About

Tenor Brenton Ryan is hailed by Opera News for his “remarkable tonal suavity and refined phrasing,” and is widely recognized at internationally acclaimed opera houses and orchestras as a singer of great vocal diversity and dramatic depth. In the 2023 – 2024 season, Mr. Ryan returns to Royal Opera Covent Garden to sing Mime and cover Loge in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Das Rheingold. He also makes house debuts at Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona as Eros in John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, and with the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia as Monostatos in the Simon McBurney production of Die Zauberflöte. Mr. Ryan returns to Bayerische Staatsoper as Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos on tour in Hong Kong, to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Monostatos in the holiday family version of The Magic Flute, and to Santa Fe Opera as CM in the premiere of Gregory Spears’ The Righteous at Santa Fe Opera. Concert work includes an appearance with the American Symphony Orchestra to sing Schoenberg’s Guerre-Lieder at Carnegie Hall, and the world premiere of Matt Aucoin and Peter Sellars’ Music for New Bodies with Dacamera in Houston.

The 2022 – 2023 season saw Mr. Ryan’s house debut with Bayerische Staatsoper as Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Missail in Boris Godunov, and Second Jew in Salome, as well as his house debut with the Royal Opera House as Monostatos in David McVicar’s production of Die Zauberflöte. Mr. Ryan also returned to Dallas Opera to make his role debut as Loge in Das Rheingold conducted by music director Emmanuel Villaume, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Monostatos in the new Simon McBurney staging of Die Zauberflöte and a reprise of Spoletta in Tosca. He also returned to San Francisco Opera for a trio of role debuts as Eros in the premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, Triquet in Eugene Onegin, and Chaplain in Dialogues de Carmélites.

Highlights of previous seasons include Mr. Ryan’s house and role debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, conducted by James Levine in his final appearance as Music Director, and subsequent appearances as Missail and covering Shuisky in a new production of Boris Godunov, Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Spoletta in the new David McVicar production of Tosca, and Der Narr in the new William Kentridge production of Wozzeck. Additional highlights include his European debut as Pedrillo in a new production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Opéra de Monte-Carlo, the roles of Novice in Billy Budd and Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro with San Francisco Opera, a return to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis singing Nero in Tim Albery’s production of The Coronation of Poppea, a return to Opera Philadelphia to debut Lysander in the U.S. premiere of Robert Carsen’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Der Narr in Wozzeck conducted by Sir Andrew Davis and subsequent performances as Monostatos in the Barrie Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte, and his house debut with San Francisco Opera as Janek in Oliver Tambosi’s production of The Makropulos Case.

At LA Opera, Mr. Ryan has sung Pedrillo in the James Robinson production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, John Wormley in concert performances of Matthew Aucoin’s Crossing, Gastone in La traviata alongside Placido Domingo, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Spirit/Sailor Dido and Aeneas, Léon in The Ghosts of Versailles, which received a 2017 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording, and Beppe in Pagliacci conducted by Domingo.  Mr. Ryan made his house debut with Opera Philadelphia as Monostatos in the Barrie Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte, his house debut with Santa Fe Opera singing the role of Dancing Master in Ariadne auf Naxos, and subsequent performances as Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro, his house debut with Dallas Opera singing both Gastone in La traviata and Florian in Der Ring des Polykrates. He has also sung Henrik in A Little Night Music in his house debut with Houston Grand Opera.

Additional operatic engagements include his house debut with San Diego Opera as Gastone in La traviata, his house debut with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis singing the roles of Titorelli, Flogger, and Student in the US premiere of The Trial by Philip Glass, The Male Chorus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Belfiore in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims, and Bardolfo in Verdi’s Falstaff as a Filene Young Artist at Wolf Trap Opera Company, Tony in West Side Story, and Léon in The Ghosts of Versailles at the Aspen Music Festival and School, Mosca in John Musto’s Volpone, Nanki-Poo in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado, Captain Macheath in The Beggar’s Opera, and the Prince in Susa’s Transformations.

Mr. Ryan’s concert appearances include semi-staged performances of Wozzeck, which received a 2018 Grammy for Best Opera Recording, and Ravel’s L’heure Espagnole, both with the Houston Symphony under Hans Graf, his Virginia Symphony Orchestra debut for Orff’s Carmina Burana, his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut in Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with both the Lexington Philharmonic and Rice University, Mozart’s Requiem with the Omaha Symphony, Elijah at DePaul University, and a semi-staged performance of Thomson’s The Mother of Us All singing the role of Jo the Loiterer with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by music director Ward Stare.

Recital work includes his debut at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and concerts with the New York Festival of Song at both Caramoor and Merkin Hall in New York City. Mr. Ryan is a 2012 alum of the Music Academy of the West.

Mr. Ryan is a winner of the Birgit Nilsson prize at the 2016 Operalia competition, a graduate of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University. He is featured in the film In Our Nature, starring John Slattery, Zach Gilford, Gabrielle Union, and Jena Malone, singing a selection from Pagliacci.

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