John Holiday
The Voice season 19 · Fifth place
Where are they now
John Thomas Holiday Jr. is an operatic countertenor. He studied at Southern Methodist University from 2003 to 2007, earned a master's degree in 2012, and an Artist Diploma from Juilliard in 2014. In January 2017 he won the Marian Anderson Vocal Award. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in December 2021. In May 2023 he announced an appointment as Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Maryland School of Music, beginning in fall 2023. On July 17, 2026 he and Kevin J. Miller released Over My Head on PENTATONE.
Key figures
- Career score9 points of 100Rank on Encore Index: #158 (tie) of 688
- Studio albums1 studio albumRank on Encore Index: #124 (tie) of 238
- Wikipedia views, 12 months11,027 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #165 of 303
- Wikipedia views since 2015170,659 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #166 of 303
Interest over time
Monthly views of the English Wikipedia article, July 2015 – September 2026.
Career
- 2003
He studied at Southern Methodist University from 2003 to 2007 and earned a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance.
- 2006
In 2006 he opened for Jason Mraz at the McFarlon Auditorium in Dallas.
- 2006
In 2006 he released a jazz album entitled The Holiday Guide.
- 2008
From August 2008 to December 2009 he taught choral music and voice at Lamar Junior High School and Lamar Consolidated High School.
- 2012
In 2012 he earned a master's degree in vocal performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
- 2012
In October 2012 he made his Carnegie Hall debut, performing Bernstein's Chichester Psalms with the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Spano.
- 2014
In 2014 he made his Los Angeles Opera debut as the Sorceress in Barrie Kosky's production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.
- 2014
In 2014 he obtained his Artist Diploma in Opera Studies at Juilliard.
- 2017
He was an associate professor of music at Lawrence University from 2017 to 2023.
- 2020
In February 2020 he sang in the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin's Eurydice at Los Angeles Opera, as Orpheus's Double.
- 2020
The Voice, season 19
Fifth place
- 2020
On December 16, 2020 Republic Records released The Season 19 Collection (The Voice Performance), an EP credited to John Holiday.
- 2021
On August 6, 2021 Avenue O Entertainment released his single Alive In Me.
- 2021
On September 24, 2021 Avenue O Entertainment released his single Waste Mine.
- 2021
In December 2021 he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Eurydice.
- 2022
On February 11, 2022 he released the single Love Finds a Way, with the recording credit in his own name.
- 2022
On August 19, 2022 he released Love Finds a Way (Riddler Future Rave Remix), credited to John Holiday.
- 2022
In November 2022 he sang Man Under the Arch and Hotel Clerk in the world stage premiere of Kevin Puts's The Hours at the Metropolitan Opera.
- 2023
In May 2023 he announced his appointment as Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Maryland School of Music, beginning in fall 2023.
- 2023
In the 2023-24 season he returned to the Metropolitan Opera to reprise his roles in the restaging of Kevin Puts's The Hours.
- 2024
His 2024-25 season included a debut as Farnace in Mitridate, re di Ponto at Boston Lyric Opera, and a tour with The English Concert in Giulio Cesare as Tolomeo.
- 2024
His 2024-25 season included his debut in the title role of Akhnaten in a new Barrie Kosky production at Komische Oper Berlin.
- 2026
He sang the title role in Los Angeles Opera's revival of Philip Glass's Akhnaten, which opened on February 28, 2026 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and was scheduled to run through March 22.
- 2026
On July 17, 2026 John Holiday and Kevin J. Miller released the album Over My Head, under exclusive license to PENTATONE.
More milestones
- Date not documented
He has curated The John Holiday Experience and has presented it in Dallas, Des Moines, and Dayton.
- Date not documented
He was selected for WQXR's 20 for '20 Artists to Watch.
Discography
| Title | Type | Year | Label | RIAA certification | U.S. sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Holiday Guide | Album | 2006 | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| The Season 19 Collection (The Voice Performance) | EP | 2020 | Republic Records | Not documented | Not documented |
| Alive In Me | Single | 2021 | Avenue O Entertainment | Not documented | Not applicable |
| Waste Mine | Single | 2021 | Avenue O Entertainment | Not documented | Not applicable |
| Love Finds a Way | Single | 2022 | John Holiday | Not documented | Not applicable |
| Love Finds a Way (Riddler Future Rave Remix) | Single | 2022 | John Holiday | Not documented | Not applicable |
| Over My Head (with Kevin J. Miller) | Album | 2026 | PENTATONE | Not documented | Not documented |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition | First place | Won | |
| 2012 | Sullivan Foundation | Top honors | Won | |
| 2013 | Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition | First prize | Won | |
| 2014 | Richard Tucker Foundation | Sara Tucker Award | Won | |
| 2017 | Marian Anderson Vocal Award | Marian Anderson Vocal Award | Won |
Sources
- John Holiday — Wikipedia, June 4, 2026.
- John Holiday — University of Maryland School of Music.
- iTunes search John Holiday albums — Apple.
- About John Holiday — John Holiday.
- The Voice (American TV series) season 19 — Wikipedia, May 12, 2026.
- Revival Of ‘Akhnaten’ Attests To Durability Of Glass’ Visionary Opera — Classical Voice North America, March 6, 2026.
- Monthly pageviews of the English Wikipedia article "John Holiday", July 2015 – September 2026 — Wikimedia Foundation.
Other The Voice season 19 finalists
The Voice season 19: all finalists and their careers · Semifinalists