United States-born bass William Meinert has earned recognition for the richness of his timbre, the solidity of his bass voice, and the expressivity of his phrasing. He is a member of the ensemble at Bühnen Bern, where he has appeared as Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Gremin (Eugene Onegin), Oroveso (Norma), Geronte (Manon Lescaut), Padre Guardiano (La forza del destino), and Herald in the world premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino's L'agamennone. During the 2026–27 season he appears as Angelotti (Tosca), Masetto and Il Commendatore (Don Giovanni), and Ariodate (Serse).
Recent engagements include his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Jailer in Tosca and his debut with Opéra de Montréal as Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni. In the summer of 2026, he appears at the Rossini Opera Festival as a member of the Accademia Rossiniana "Alberto Zedda", performing the roles of Lord Sidney and Prudenzio in Il viaggio a Reims. He made his European debut in 2022 as Mordred in Chausson's Le roi Arthus at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl.
Prior to joining the ensemble at Bühnen Bern, he performed with the Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera, Atlanta Opera, National Symphony Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Madison Opera, Opera North, Pensacola Opera, Opera Las Vegas, Baltimore Concert Opera, and Mobile Opera.
His repertoire encompasses leading roles across the lyric and dramatic bass repertoire, including Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Lord Sidney (Il viaggio a Reims), Vodník (Rusalka), Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Colline (La bohème), Varlaam (Boris Godunov), and Titurel (Parsifal). In concert, he has appeared as bass soloist in Handel's Messiah, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13 (Babi Yar), Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Fauré's Requiem, and Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine.
William is the recipient of first prize in both the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition and the Shreveport Opera Mary Jacobs Smith Competition, and was a finalist in the Vienna Opera Competition and the Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition. He is an alumnus of the Jeune Ensemble of the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera, the Apprentice Artist Program at Santa Fe Opera, and the Studio Artist Program at Atlanta Opera.
““As soon as he rolls out his dark bass voice with carefree elegance, you succumb to him.”
““...a well-projected and well-controlled voice with impeccable and quite expressive phrasing.”
“William Meinert was impressive not only for his size and stature, but also for the solidity of his voice, which was as thrilling as could be; one of the best performances we have heard in a role known for being particularly difficult to negotiate.”
““William Meinert’s Antinoo left the mark of a free and timbered voice, sonorous and of remarkable extension...”
“Meinert’s rendition was not only vocally powerful, but had sharp timing and speed to match his strength...”
Photographer: Marvin Mears
“William Meinert gave us an impressively firm column of sound”
“superb, magnificently projected bass voice”
“William Meinert held his own in this august company [...], his rich vibrant bass easily filling the house.”
““a bass with a caressing voice, full of gentleness”
“William Meinert as Varlaam [was] particularly charismatic, with [...] an exhilarating comic flair.”