Biography
Juan Angel Johnston-Chavez is a bass-baritone, dancer, director, and choreographer based in NYC and originally from San José, California. Some of his credits include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (Lyric Opera Studio Weimar), El Dancaïro in Opera in Concert: Highlights from Carmen (Manhattan School of Music), Brother in Kurt Weill’s Die Sieben Todsünden (Manhattan School of Music), Grégorio in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette (MSM), Conte di Ceprano and Usciere in Verdi’s Rigoletto (Savannah Voice Festival), Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte (Utah Vocal Arts Academy), Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods, Sergeant of Police in Pirates of Penzance (Lyric Theater San José), and The Learned Judge in Trial by Jury (San José State University). He has performed partial roles as the Vicar in Britten’s Albert Herring, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Mustafa in L’Italiana in Algeri, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, as well as the title roles in scenes from Don Giovanni and Falstaff. He also performed oratorio work as the bass soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass in Lisbon with the SJSU Choraliers.
This summer, Juan Angel is excited to making his debut with the Ohio Light Opera to perform the roles of 3rd Cockney in My Fair Lady, Duke of Ephesus in The Boys from Syracuse, Linville in Damn Yankees, as well as perform in the ensembles of The Merry Widow and The Red Mill.
Juan Angel is a winner several accolades including Manhattan School of Music’s Hugh Ross Award and San Jose State University’s Irene Dalis Memorial Award and Outstanding Music Major Award. He was also a 1st place winner in the Upper College Division of San Francisco Bay Area NATS in 2023 and a recipient of the Katherine Harvey Collegiate Award for SFBAC NATS in 2021.
In addition to his performance work, Juan Angel is also an accomplished director and choreographer having worked both in theatre and film. He has worked on numerous opera scene showcases and helmed promotional short films for Lyric Theater of San José as well as having served as the choreographer for Trial by Jury (San Jose State University) and New American Songbook Cabaret (MSM) in 2024 and 2025. In the spring of 2025, Juan Angel conceptualized, directed, and choreographed a staged excerpt of Schubert’s Winterreise which he sung alongside four dancers. This project led him to develop a larger staged production of Schumann’s Dichterliebe entitled The Tale of a Poet’s Love which was performed the following year with an ensemble of nine dancers and two pianists.
Juan Angel holds a Master’s Degree (‘25) and Professional Studies Diploma (‘26) in Classical Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Education (’23) from San José State University. He studies under the tutelage of renowned baritone Sidney Outlaw.
