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What made his interpretation so special was not only his beautiful, sometimes raw when necessary, but always full, round and impressive tenor voice, but also the deep empathy with the role. Savage brought real emotion to his interpretation that was also so layered that you could feel his despair about his own behavior. His Grimes is a man who, it seems, detests his own actions.

I think he could be any one of us. I think we’re all broken in some way or another. We all have something that needs to still be healed. I think that’s true for Peter, but I think it also could be true for us.

When approaching any character, I always remind myself that no one is entirely one thing all the time,' he says. 'People shift and move through different emotions, moods, and phases of life. Peter Grimes is no exception. His changes just seem to happen far more quickly, more frequently and more abruptly than most.

Der Kaiser was sung by American tenor Issachah Savage with a golden-coloured, dramatically heroic voice that served to place his character apart from, and above the characters of the lower world. Savage had all necessary forces to surmount the extreme tessitura of his magnificent Act II monologue.

American Issachah Savage ennobles the Emperor with an ideal Siegmund voice — his heldentenor is as supple as it is rich.

Issachah Savage returns to Theatre du Capitole as the Emperor, offering stellar high notes with ease, without any pressure.

The Emperor of Issachah Savage, a tenor of almost supernatural breath control, of generous legato, of power, alongside a honeyed timbre and the inexhaustible poetic riches with which he adorns his Act II monologue.

As the High Priest, Issachah Savage charged onto stage with enormous energy and presence, with a commanding voice to match.

On the other end of the spectrum was Issachah Savage’s potent tenor, its grainy qualities used to perfection as he scolded Idomeneo for forsaking his duty. Savage made his mark, his voice soaring over the pulsating orchestra and driving home the importance of this moment. In lesser hands, this recitative would come off as perfunctory, but Savage’s singing added tension and suspense, elevating the drama. His delivery of “O ciel clemente” was some of the boldest and most intense singing of the entire night.

With his lyrical-sounding power machine of a heroic tenor, the American tenor Issachah Savage could penetrate the notes through the orchestra’s wall of sound. His sound evoked associations with Mahler’s ‘Das Lied von der Erde’, just as Schönberg’s music itself evoked memories of Wagner’s ‘Tristan und Isolde’. In a superb ‘Gurre’ debut, Issachah Savage was clearly the right person to sing the part of King Valdemar...

Issachah Savage managed best as Tannhäuser. The American tenor displayed a big, lyric sound—but most impressive was his German diction. This, along with his impassioned facial expressions, made for an intimate performance —his Tannhäuser felt and sounded like a truly emotive Lieder singer.

Savage too came to his own. His projection is clear and focused. He has stamina… a gripping, convincing Tannhäuser

The LA Opera website promises that Mr. Savage will “knock your socks off” and for once the publicity department isn’t resorting to hyperbole... Honestly I can’t recall the last time I heard a tenor with so beautiful, so sizeable, and focused an instrument.

American tenor Issachah Savage, the Tannhäuser, has a mighty, tough-sinewed voice that is loud but compact; assertive, yet capable of tenderness; and invested with unflagging energy. Savage’s Tannhäuser was everything Wagner wanted—“nowhere and never ‘a little,’ but each thing fully and entirely.” Savage sustained this unnervingly split personality with great power. Savage’s performance was complemented magnificently by American soprano Sarah Jakubiak, …Both Savage and Jakubiak are among those rare singers who can be clearly heard above a full Wagnerian orchestra and chorus—a truly thrilling sound.

At the arrival of tenor Issachah Savage’s exhausted Siegmund. Their physical fascination with each other became quickly evident and discreetly continued after the arrival of bass Štefan Kocán… Savage gave a remarkable performance as Siegmund, combining power and flexibility and singing with unflagging beauty of tone.… [and] he kept the musical line clean

The American tenor sings this punishing role, composed by a sadistic Strauss, as if it were a lullaby. The voluminous and ample voice blooms naturally, and his technique, acquired in the best American schools, assures him all the rest: breath, diction, style, and especially stamina.

Issachah Savage, a promising young dramatic tenor, sang Narraboth’s lines with shining bronze tones. Reports of his Otello in Mexico make him a tenor to watch.

Tenor Issachah Savage surmounted the soaring “Ingemisco,” not just deploying operatic sobs, but seeming to expand one until it enveloped the hall.

I’d wager that one feature of Saturday’s performance would have pleased Wagner, especially the singing of tenor Issachah Savage in the title role.

