The young American tenor, Joseph Michael Muir, is rapidly making his presence known on the American opera stage. Described as possessing a voice with a “lyric lilt of indescribable tenderness,” this gifted young singer has trained with distinguished programs and has performed with prominent opera companies in the United States. In addition the Apprentice Artist program for Santa Fe Opera, Mr. Muir has participated in programs with the Seattle Opera, Glimmerglass Opera and is currently engaged as a Young Studio Artist with Florida Grand Opera. Mr. Muir’s opera performances include engagements with the Fort Worth Opera, Nevada Opera, The Rimrock Opera, and as Principal Artist in Residence, with Opera San José. In concert, he has performed with the Coeur d’Alene Symphony and has sung for the Midsummer Mozart Festival (San Francisco), and the Mountainside Master Chorale, among others.

Mr. Muir has maintained full calendars of assignments since having embarked on a singing career. Assignments for Mr. Muir in the most recent season for Florida Grand Opera comprised the Messenger in Aida, Edmondo in Manon Lescaut, 1st Philistine in Samson et Dalila, and a cover of Levin in the world premiere of Anna Karenina together with the role of Ruiz in a concert performance of Il Trovatore with the Florida Concert Association. Other recent engagements in the 2005-2006 season comprised Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia for Opera Plus, Javier in Torroba's Zarzuela Luisa Fernanda for the Mesquite Arts Center in its season opening, and Alfredo in La Traviata for The Rimrock Opera. Mr. Muir later debuted with the Coeur d'Alene Symphony as the tenor soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony and concluded the season with concert appearances for the Lake George Opera Guild after which he joined Glimmerglass Opera's Young American Artist Program.

In the earlier 2004-2005 season, Muir appeared as the 3^rd Jew with the Fort Worth Opera in the company’s production of Salome, he performed the title role of Albert (Albert Herring) with the University of North Texas Opera Center, and debuted with the Midsummer Mozart Festival (San Francisco) as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor under the baton of the eminent George Cleve. These engagements followed his return to Santa Fe Opera for a second season as an apprentice artist where in addition to covering responsibilities, he performed scenes from Faust, Romeo et Juliette, and Puccini’s Edgar. Prior to his work with Fort Worth Opera, Mr. Muir was chosen as a Principal Artist in Residence at Opera San José where he sang the roles of Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Beppe in Pagliacci and Alfred in Die Fledermaus. In 2002, Mr. Muir was selected to participate in the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program where the tenor performed the role of Rodolfo in La Boheme, as well as guest performances of Jenick in The Bartered Bride with the University of Washington Opera Theater.

Mr. Muir has placed both as Semi-Finalist and as a Grand Finalist in the Dallas Opera Guild Competition in 2002 and 2005, respectively. He was a Semi-Finalist in the Longview Opera Competition in 2002, and he won first place in the Seattle Opera Young Artists Competition in 2003.