Edward Pleasant, a native of Midland Texas, has been heard here and abroad in opera, music theater as well as in concert. He has appeared with New York City Opera as Jim in Porgy and Bess and was also seen in that production’s Emmy
nominated Live from Lincoln Center telecast on PBS. He assumed the same role at the Bregenzer Festspiele in Austria and appeared as voice-over artist in Weill’s The Flight of Lindbergh for National Public Radio.
He has been seen in such roles as Zodzetrick in Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime and has also performed Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera, Don Alfonso
in Così fan tutte, Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro, Alcindoro/Bénoît in La
Bohème, Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Giuseppe Palmieri in The Gondoliers, Jacques
in New Moon, Martin Luther King in a production of Faith
Journey and has also performed the role of Ben Ross, Harriett Tubman's
father, in a touring production of Freedom Train.
His concert appearances include a Messiah at Avery Fisher Hall with the
National Choral Council, a concert version of Mozart’s Idomeneo with the National Chorale, soloist with the Moses Hogan Chorale at Alice Tully Hall, Narrator in Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, The Thrill of the Orchestra and Tubby the Tuba with the Norwalk and Greenwich Symphony Orchestras. Mr. Pleasant has also performed with the American Gospel Quartet during the Orchestermessen Series in Bregenz as well as on Austrian television and radio. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in the Duruflé Requiem.
Most recently Mr. Pleasant assumed the role of Jake in Porgy and Bess with the Duluth Superior Symphony and the National Philharmonic Orchestra and he took part for the second year in New York City Opera's VOX series Showcasing American Composers.
Mr. Pleasant holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Arts degree from Texas
Tech University. His discography includes a recording of Dubois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ on Gothic Records, Kurt Weill’s The Flight of Lindbergh on Voices International, Black Manhattan with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra on New World Records and Mozart Arias on the 250th Anniversary set by Madacy Entertainment.
