John Spencer is currently in his third season on the music staff of Theater Kiel in Germany. Prior to his work in Germany, Spencer was a member of the music staff at Sarasota Opera between 2012 and 2017, where he served as both cover and assistant conductor to Victor DeRenzi and principal pianist/coach on nearly twenty productions. Until 2016, Sarasota Opera was completing its Verdi Cycle, performing every available note that Verdi wrote. As a result, Spencer worked on seven Verdi productions, prepared and performed numerous Verdi works, and assisted in extensive research at the American Institute of Verdi Studies in New York, becoming well acquainted with Verdi’s life, style, and canon.
In 2017, Spencer joined Des Moines Metro Opera as the associate conductor to David Neely for Billy Budd, and conducted excerpts from Carmen and Die Meistersinger with orchestra. He subsequently returned in 2018 as the associate/cover conductor for Jonathan Dove’s Flight, conducting excerpts from Die Walküre, among others.
As a guest conductor, Spencer has led performances of Carmen and L’elisir d’amore with Sarasota Opera, the 4-act version of Verdi’s Don Carlo with Vocal Productions NYC, Le nozze di Figaro and La traviata with dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, and the New York premiere of a new opera titled From My Mother’s Mother by Jeeyoung Kim.
As a pianist, Spencer made his Lincoln Center debut in 2011, playing Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the New York Choral Society at Alice Tully Hall. That same year, Spencer graduated with a bachelor of music degree in piano studies from NYU Steinhardt where he studied with Anthony de Mare. Finding passion for vocal music, Spencer also studied accompanying under the direction of Dr. Grant Wenaus. During his time at NYU, Spencer was the assistant musical director for two productions, performed extensively both in solo and chamber repertoire, and was a recital accompanist for vocal performance programs.
Spencer has also served as vocal coach at North Carolina Opera, dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, Westminster Choir College’s Florence Voice Program in Italy, and the Summer Classical Voice Intensive at NYU.