Noah

On July 3, 2012 Decca Records presents the debut album from tenor and Harlem-native, Noah Stewart. Upon the album's release in April Noah debuted at #1 on the UK Classical Charts, and even entered the UK's main Official Albums chart as the 2nd new entry, behind Madonna's MDNA. Noah includes renditions of the operatic arias Recondita Armonia, from Puccini's Tosca, and Pourquoi me reveiller, from Massenet's Werther, as well as the enduringly popular Bach/Gounod Ave Maria. Noah casts a much wider net too with inspirational input from producers and arrangers Steven Baker and Christian Seitz. The album presents Noah Stewarts's rich, resonant voice in the spiritual classics Deep River and Shenandoah, and the traditional Silent Night and Nearer My God To Thee, the hymn played during the sinking of the Titanic. Exclusive to the US edition is Noah's soaring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner which he memorably sang at the televised Chicago Bears/Tampa Bay Bucaneers NFL game at Wembly Stadium.

Born and raised in New York City, Stewart, who used to be a receptionist at New York's Carnegie Hall, had support from the legendary Bill Cosby who sponsored the young singer's musical training at Juilliard. In the four years since participating in the prestigious Adler Fellowship program at the San Francisco Opera, Noah Stewart has established himself as one of the fastest-rising young tenors in the world, debuting in New York, Detroit, London and Paris in major opera repertoire. When he was a student at New York's famous La Guardia High School, Noah Stewart gained some experience in the pop music industry when he sang backup for Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden and appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman with rapper Coolio. This experience gave Noah a feel for how to tackle the pop standards that appear on this debut album like Nights In White Satin (Notte di Luce) and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. There's also a visit to the movies with a stirring new arrangement of the theme from Exodus.