Richard Conrad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Conrad (born 1935) is an American singer whose voice has at times inhabited both the tenor and baritone ranges. He has sung in opera, cabaret and musicals. He is perhaps best known for his 1963 recorded collaboration with Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne, conducted by Richard Bonynge, known as The Age of Bel Canto.

Biography

Richard Conrad studied in Boston with Harry Euler Treiber, in Germany with Gisela Rohmert, and had other studies under Felix Wolfes Aksel Schiøtz and Pierre Bernac.[1] In his early years Conrad was a baritone, before exploring the bel canto and unusual coloratura tenor repertoire. After a mugging in 1983 in which his throat sustained damage as he called for help, he redeveloped his baritone register and also started a teaching career.

He made his theater debut in the premiere of Bill Russell's "Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens" (New York 1990), and sang in the premiere of "Move!" at the Carre Theater in Amsterdam the following year. He has also enjoyed a success as Albin in "La Cage aux Folles" and as Cervantes/Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha."

His singing premieres include the American premiere of Mozart's La finta semplice (1961)(operatic debut), the American premiere of Haydn's Orfeo ed Euridice (1966), and the world premiere of Niccolò Castiglioni's I tre misteri (1968).[1] As a producer, he sang and directed the American premiere of Sir Arthur Sullivan's opera "Ivanhoe", and the two-act version of [Gaetano Donizettis"'Maria Stuarda." In 2003 he created the role of Montressor in [Daniel Pinkham]'s The Cask of Amontillado.[1]

Conrad has sung in many countries of Europe and spent a significant period in Italy. For many years he has been based in Boston, where his activities include teaching and mentoring, production and stage direction, in addition to singing. He founded and for 23 years headed the Boston Academy of Music (a reincarnation of a previously defunct organisation of the same name), and now leads the Bostonian Opera and Concert Ensemble with whom he produced the New England premiere of the original version of Debussy's "Pelleas and Melisande' (singing the role of Golaud. It was recorded by ARSIS AUDIO.

For his 70th birthday in 2005, he presented a recital of arias and songs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The composers included Noël Coward, Arthur Sullivan, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Daniel Pinkham, Janet Hood and[Henry Bishop. In 2011 he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his debut with over 40 colleagues at MIT's Kresge Auditorium.

Recording

Conrad's recordings include:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Richard Conrad website
  2. ↑ ArkivMusic
  3. ↑ discogs
  4. ↑ Arkiv Music
  5. ↑ ArkivMusic
  6. ↑ ArkivMusic
  7. ↑ ArkivMusic

External links

Conrad can be seen on youtube:

and heard:

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