Rising tenor Limmie Pulliam continues to thrill audiences with his captivating stage presence and his “stentorian, yet beautiful,” sound. Pulliam was recently praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for his “full-throated vocal power, and intimate lyricism,,’ with his recent debut at Livermore Valley Opera in Verdi’s Otello.
On December 17th, 2022, Pulliam made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Radamès in Aida, which also served as his role debut. He later performs Radamès with Tulsa Opera for their 75th anniversary gala concert. Elsewhere during the season, he returns to the Cleveland Orchestra for his first performances as Dick Johnson in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. In concert, he debuts with the San Diego Symphony singing Verdi’s Requiem and makes his Carnegie Hall debut performing The Ordering of Moses in collaboration with his alma mater, The Oberlin Conservatory. He also joins pianist Mark Markham for a series of recitals entitled Make Them Hear You: A Spiritual Journey and will also be featured on “operatic greatest hits” concerts with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and Delta Symphony.
The 2021/22 season has been highlighted by his highly-anticipated L..A. Opera debut as Manrico in Verdi’s Il Trovatore, where he was lauded by the Los Angeles Times for his “healthy, focused, ringing tenor.” He followed that with a successful role debut as Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana with Vashon Opera. Upcoming performances include his company debut with Livermore Valley Opera in the title role of Verdi’s Otello, his company debut in Fort Worth Opera’s A Night of Black Excellence Concert, and his rescheduled appearance with The Memphis Symphony Orchestra as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He is set to take the stage again as Verdi’s Otello in his highly-anticipated debut with The Cleveland Orchestra.
In the 2020/21 COVID-affected season, Pulliam’s original engagements included his role debut as Florestan in Fidelio with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (canceled). During the shortened 2020/19 season, he appeared with the Springfield Regional Opera for their 40th Anniversary Gala (performed) and made his debut with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra (performed) for a gala concert. He was a featured performer for the 6th Annual Viennese Opera Ball in New York and appeared in a recital in Charlotte, NC, and at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, OH. Additionally, he was slated to join the Newport Music Festival during the summer for a concert of Verdi selections (canceled).
Pulliam’s other recent engagements include performances with The Concord Chorale as tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem Mass and tenor soloist in Stainer’s Resurrection with New Covenant United Methodist Church in The Villages, Florida. Pulliam has been featured in numerous appearances with the internationally renowned chorale Gloriae Dei Cantores as the tenor soloist (Ahab/Obadiah) in an original German-language presentation of Mendelssohn’s Elijah as well as in concerts featuring Intimations of Immortality and Ode For St. Cecelia by Gerald Finzi. He has also presented concerts featuring Negro Spirituals with The Concord Chorale. He appeared as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Forum Sinfonia Orchestra of Finland and soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the San Angelo Symphony. Pulliam was also a featured soloist on The American Spiritual Ensemble.
The Missouri native trained with the late renowned, pedagogue Richard Miller. He is also a former participant in the young artist programs of Cleveland Opera, Opera Delaware and Opera Memphis. He was the 2012 Artist Division Winner of the National Opera Association’s Vocal Competition and, in 2013, was a winner in the 3rd Annual Concorso Internazionale di Canto della Fondazione Marcello Giordano in Catania, Sicily.