Bach at 1 music series at Trinity Wall Street. Eric has also sung both alto and soprano solos on many of Bach's larger masterworks including Magnificat, Mass in B-Minor, and St. John Passion. Recently, Eric added the Dying Swan in Orff’s Carmina Burana to his repertoire with performances at Avery Fisher Hall with the National Chorale under Martin Josman and the Westchester Choral Society with guest conductor Paul Mueller.
An avid proponent of new music, Eric is inspired and humbled to have the chance to sing roles written especially for him in several new works.
This year, Eric continues his work as Doodle in Scarlet Ibis. This powerful exploration of war, hope, death, and brotherly love is produced under the auspices of American Opera Projects, H.E.R.E., and Beth Morrison Projects. Last year Eric was at the National Opera Theatre in Ukraine as the Poet in Virko Baley's Holodomor, an unblinking look at the horrors of the Stalinist purges of 80 years ago which took the lives of over 4 million Ukrainians. Composer Hannah Lash has written several works for Eric including Blood Rose, a lushly dark re-imagining of the Beauty and the Beast story. This chamber opera, written for Eric, mezzo-soprano Kirsten Sollek, and the Jack Quartet, and featured in the 2010 VOX Contemporary Opera Lab of New York City Opera, will have new life on an upcoming recording. Eric has also recorded and performed extensively with Pew and Guggenheim fellow Toby Twining. He is also a sometime actor, singer, music-director, arranger, and composer on various projects with Rob Reese, Matt Shloss, and Amnesia Wars.
Born and raised in the wilds of Long Island, NY, Eric grew up in a house filled with music - especially rock & roll (he was at Woodstock - in utero). For all that, Eric didn't sing a note in public until his junior year of high school. He began his musical training on violin and viola at age 8, but was much too shy to sing. Joining the Northport High School choir, under the inspired and passionate direction of Sandy Valerio, changed everything. Since then, Eric has worked with so many incredibly gifted and generous musicians including William Appling (who told Eric what a countertenor was and introduced him to Chanticleer), Joseph Jennings, John Scott, Julian Wachner, Neal Goren, Nic McGegan, Andrew Parrott, and William Christie.
When he's not singing (& sometimes even when he is), Eric walks, runs, hikes, bikes, reads and writes (prose - and occasionally music). He is an avid dog whisperer/wrassler, an excellent parallel parker, and an incorrigible Mets fan.
Eric is a frequent alto and soprano soloist in Händel’s perennial favorite, Messiah. Featured performances include Alice Tully Hall - “unearthly purity” (Wall Street Journal), "remarkable" (Downtown Express) - with the choir of Trinity Wall Street, directed by Julian Wachner; at St. Thomas Church with John Scott - "graceful line" (New York Times); and at St. John’s Cathedral in New Mexico as the soprano in an all-male solo quartet - "His aria...glowed with an angelic reverence" (Albuquerque Journal).
Ahh Bach... Eric has been incredibly lucky to sing more than 20 Bach cantatas with various groups including American Virtuosi, the Boulder Bach Festival, & as a regular soloist in the Bach at 1 music series at Trinity Wall Street. Eric has also sung both alto and soprano solos on many of Bach's larger masterworks including Magnificat, Mass in B-Minor, and St. John Passion. Recently, Eric added the Dying Swan in Orff’s Carmina Burana to his repertoire with performances at Avery Fisher Hall with the National Chorale under Martin Josman and the Westchester Choral Society with guest conductor Paul Mueller.
An avid proponent of new music, Eric is inspired and humbled to have the chance to sing roles written especially for him in several new works.
This year, Eric continues his work as Doodle in Scarlet Ibis. This powerful exploration of war, hope, death, and brotherly love is produced under the auspices of American Opera Projects, H.E.R.E., and Beth Morrison Projects. Last year Eric was at the National Opera Theatre in Ukraine as the Poet in Virko Baley's Holodomor, an unblinking look at the horrors of the Stalinist purges of 80 years ago which took the lives of over 4 million Ukrainians. Composer Hannah Lash has written several works for Eric including Blood Rose, a lushly dark re-imagining of the Beauty and the Beast story. This chamber opera, written for Eric, mezzo-soprano Kirsten Sollek, and the Jack Quartet, and featured in the 2010 VOX Contemporary Opera Lab of New York City Opera, will have new life on an upcoming recording. Eric has also recorded and performed extensively with Pew and Guggenheim fellow Toby Twining. He is also a sometime actor, singer, music-director, arranger, and composer on various projects with Rob Reese, Matt Shloss, and Amnesia Wars.
Born and raised in the wilds of Long Island, NY, Eric grew up in a house filled with music - especially rock & roll (he was at Woodstock - in utero). For all that, Eric didn't sing a note in public until his junior year of high school. He began his musical training on violin and viola at age 8, but was much too shy to sing. Joining the Northport High School choir, under the inspired and passionate direction of Sandy Valerio, changed everything. Since then, Eric has worked with so many incredibly gifted and generous musicians including William Appling (who told Eric what a countertenor was and introduced him to Chanticleer), Joseph Jennings, John Scott, Julian Wachner, Neal Goren, Nic McGegan, Andrew Parrott, and William Christie.
When he's not singing (& sometimes even when he is), Eric walks, runs, hikes, bikes, reads and writes (prose - and occasionally music). He is an avid dog whisperer/wrassler, an excellent parallel parker, and an incorrigible Mets fan.