Baritone Daniel Lentz recently  reprised the role of Pilate in the St. John Passion with Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra at Christ Church Cathedral in April 2023. The previous year, Lentz covered the roles of Morales and Dancairo in Carmen and Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha at Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre's 2022 Season.

 

Daniel frequently sings the repertoire of J. S. Bach, Mozart, Donizetti and Sondheim. He has sung both roles of Pilate and Jesus in Bach’s Johannes-Passion; most recently Pilate in 2017 with the IU Historical Performance Institute and Jesus in 2016 with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. In his 2017 St. John Passion performance of the bass aria “Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen,” a critic from The Herald Times wrote, “...But Bach and librettist unknown arrived at the point of triumph via, first, a musical thank you for the resurrection (sung in stentorian tones by Daniel Lentz)."

 

Also in 2017 Daniel performed the role of Pedro in Man of La Mancha with Indianapolis Opera.  In 2016, Daniel sang the title role in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd with Ivy Tech Student Productions. In his portrayal of Todd, Matthew Waterman from The Herald Times wrote, “Daniel Lentz is magnificent in the starring role of Sweeney Todd. Lentz plays the character with coldness and sometimes stoicism. The strongest aspect of the performance, though, is the singing. Lentz has a rich and meticulously trained voice.” 

 

Equally at home in the works of Mozart, Lentz has sung the roles of Count Almaviva, Papageno, and Leporello. In 2018 he sang the role of Leporello in Blooming Voices’s production of Don Giovanni in Bloomington, Indiana. In 2009, Daniel sang the role of Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with the Bay View Music Festival in Michigan. Also with BVMF, Daniel sang the role of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte in 2010. In his portrayal of Papageno, a critic from The Petoskey News Review wrote, “Daniel Lentz is the life of the show as Papageno. Not only does he sing the role glowingly, but his well-timed humor carries the action.” 

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In 2021 Daniel was awarded Third Prize in Vocal Category XI from the North International Competition in which he competed against singers from thirty-one countries. Also in that year he was honored with the Gold Prize in the Vocal Category B3 Ages 26+ from the World Classical Music Awards based in the United Kingdom. 

 

Daniel is a native of Wooster, Ohio, but currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana.  He studies with emerging Verdi baritone Jason Duika. Daniel is also a graduate of The College of Wooster, where he received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance in 2007, He received both Master and Doctor of Music degrees in Voice from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2009 and 2021.

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