Ep290 - Nate Hackmann: From Arizona to Opera

From playing Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables” to working with some of the best orchestras in the world, Nathaniel Hackmann has etched his mark as a versatile artist. Nate grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, doing community theater at a very young age which eventually led to his love for theatre and performing arts. He talks about his initial goal of becoming the youngest baritone to make his debut at the Metropolitan Opera and life lessons along the way that made him realize the music theater community and the people who work in music theater are his tribe. Nate looks back on his turning point which came when he auditioned for the NETwork’s Beauty and the Beast National Tour in 2010. Currently playing as Biff Tannen in the production of Broadway's “Back to the Future”, he reveals his in-depth knowledge of the film, its production history and the challenges it faced, and his starstruck moment with Huey Lewis. Nate reflects on his motivations as an artist, emphasizing service, community, and spreading joy, and why young artists should find their voice and what motivates them.

Nathaniel Hackmann is an incredibly versatile actor who has held many roles alongside many of the world's greatest orchestras. He's played both Jean Valjean and Javert in “Les Misérables” on Broadway in addition to iconic roles like Jekyll and Hyde and Hunchback of Notre Dame for the internationally televised BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall. He was Curly with the John Wilson Orchestra in the acclaimed production of “Oklahoma!”. He’s also an opera singer, and an alumnus of the prestigious Merola Opera Program in the San Francisco Opera and has performed with the Virginia Opera, Michigan Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco, Lyric Opera, and many others. On the concert stage, he appeared with the John Wilson Orchestra, Sinfonia of London, Hong Kong Symphony, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, and Springfield Symphony. He can now be seen as Biff Tannen in the current production of Broadway's “Back to the Future”.

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• Instagram: @n8hackmann
• TikTok: @nathanielhackmann

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