John Savournin is established as one of the UK’s most versatile and charismatic performers.

During the 2024 / 2025 season, he returns to English National Opera as The Pirate King The Pirates of Penzance and to Opera North as Sir Despard Murgatroyd Ruddigore. He also made his BBC Proms debut as Peter Quince in Garsington Opera’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

During the 2023 / 2024 season, engagements included Duke / Judge / Hotel Manager Powder Her Face for Nederlandse Reisopera, Peter Quince A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Garsington Opera at Wormsley, The Lord Chancellor Iolanthe for English National Opera, Wilfred Shadbolt The Yeomen of the Guard for Opera Holland Park/Charles Court Opera and Angel / Priest in The Dream of Gerontius with the London Chorus and New London Orchestra at Cadogan Hall.

Recent engagements have included José Tripaldi in Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar for Scottish Opera, Badger / Priest The Cunning Little Vixen for Opera Holland Park, Captain Corcoran HMS Pinafore for English National Opera, Micha The Bartered Bride for Garsington Opera at Wormsley, Major Domo / Truffaldino Ariadne auf Naxos for Opera North, Sir Richard Cholmondeley The Yeomen of the Guard for The Grange Festival, St John Passion for Worcester Festival Choral Society,  Judas in The Apostles at Three Choirs Festival and Verdi Requiem in Lichfield Cathedral. For Opera Holland Park, he also sang Captain Corcoran HMS Pinafore, The Pirate King The Pirates of Penzance and Sir Despard Murgatroyd Ruddigore, all co-productions with Charles Court Opera, and filmed Luka The Bear.

In previous seasons, his engagements have included Zuniga Carmen for Welsh National Opera, Fotis The Greek Passion, Leporello Don Giovanni, Sarastro The Magic Flute, Peter Quince A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Schaunard La bohème, Angelotti Tosca, Armchair / Tree L’enfant et les sortilèges, Alidoro La Cenerentola, Count Horn Un ballo in maschera, Carl Olsen Street Scene and Second Gunman in a critically-acclaimed production of Kiss Me, Kate, all for Opera North; The Immigration Officer Flight, Leporello Don Giovanni, Colline La Bohéme, Count Horn Un ballo in maschera and the silent role of Sante Il segreto di Susanna for Opera Holland Park; Alidoro La Cenerentola for Scottish Opera and Il Barone di Kelbar in Verdi’s Un giorno di regno for Chelsea Opera Group. He has also sung Second Gunman Kiss Me Kate for Welsh National Opera, at the London Coliseum and at the Ravenna Festival.

His passion for contemporary music has seen John Savournin perform Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King for the Land’s End Ensemble, Calgary, and the Ossian Ensemble, Kagel’s …den 24.XII.1931 with the Warehouse Ensemble, The Boy Who Lived Down the Lane by Diana Soh at the Performer’s Voice Symposium in Singapore, Stephen Oliver’s A Man of Feeling and the premiere of Edwin Roxburgh’s Two Sonnets, written for him, at London’s Wigmore Hall.

In concert, his engagements have included Messiah for Raymond Gubbay at the Bridgewater Hall, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Fortitudo in Haydn’s Applausus with The Mozartists at Cadogan Hall, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Three Choirs Festival.

His recordings include Bartolo on the BBC Singers / BBC Concert Orchestra recording of Alfred Cellier’s The Mountebanks for Dutton Epoch and Joel Feigin’s Two Songs from Twelfth Night on Toccata Classics. His broadcasts include The Greek Passion, The Magic Flute, Street Scene and In Tune for BBC Radio 3 and ENO’s Drive & Live La bohème for Sky TV. Most recently released is The Dragon of Wantley (on which he sings Gaffer Gubbins and The Dragon) for Resonus Classics, selected as Editor’s Choice for BBC Music Magazine, Editor’s Choice by Presto Music and a CD of the Week by The Observer, which won BBC Music Magazine’s “Best Opera Recording of 2022” Award.

He studied at Trinity College of Music, where he was awarded the Founder’s Prize for Excellence and the Paul Simms Opera Prize. He was a Park Lane Young Artist, the winner of the Concordia Foundation’s Serena Neville Prize and a Yeomen of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

A feature interview appears in the May 2022 issue of Opera.