[1] He became famous as "The Singing Knob" for his impromptu serenades for fellow cadets and for his performance of "O Holy Night" at the annual Christmas candlelight concert.

His singing attracted the attention of Associate Professor Sharon Daniels at the Boston University Opera Institute, who encouraged him to apply; he entered the program in 1999.

[4][5] That same year he made his operatic debut with the Boston Lyric Opera as the King of Egypt in Aida; subsequent engagements included The Marriage of Figaro, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Il trovatore and Salome.

[7][8] Numerous appearances with the Los Angeles Opera have included roles in Don Carlo, Rigoletto and Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio).

[12] In the fall of 2016 he made his debut at La Scala in Milan, Italy with the lead role in Porgy and Bess;[5][13] with additional performances in 2019 at Cincinnati and the Vienna Volksoper.

He has also appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and performed Verdi's Requiem with the City of London Sinfonia at Royal Albert Hall.