During the summer of 2009, Carl Tanner performed his first Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut in Las Palmas, before bowing as Calaf in Turandot at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. He concluded the summer season with Radames in Aida for the Minnesota Orchestra. Highlights of the 2009-10 season include Mr. Tanner's first performances of the title role in Verdi's Otello, for Palm Beach Opera, and Calaf in Turandot as well as Don José in Carmen in Verona.

The tenor began the 2008-09 season with his return to Dresden in a new production of Il trovatore, performed Calaf again in Hamburg, and Radames again in Hamburg and Deutsche Oper Berlin. Recent appearances include Calaf in Hamburg, Don José with Zubin Mehta in Florence, Enzo in La Gioconda with Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Teatro Real, Madrid, where he debuted as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly.

In the fall of 2007, he returned to New York City Opera as Canio for a new Pagliacci where he "gave the performance of a lifetime in the unforgettable final scene." He was also in Dresden as Calaf and Radames and just prior performed in Brussels and the Concertgebouw as Samson (with Olga Borodina) in Samson et Dalila and was in Hamburg as Don José. In 2006 he was back in Tokyo for Turandot under Zubin Mehta.

Other recent appearances were at the Bregenz Festival in Il trovatore (recorded for DVD), a gala concert performance of Pagliacci at La Monnaie, Brussels, performances of Tosca with the Minnesota Orchestra, Radames in Aida for Opera Pacific and Calaf in Dresden. Earlier in 2006 he debuted with the Hamburgische Staatsoper in Cavalleria Rustican and Pagliacci and at the Teatro Communale Fiorentino as Calaf in Turandot conducted by Zubin Mehta. He performed the title role of Andrea Chenier in a new production for the new National Theater in Tokyo, bowed as Santa Fe's Calaf in their new Turandot and was "stunning in his powerful performance" as Washington National Opera's Samson, all in 2005. Just prior he performed Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Madama Butterfly in Las Palmas after completing his return to Dresden as Calaf. He also performed at the Richard Tucker Memorial Gala at Avery Fisher Hall in January, and sang 'O Holy Night' at the Christmas Tree lighting at the White House. Earlier in 2004 he sang Dick Johnson in La Fanciulla del West in concert in Carnegie Hall which was preceded by his Washington National Opera debut in Il trovatore. Fall 2003 saw him opening the Flemish Opera's season in a new Luisa Miller and he debuted with the New National Theater in Tokyo in a revival of Tosca.

Summer 2003 saw his debut in Carmen with the Rome Opera at Caracalla and his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in Central Park as Calaf. He reprised his Don José for the New York City Opera that spring and performed the title role in Puccini's Edgar with the Orchestre de Radio France in Paris with a "seductive and imposing timbre, firm line and easy emission". He was Menelaus in Strauss' Die Agyptische Helena with the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall in a performance issued on CD by Telarc. Other notable appearances have included Flemish Opera's Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West, and a "fearless performance" in the tenor lead role of Erik in their season-opening Der fliegende Holländer.

Highlights of recent seasons include Don José for his debuts at Teatro alla Scala and the Teatro di San Carlo, Napoli, the San Francisco Opera, and Dallas Opera; Cavaradossi in his Covent Garden debut, Chairman Mao in Nixon in China with the London Symphony Orchestra (Maestro Nagano) and Das Lied von der Erde with the Teatro Regio di Torino.

On the concert stage Mr. Tanner has performed as soloist in various of orchestral/oratorio repertoire with many symphony orchestras including: the St. Louis Symphony (Hans Vonk), Atlanta Symphony (concert performance of Carmen under Yoel Levi), Spoleto Festival USA singing Janacek's Cantata for Tenor and Lili Boulanger's Faust and Helena, Kasugai Symphony (Japan) in the Beethoven Ninth Symphony.