Fort Worth Opera’s Historic 80th Season Opens with Tenor Jonathan Tetelman in Rare U.S. Appearance, Followed by Celebratory Dinner with the Stars
(Fort Worth, Texas) — On Friday, October 10, 2025, tenor Jonathan Tetelman takes the stage at the intimate Van Cliburn Concert Hall on the TCU campus for a rare U.S. recital with pianist Michael Recchiuti. The one-night-only performance by the international star opens Fort Worth Opera’s 80th anniversary season and is immediately followed by the Opera’s Dinner with the Stars.
Praised for his warm, full-bodied voice and magnetic stage presence, the Deutsche Grammophon recording artist has captivated audiences from Europe to Asia to the grand stage of the Metropolitan Opera. Here’s what the critics have to say about Jonathan Tetelman:
“The guy’s a total star.” — The New York Times
“…a major talent.” — Opera News
“The future belongs to this voice” — Salzburger Nachrichten
The Chilean-born, New Jersey-bred and New York-trained tenor now calls Germany his home base and only rarely finds himself back in the U.S., and almost never on stages far from the coast — his next two U.S. appearances will be at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.
“In America, it’s hard to put together a cross-country touring schedule as we don’t have that grassroots popularity, where every city and town has an opera house,” Tetelman explained. “But Fort Worth stands apart there. It’s not the biggest city in Texas, but it’s home to the state’s oldest opera company. There’s a real sophistication here — and I’m thrilled we could put this event together with Fort Worth Opera.”
Along with his excitement at finding a new audience in North Texas, Tetelman says he’s relishing the chance to explore the close-up power of the recital format. “This is a new frontier for me — just piano and voice,” he said. “It strips away everything ‘big’ about opera, and leaves poetry, communicated through music with people who really feel it, right there in the room with you.”
The program for Jonathan Tetelman in Concert is built for that intimacy: “We’re going to do a Tosti set — Italian canzoni that need a softness you can lose with full orchestration. Then we’ll do Neapolitan songs, Nino Rota’s ‘Parla più piano’ from The Godfather, Spanish favorites like ‘Granada’ and ‘No puede ser,’ and of course some Puccini arias that people might not have experienced this way before.”
That close-up focus also shaped his choice of partner at the piano. Tetelman appears with celebrated conductor-pianist Michael Recchiuti, a longtime friend and mentor whose collaboration credits range from Renée Fleming to Vanessa Williams.
“Michael and I have done a lot of behind-the-scenes work together — he prepared me for several of the roles I’m touring now,” Tetelman said. “I’ve wanted to collaborate with him in performance for a long time, so when this opportunity came up, he was my first call.”
After the recital, the launch of Fort Worth Opera’s 80th anniversary season will continue with the separately ticketed Dinner with the Stars. Headlining the celebration are dramatic tenor Clifton Forbis (frequent Metropolitan Opera guest and Chair of Voice at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts) and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche (last season’s sparkling Angelina in the Opera’s critically acclaimed La Cenerentola). They will be joined by the company’s newly announced Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artists. Director Emeritus Joe Illick emcees the evening, which features highlights from operas the company has presented across the past eight decades.
“If you know Jonathan Tetelman’s recordings or you’ve been lucky to hear him on a grand stage, you understand that any performance he makes is unmissable,” said Fort Worth Opera General & Artistic Director Angela Turner Wilson. “In recital, he brings that same power and warmth, but with a rare connection to the room. People are going to be talking about this event for a long time — but there are only 700 seats in the theater. This is your chance to be one of the few who can say, ‘I was there.’”
For more information and to browse available season ticket packages or purchase single tickets for Jonathan Tetelman in Concert and/or the Dinner with the Stars, visit fwopera.org.
Jonathan Tetelman in Concert
Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU
2900 W Lowden St
Friday, October 10, 2025
7 p.m. | 60–90 minutes | no intermission
Dinner with the Stars
Music Center Orchestra Hall at TCU
2900 W Lowden St
