With a commanding vocal presence and a captivating musical finesse, American tenor Zachary Wilder emerges as an exemplary interpreter of 17th and 18th-century repertoires, spanning from Monteverdi to Mozart. His artistry has garnered demand from esteemed conductors and ensembles on both sides of the Atlantic, perfectly embodying the fervor of grand sacred masterworks and the opulence of operatic performances, with a widely acclaimed stage presence.
He now collaborates with a constellation of well known ensembles such as Pygmalion, Les Arts Florissants, L'Arpeggiata, Les Talens Lyriques, Le Concert d'Astrée, the Boston Early Music Festival, Bach Collegium Japan, the Handel & Haydn Society, Nederlandse Bach Vereniging, and Nederlands Kamerkoor. His associations with the latter two formations frequently culminate in extensive tours, notably as the Evangelist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio under the baton of Christophe Rousset in 2022.
Beyond the confines of the beauties of early music, his collaborations with symphony orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, allow him to tackle later repertoires. Notable performances include Vaughan-Williams' On Wenlock Edge and Britten's Nocturne with the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, and the role of Mark in Frank Zappa's 200 Motels, first at the Musica Festival in Strasbourg and later at the Philharmonie in Paris. Maintaining an ever-curious musical spirit, Zachary portrayed the Spirit of Light in The Tale of Genji at Tokyo's legendary Kabukiza Theater, under the direction of Ebizo Ichikawa.
Recent seasons have been punctuated by significant undertakings, including the expansive Monteverdi 450 tour led by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Händel's Radamisto with Il Pomo d'Oro conducted by Francesco Corti, with whom a solid collaboration has been established, as evidenced by the August 2023 production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen at the Drottningholm Opera. He triumphantly interpreted the role of Erinda in the revival of Sartorio's L’Orfeo at the Opéra de Montpellier, directed by Philippe Jaroussky and staged by Benjamin Lazar. Noteworthy collaborations also encompass Zachary's portrayal of Basilio in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro alongside Raphaël Pichon as well as of Agenore in Mozart's Il Re Pastore at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, conducted by Christina Pluhar.
The 2024/2025 season highlights a harmonious blend of concerts and stage productions. Among the key performances are Le lacrime di Eros (role of Pastore) with the Pygmalion ensemble and Raphaël Pichon, directed by Romeo Castellucci at the Amsterdam Opera. He will also be featured in two tours dedicated to Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine: first with Pygmalion (Paris, Antwerp, Versailles), followed by I Gemelli (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Seville). Additionally, he will make notable appearances at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, performing with the Foundation’s Orchestra and Choir under the direction of Martina Batič and Peter Dijkstra, for the Christmas Oratorio and Bach's Mass in B minor. Zachary will also revisit the role of Agenore in Il Re Pastore in Salzburg, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the work’s premiere.
His expansive discography encompasses over forty recordings for esteemed labels including Ricercar, CPO, Soli Deo Gloria, Harmonia mundi, Glossa, Atma, La Música and Aparté with the direction of luminaries such as William Christie, John Eliot Gardiner, Masaaki Suzuki, Christophe Rousset, and Raphaël Pichon. Notably, his special partnership with Ensemble I Gemelli has yielded exceptional recordings of Monteverdi's Orfeo and Il Ritorno d'Ulisse, alongside the critically acclaimed A Room of Mirrors, which gathers arias and duets from the Italian Seicento, and elicited enthusiastically rave reviews from the press. His recital album Eternità d'Amore for the label La Música with Josep M. Martí Duran was particularly well critically received.
