Praised for his expert navigation of the Passagio, thrilling Coloratura, and rich Lyric sound, Stephen Riesen is a 25 year old Tenor from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Serving as a Graduate Student Instructor in the Doctorate of Voice program at the University of Michigan, Stephen is currently studying under the tutelage of World-class Tenor, Stanford Olsen. Currently, Stephen is working at the Brevard Janiec Opera Company, performing the role of Monostatos in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. This fall, he will perform the role of Don Basilio in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with the University of Michigan. Every year, he also reprises his role as The Tenor Soloist for the International Symphony Orchestra’s performances of Handel’s The Messiah. Competitively, Stephen received First Prize at the 2024 NATS Michigan Chapter Audition Competition at Wayne State University in the “Adult Men’s” Category, and previously won the coveted Johanna Gilbert Award in January 2023 from the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit Competition. In 2020, Mr. Riesen was the first ever recipient of the David DiChiera Award for Vocal Excellence. Stephen seeks to use his gifts to help bring back America’s love for the arts.