Jane Eaglen, soprano
I have worked with Eric Weimer on many roles and projects over the years (Ring cycles at Chicago Lyric, the MET, and the San Francisco Opera) and his knowledge and musicianship constantly amaze me. I have always felt I can trust Eric completely with my voice and that through working with him my understanding of a role can become deeper and more detailed. My students who work with him feel the same way. I feel very honored to have the chance to work with Eric, and to call him a friend.

Amber Wagner, soprano
I have had the awesome privilege of coaching with Eric Weimer after being accepted into the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Eric plays a key role at the studio—coaching and teaching the young artists during their tenure—and  he has been an integral part in preparing me for major roles, including some of Wagner’s leading ladies (Elsa, Sieglinde and Senta), Strauss’ Ariadne,  as well as Italian roles such as Aida and Amelia from  Un Ballo in Maschera.  Eric’s many strengths, his facility with languages and text as well as style and musical integrity make him a much sought after coach all over the United States. His expertise in the German repertoire, specifically Wagner, is unparalleled and sets him apart from his fellow colleagues. To say that I have been fortunate to work with him is an understatement. Eric is responsible for a great many of my successes.

Elizabeth DeShong, mezzo-soprano
I’ve had the pleasure of working with a number of wonderful coaches and pianists over the years, but the one coach I return to, time and again, is Eric Weimer. The reason for this is, at once, simple and complex. The best musical collaborations derive from trust, respect, honesty, openness, and an equal commitment to excellence. To have one of those elements is good; to have them all is a gift. Eric brings all of these elements to the table, in addition to his language skills and extensive knowledge of the operatic repertoire.

While at the Ryan Opera Center, Eric helped me prepare roles to such a high level of finesse and readiness that I was able to immediately interpret them successfully at top houses across the US, Canada, and Europe. There is no substitute for doing things right the first time. Now, when people ask me who I coach with, my answer is always, “My friend and colleague, Eric Weimer.”

Deborah Voigt, soprano
I’ve known Eric Weimer for about 15 years, and in that time I’ve worked with him on roles such as Sieglinde, the Empress, Isolde, and Salome, at both the Met and in Chicago. He’s a brilliant coach. He’s precise and detailed regarding text, the notes, rhythm and flow, and bringing out the character’s motivations and emotions. His knowledge of and familiarity with the operatic repertoire is amazingly extensive.

Christine Brewer, soprano
I have known Eric Weimer for many years and have worked with him on several important projects.  He coached me on the role of Chrysothemis in Strauss’ Elektra for semi-staged concert performances with the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst conducting.  It was my first time with the role, and Eric helped make me feel very comfortable with the score.  We also worked together at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten.  In both cases, Eric was extremely well versed in the style and nuances of the language.   But even more importantly, Eric knew exactly what I needed to make the roles come to life in my voice.  He has an intuition about what works with singers and his exemplary facility at the piano enhances the coaching sessions immensely.   His knowledge of this repertoire is very extensive and I knew that after working with him, I had a solid foundation to make the important role debuts of Chrysothemis and the Dyer’s Wife.

Brandon Jovanovich, tenor
I have had the pleasure to work with Eric for the past few years on some of the most difficult and demanding roles in the tenor canon.  After working around the world with some of the finest coaches and conductors, I can honestly say that Eric is one of the best.  His command of style, diction, voice and musical insight are second to none.  I find him to be both personal and professional in equal measure, and I value his input.  I highly recommend him for all of the various stages of learning, from the very first talk thru of a role to the polishing touches that define an individual performance.  I look forward to many more years of collaboration with Eric, and my only hesitancy in recommending him is that he’ll have less time for me!

Arnold Rawls, tenor
I have learned and polished most of my operatic repertoire under the careful guidance of maestro Eric Weimer.  I believe that without him I would have never had a career in opera.   He has helped me to refine my linguistic, stylistic and musical skills to the highest possible level that I could achieve.  When I have a choice I always return to MO Weimer for his help and refinement of my repertoire.   In my opinion — Eric Weimer is one of the very best in the business.

Quinn Kelsey, baritone
I first met Maestro Weimer when I joined the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists in Chicago (now the Ryan Opera Center).  He continuously maintained high standards in text diction/pronunciation utilizing his wonderful knowledge of various repertoires and strong aural skills to yield as much development as possible.    Studying your craft in opera is never without its obstacles, but you always felt that Mo. Weimer understood this and always tried his hardest to accomplish as much as possible for a positive outcome.   I trust his knowledge and his passion for opera and classical music, and I consider his coaching to be in the top tier of the operatic world.

Richard Bradshaw (former General Director, Canadian Opera Company)
Eric Weimer is a consummate musician.  He has a wide knowledge of the operatic repertoire, impeccable musicianship, a formidable command of languages, an enviable ability to communicate his ideas to singers, and he is an excellent pianist. (He also) conducted the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra during rehearsals of Rheingold and Elektra, (where he demonstrated his) complete understanding of the score and ability to communicate his knowledge and musicianship to a large orchestra of, in the case of the Strauss, 109 players.

Bruno Bartoletti (former Music Director, Lyric Opera of Chicago)
Tutte le collaborazioni sono state occasioni molto felici… Durante il nostro lavoro ho potuto constatare ed apprezzare di prima mano il valore e le qualità  del Mo. Weimer: la sua grande sensibilita musicale, unita ad un’ottima e precisa conoscenza della lingua italiana, sia operistica che idiomatica, la sua vasta e profonda conoscenza del repertorio lirico, la sua abilità a di pianista e il bellissimo rapporto che ha saputo stabilire con gli artisti lirici, tanto quelli gia all’apice della carriera che i giovani cantanti che il Mo. Weimer ha guidato e guida ad affermarsi nel lungo e difficilissimo persorso di una carriera lirica a livello internazionale.

Andrea Silvestrelli, bass
Abbiamo cominciato a collaborare nel 2000 ma ho cominciato a studiare le parti con Eric, esattamente Fasolt nel Rheingold e Hagen nel Gotterdammerung nel 2003.

Da subito la sua preparazione nell’opera tedesca, la sua pazienza nel farmi capire la pronuncia tedesca (a questo riguardo ricordo una sua guida al tedesco che ha scritto appositamente per me), mi ha fatto diventare un punto di riferimento nella mia carriera.

Ho conosciuto moltissimi preparatori ma la sua maestria nel suonare, nel dirigere, e nell’insegnare l’ho trovata unica.  La sua maestria nella musica mi ha condizionato piacevolmente tutto il mio proseguio in questa bellissima arte e gli sarò grato per tutta la vita di tutto quello che mi ha donato.

Sono onorato di essere un suo allievo.

Bernard Holland (The New York Times)
…an exceedingly intelligent and musical accompanist.