The character of Bacchus makes his appearance late in the opera, but Issachah Savage was worth waiting for. Arriving onstage in a “chariot” that doubled as a massive Champagne cooler (looks like the partygoers were enjoying some Veuve Clicquot), the young tenor sang with bewitching tonal beauty and majestic amplitude that underscored his top prize in last year’s Seattle International Wagner Competition.

In the end, it was a big night for tenor Issachah Savage who won a $25,000 first prize award from the judges. Savage, whose big and lyrical tenor was at its best in “Mein Lieber Schwan” (from “Lohengrin”), also won both the audience’s and the orchestra’s prizes, bringing his total winnings to $35,000. He was further honored by Seattle Opera’s retiring general director and master of ceremonies, Speight Jenkins, who chose Savage to fill in a slot in Saturday’s opera gala, the ‘Speight Celebration Concert and Dinner.

When Savage sang the opening line of yesterday’s Die Walküre, we immediately knew that we were in store for something quite different. Instead of the usual tenor with baritone colouration and vocal heft, we had a lyric, unforced dramatic tenor, lighter in colour and yet powerful. Savage was careful to pace the first two acts in which he appears – building from strength-to-strength.

So, when it was announced at noon Saturday that he [Issachah Savage] would be singing, it really piqued my interest. The first voice in the opera belongs to Siegmund, and right away I was impressed by his warm, hall-filling, rich sound, accurate of pitch and used with a surfeit of musicality. Undoubtedly there were some nervous tension, but he hid it well. He grew in confidence as the performance continued, and the voice sounded splendid in the Four Seasons Centre. At his final curtain call, the roar of approval from the house was among the most impressive I’ve heard in my 43 years of attending COC performances. This performance clearly demonstrated that Savage’s tenor is ideal as Siegmund. He managed the unusually low tessitura well. When the vocal line rises, his tenor is in its glory. Unlike many Wagnerian tenors who are basically pushed-up baritones, Savage is a genuine tenor, with a bright, forwardly placed sound, one that defines the term Jugendlich dramatischer Tenor. The gleaming yet warm sound is lovely, and it has the heft for the dramatic outbursts like the “Walse, walse” passage.

Last Saturday, the scheduled Siegmund in the Die Walküre at the Canadian Opera was ill, and his understudy, Issachah Savage, stepped in. He has a robust, ringing tenor, and he also sings lyrically, with a young, healthy sound. It was a creditable vocal debut for a very promising singer...

Tenor Issachah Savage made a thrilling Lohengrin, bringing grace and ardor to “Mein lieber Schwann” from Wagner’s opera

Dramatic tenor Issachah Savage proved a tremendous, heroic Lohengrin. The line of his gorgeous voice in “Mein lieber Schwann” was seamless, the energy unflagging.

Issachah Savage brought the house down with his personal best for all his impressive appearances this summer: “Mein lieber Schwann” from “Lohengrin” was heldentenor par excellence - trumpetlike, clear, open-throated, powerful.

For the other shoe to drop, the audience had to wait all the way until the end of the evening, when tenor Issachah Savage gave a phenomenal glimpse of his abilities as Otello in the final scene from Verdi’s opera. Merola is supposed to be a training program, yet here was a vocal showing as sure-footed and commanding as anything you might encounter on a professional stage.

Mr. Savage was phenomenal as Radames, starting with his beautiful timbre, and continuing through great projection and Italianate phrasing, all the way to excellent pitch control both on the top and the bottom of his range. This was a superb Radames, which is already a third of what is needed for a beautiful Aida. And it’s the young singer’s role debut!

Radames was sung by Issachah Savage, who produces a bright, clear and potent sound, consistent throughout, and his power and presence were welcomed with loud ovations after his very first aria

The men were quite impressive, starting with tenor Issachah Savage’s Egyptian commander Radames. His middle-range voice was extremely beautiful and clear, while his high notes rang out brightly

There was an extra thrill in the final selection, most of the last two scenes of “Meistersinger,” with tenor Issachah Savage singing the famous Prize Song. Savage is a Catholic University alum who’s been winning competitions for a few years and singing in the Washington area as well as around the country, but I wasn’t prepared for the easy, rich, warm sound that poured out of him in one of the most beautiful arias in the repertory...a world-class voice.

When tenor Isachaah Savage stood and opened his mouth, for many it was an unexpected gem of royal worth. His voice was like a wall of glorious sound and he commanded every note...When Mr. Savage began to sing “The Prize Song,” the tears began to flow, and to my left and right I could plainly see that I was not alone. Couples became closer; the very walls resonated...