Praised for his “big, bright voice and agility”, tenor Andrew Surrena performs operas, concerts, and new works with companies across the United States.
Andrew is a member of the Houston Grand Opera chorus and will make his main stage debut this season as Young Sailor in their new production of Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves. Later this year he will return to the Glacier Symphony as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah.
In the 2023/24 season, Andrew returned to Sarasota Opera to perform Jules Massenet’s rarely seen Thérèse in the role of Armand de Clerval, receiving praise for his “consistently pure tone.” Later that season he performed Don José in Carmen with the Glacier Symphony in a concert production celebrating the company’s 40th season.
In 2022, Andrew was heard as Nadir in Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers with Sarasota Opera. His performance of "Je crois entendre encore was praised as “Melodically mesmerizing and in the hands of a tenor of pleasing voice such as Surrena, this aria leaves the audience transfixed.” (Herald Tribune)
Andrew’s 2020-21 season included performances with Sarasota Opera as Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas and as a soloist in their livestream concert “Live from the Sarasota Opera House.” He also received praise for his “captivating performance” (Opera News) of the tenor roles in the newly released studio recording of Voir Dire by Matthew Peterson. Before the Covid-19 pandemic forced companies to cancel their 20-21 seasons, Andrew looked forward to role debuts as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Cavaradossi in Tosca.
In 2019-20 Andrew sang the role of Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette wit Sarasota Opera, receiving praise for his “fine lyric tenor” (Opera News), “whose voice is rich and full through its entire range” (Herald Tribune). Previous appearances at Sarasota include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Alfredo in La traviata. Surrena performed earlier in the year with Opera on the James in their season opening concert “With Voices Raised.”
In the 2018-19 season, Andrew sang the role of Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Opera in the Heights, Glacier Symphony, and Mid Ohio Opera, and was the guest soloist in Amarillo Opera’s spring gala. In 2017-18, he was heard as Nando in Eugene d'Albert's Tiefland with Sarasota Opera and Don José in La tragédie de Carmen with Tri-Cities Opera after covering the role at Fort Worth Opera and Sarasota Opera.
Andrew received his bachelor and master degrees in music from Northern Arizona University. In Arizona he performed the roles of Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), the title role in Albert Herring, and Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore).
Andrew is now based in Houston, Texas.