John Wesley Wright is a tenor who holds degrees from Maryville College and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. A native of Rome, Georgia, he works as professor of music at Salisbury University in Maryland, coordinating the voice and opera programs. John is an active clinician and leader of workshops on voice production, interpretation, and African American song traditions, the latter strongly influenced and inspired by Dr. Ysaÿe M. Barnwell.
Making his Lincoln Center debut in Handel’s Messiah, John has performed solo repertoire ranging from baroque to Broadway throughout the world, including as a member of the American Spiritual Ensemble. He was a gold medalist of the American Traditions Vocal Competition 2000, with other top prizes from the National Federation of Music Clubs, the Metropolitan Opera National Council, and the International Schubert Competition.
As part of North Meets South, John has performed for descendants of Frederick Douglass at the “Frederick Douglass: Talbot County’s Native Son and International Hero, Bicentennial Prayer Breakfast” in Easton, Maryland; at the Roland Hayes Museum's Harris Arts Center in Calhoun, Georgia, a concert hall honoring the early 20th century lyric tenor; and for a virtual series at the Bay View Music Festival.