Ryan Allen (bass)

As Dr. Bartolo in 100th *Barber of Seville*^[1] Photo by Zaza Bekauri

Ryan Allen is an American bass singer known for his operatic character roles. He has performed professionally in all 50 states, appeared with numerous American opera companies, and sung as a soloist in Russia, Israel, Poland, Norway and Sweden.

Career

The singer debuted at the Metropolitan Opera^[2] in 1993 as Hans Foltz in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner. Coming to Opera from the field of acting, the bass's repertoire favors roles with character development and stage movement. These roles range from the comic Don Basilio^[3] in Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioacchino Rossini to the pathetic Candy^[4] in Of Mice and Men by Carlisle Floyd. Allen has also appeared as an oratorio soloist with various symphony orchestras and oratorio societies. In 1989 he debuted at Carnegie Hall, singing the bass solos in Mozart's Requiem.^[5]

Ryan Allen in makeup as Candy with Carlisle Floyd, composer of *Of Mice and Men*

Allen is a lyric bass capable of singing the deepest pitches composed in opera. He has performed the role of Seneca^[6] in L'incoronazione de Poppea by Monteverdi, which requires a low D.^[7] He has also established himself as a versatile singer by performing not only in opera and oratorio, but also in the musical theater field (Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd)^[8] and the operetta field in Gilbert and Sullivan roles, such as the title character in The Mikado.^[9] Further versatility was demonstrated in the musical style of Kurt Weill, when he sang A Kurt Weill Cabaret with the late Martha Schlamme.^[10] He has participated in several world premieres, including Holy Blood and Crescent Moon by Stewart Copeland with the Cleveland Opera, and The Cask of Amontillado by Russell Currie^[11] with the Bronx Arts Ensemble, as well as at Golden Fleece, Ltd. and Symphony Space in New York City. Caliban, a monodrama by Russell Currie using the words of the character Caliban from Shakespeare's The Tempest, was written for and dedicated to him. Ryan Allen can be heard as Elviro on a 1994 recording of Handel's Xerxes (Koch Schwann), in recordings of Russell Currie's music on the High Fire label, and seen as Betto on a video of Gianni Schicchi (Metropolitan Opera Guild).

Education

Born in South Carolina, Ryan Allen began attending school in Columbia, but moved to Dallas, Texas at age seven, where he continued his studies through graduation at Thomas Jefferson High School. As a public school student he played trombone in the band, and while still a boy soprano, sang the leading role in his junior high school musical. In his final year at Thomas Jefferson, he joined the bass section of the A Cappella Choir. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Austin College in Sherman, Texas and an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. Following college the bass received training in the Merola Opera Program^[12] and with Boris Goldovsky. He lives in the Greater New York vicinity in Edgewater, New Jersey.

Notes

^ Ciletti, Elena (3 August), "'The Barber of Seville' smiles at the Smith Opera House", Finger Lakes Times, pp. 4B {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
^ The Metropolitan Opera Archives. "Metopera Database:". pp. Keyword Search: Ryan Allen, performance date, January 23, 1993. Archived from the original on 2009-06-21. Retrieved 2008-02-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Elyse Sommer (July 5, 1999). "A Curtain Up Opera Review, Il Barbiere di Siviglia". Curtain Up. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
^ "Bleak story of shattered men makes edgy opera," D.T. Baker, Edmonton Journal, B6.
^ NYTimes.com, Review/Music, 10 Choruses From Across the Nation
^ milwaukeesfs: University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Opera, The Coronation of Poppea.
^ Dutch Divas - the high C
^ "Indianola, IA," Derek M. Mills, Opera News, December 9, 1995, p. 56.
^ "'Mikado' opera is delightfully absurd," David Stabler, The Oregonian, May 15, 2000, Entertainment Section, p. 1.
^ "Schlamme and company do justice to Weill's genius," Arden Anderson Broeking, Darien News-Review, March 8, 1984, p. 10.
^ The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell, 2004. Copyright: Macmillian Publishers Limited, 1980
^ "Merola Alumni". Merola Opera Program. Retrieved 16 August 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "doi" ignored (help)

External links

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[1] Ciletti, Elena (3 August), "'The Barber of Seville' smiles at the Smith Opera House", Finger Lakes Times, pp. 4B {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

[2] The Metropolitan Opera Archives. "Metopera Database:". pp. Keyword Search: Ryan Allen, performance date, January 23, 1993. Archived from the original on 2009-06-21. Retrieved 2008-02-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[3] Elyse Sommer (July 5, 1999). "A Curtain Up Opera Review, Il Barbiere di Siviglia". Curtain Up. Retrieved 2008-08-06.

[4] "Bleak story of shattered men makes edgy opera," D.T. Baker, Edmonton Journal, B6.

[5] NYTimes.com, Review/Music, 10 Choruses From Across the Nation

[6] waukeesfs: University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Opera, The Coronation of Poppea.

[7] Dutch Divas - the high C

[8] "Indianola, IA," Derek M. Mills, Opera News, December 9, 1995, p. 56.

[9] "'Mikado' opera is delightfully absurd," David Stabler, The Oregonian, May 15, 2000, Entertainment Section, p. 1.

[10] "Schlamme and company do justice to Weill's genius," Arden Anderson Broeking, Darien News-Review, March 8, 1984, p. 10.

[11] The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell, 2004. Copyright: Macmillian Publishers Limited, 1980

[12] "Merola Alumni". Merola Opera Program. Retrieved 16 August 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "doi" ignored (help)

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