John Orduña is noted as a singing actor of great versatility, impressing with a voice “rich and powerful top to bottom” (Peninsula Reviews) in a repertoire that spans the sacred oratorios of Bach and Handel to comic roles by Prokofiev and Verdi. In 2013 he premiered the title role of The Donkey in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s The Lion, The Unicorn and Me, for his Washington National Opera debut. Of his performance, The Baltimore Sun wrote, "John Orduña shines in this role, using his warm baritone to communicate humor and tenderness in equal measure." This marked his first principal role with a major opera company in the United States. With the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Mr. Orduña has performed the bass and baritone solos in Bach’s Mass in A Major and Händel’s Messiah. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Richmond Symphony in Carmina Burana, Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra in Britten’s War Requiem, and the Cincinnati May Festival in Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Each summer he appears in Chicago’s Millennium Park as a tenured chorister with the Grant Park Music festival and recently made his first appearance as a soloist with the Grant Park Orchestra on their Independence Day Salute. This program, broadcast on NPR, was the first time a chorister has performed in this capacity on this program. He continues to enjoy a rich and varied performance schedule with every major musical ensemble in the Chicago Area as well as chamber work, recording work and teaching. In addition to his performing career, Orduña actively serves the singing community behind the scenes as a Union representative for the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) as well as a consultant to a number of artistic organizations comprised of both student and professional artists. In his position with AGMA, he has been involved with major collective bargaining agreement negotiations with management, representing hundreds of the finest working musicians and takes great joy in doing so. In addition to contract negotiations, he serves as a point of contact for members of the festival in regards to audition representation, diversity and inclusion strategies and advocacy for artists of color.

John Orduña