Praised by Opera Today for his “sizable lyric instrument” and “honeyed tone on all registers”, Arnold Livingston Geis is a recent graduate of Washington National Opera’s prestigious Cafritz Young Artist Program. In the 2020/21 season he makes his Lincoln Center debut creating the role of Mr. Marks in Lynn Nottage and Ricky Ian Gordon’s Intimate Apparel. He also sings Agamemnon in a workshop of Wayne Shorter & Esperanza Spalding’s Iphigeniaat the Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C., and Obadiah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with St. George’s Choral Society in New York City. 

 

Mr. Geis joined Washington National Opera for Jonathan Dale in Silent Night, Gastone in La Traviata, and Busdriver/New Preacher in Kamala Sankaram and Jerry Dye’s world premiere and Washington Classical Reviews Best New Opera (2019), Taking Up Serpents. He also sang Nikolaus Sprink in Silent Night with Glimmerglass Opera, Arnold Murray in The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turingwith Chicago Opera Theater, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Rodolfo in La Bohéme, and in August 2021, Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Pacific Opera Project. While a Young Artist at Washington National Opera, he also sang Oronte in Alcina (Cafritz Young Artist Performance), Snake and Vain Man in The Little Prince, Miles in the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Proving Up, and Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Cafritz Young Artist Performance). Mr. Geis created the role of Corpsman Harris in the world premiere of Heather Raffo and Tobin Stokes’ Fallujah with Long Beach Opera, and later reprised the role with New York City Opera. 

 

His other performances include Ernesto in Don Pasquale and Apollo in L’Orfeowith Chautauqua Opera, Parpignol in La bohème and First man in I pagliacciwith Los Angeles Opera, George Power in the world premiere of A Touch of Poetry with Opera A La Carte, Satyaván in Holst’s Savitri with Pasadena Pro Musica, Vanderdendur/King in Candide with Long Beach Opera, Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw with Opera on the Avalon, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Pasadena Schubertiade, and Duck in Alice in Wonderland with L.A. Philharmonic and L.A. Opera, and Count in I due Figaro with UCLA Opera Theater.
 

On the concert stage, Mr. Geis has performed Gitzy Razaz in the world premiere of Flight of Faith with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Pasadena Symphony, Handel’s Messiah with Salastina Music Society, and Britten’s Canticle III with Pacific Palisades Chamber Ensemble. He has also sung Handel’s Alexander’s Feast, Messiah, and Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the L.A. Master Chorale. In addition to his work in the classical sphere, Mr. Geis is a member of both SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity unions, and has recorded solo vocals for many television projects, including popular shows like Tom and Jerry and Family Guy, and has also sung for such blockbuster film soundtracks as The Jungle Book, Sing, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Rogue One, Fifty Shades of Grey, Minions, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and Disney’s live-action films of The Lion King and Mulan.
 

Mr. Geis is a graduate of the Cafritz Young Artist Program, has been an Apprentice Artist with Chautauqua Opera, a Young Artists with Opera on the Avalon, and an Apprentice Artist with Bel Canto at Caramoor. He received his Master of Music from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and his Bachelor of Music from Biola University..