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Ryan MacPherson

Ryan MacPherson
Rebecca Fay

With a vast and growing repertoire, Ryan is well known for his captivating stage presence, as well as his expertise in modern and contemporary music. This season he makes his company and role debut as Edward Rochester with the Center for Contemporary Opera in the world premier of Louis Karchin’s Jane Eyre. He will also make his company debut with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah this December.

Past engagements include a return to Portland Opera as Alfred in Die Fledermaus and Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance for Pensacola Opera. He makes his company and role debut as Gérald in Lakmé with Baltimore Concert Opera and Opera Delaware followed by a return to Colorado’s Central City Opera as Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata. This year’s concerts include performances with the Delaware Symphony, the Cleveland Pops, and Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra.

Ryan sang Jack’s Father in the world premiere of Wuorinen’s Brokeback Mountain with Teatro Real, Madrid; returned to Nashville Opera as The Neurologist in Michael Nyman’s The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Available on Naxos 9/9/16); and to Portland Opera as Mr. Owen in Argento’s Postcard from Morocco and Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance. In summer 2013, he returned to the Buxton Festival as Horace in Gounod’s La colombe and Kornélis in Saint-Saëns’ La princesse jaune.

Recent highlights include Alfred in his Virginia Opera debut; a return to Long Beach Opera and his Chicago Opera Theater debut as Roderick Usher in their co-production of Glass’ The Fall of the House of Usher; his return to Shreveport Opera as Duke in Rigoletto; his debut in the United Kingdom as Wilhelm in Ambroise Thomas’ Mignon; his role debut as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with Dayton Opera; Alfred (Fledermaus) with Opera Memphis, Alfredo (La Traviata) Opera Santa Barbara and Opera Tampa; Curley in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men in a return to Utah Opera; soloist in Liszt’s Faust Symphony with American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall; Tony in Master Class with Alpine Theatre Project; his role debut as Alfredo (La Traviata) with Glimmerglass Opera; Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Heurtebise in Philip Glass’ Orphée (available on the Orange Mountain label), all with Portland Opera.

Other successes include his Nashville Opera debut as Duke in Rigoletto; a return to Lyric Opera Dublin as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly; to Central City Opera as Pluto in Orpheus in the Underworld; singing as George Hancock in Margaret Garner in a return to Michigan Opera Theatre; as Tamino in Die Zauberflote with Florentine Opera; the title role in Candide and Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, both with Toledo Opera, his debut with Glimmerglass Opera as Luzio in Wagner’s Das Liebesverbot; Don José in Carmen with Opera Memphis, Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, and at Dublin’s National Concert Hall; Ruggiero in La Rondine with Sarasota Opera; and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Utah Opera.

Past highlights include his debut with Opera Memphis as Rodolfo in La bohème and an immediate return as George Shannon in the world premiere of Lewis and Clark; Sam in Susannah at the Aspen Music Festival: Belmonte in Abduction from the Seraglio with Michigan Opera Theatre; Luis in The Gondoliers with Utah Symphony and Opera; Camille in The Merry Widow with Lyric Opera of Kansas City; the title role in Faust with Shreveport Opera; Hot Biscuit Slim in Paul Bunyan with Central City Opera; creating the roles of Reporter and Cardinal O’Connor for the world premiere of Anton Coppola’s Sacco and Vanzetti for Opera Tampa; Roderigo in Otello with both Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Opera Omaha; and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi with Metro Lyric Opera of New Jersey. He made his Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center debuts creating the role of Meriwether Lewis in Michael Ching’s Corps of Discovery, and his debut with Opèra National de Paris as Vision of a Young Man in Die Frau ohne Schatten.

On concert stages he was a featured soloist in Elektra with New York Philharmonic, under Lorin Maazel; has sung as a soloist in Messiah and in Verdi’s Requiem with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Lincoln Symphony; and in concert versions of Zemlinsky’s Der ferne Klang and Smyth’s The Wreckers with American Symphony Orchestra.

In a return to New York City Opera he created the role of Iff, the Water Genie, in the world premiere of Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Previously for that company he performed as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, as Flamand in Capriccio, as Anatol in Barber’s Vanessa, and toured Japan as Laurie in the company’s production of Little Women. His contributions to New York City Opera were recognized when he received the Richard F. Gold Career Award.

Mr. MacPherson is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and Yale University.

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