John Relyea
Encyclopedia
John Relyea is a bass-baritone
opera singer and winner of the 2003 Richard Tucker Award.
He was born in Toronto, Canada, to Gary Relyea, one of Canada's well-known opera singers, and Anna Tamm-Relyea, also a professional singer.
John Relyea is a 1998 graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music
in Philadelphia. He studied with his father and with renowned opera bass Jerome Hines
. John Relyea has performed with major symphony companies across the country, such as the New York Philharmonic
, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera
and the Metropolitan Opera
in addition to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
His roles include Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, the four villains in The Tales of Hoffman, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor
, Giorgio in I Puritani
, Escamillo in Carmen
, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Colline in La Bohème
, Marke in Tristan und Isolde
, Caspar in Der Freischütz
, Banquo
in Macbeth
, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia, Garibaldo in Rodelinda, Publio in "La Clemenza di Tito
", and Mephestopheles in La damnation de Faust. and appears on the Metropolitan Opera's DVD presentations of Don Giovanni and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, both released by Deutsche Grammophon
.
John Relyea is married with two sons. He resides in Rhode Island
.
Bass-baritone
A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende...
opera singer and winner of the 2003 Richard Tucker Award.
He was born in Toronto, Canada, to Gary Relyea, one of Canada's well-known opera singers, and Anna Tamm-Relyea, also a professional singer.
John Relyea is a 1998 graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
in Philadelphia. He studied with his father and with renowned opera bass Jerome Hines
Jerome Hines
The American Jerome A. Hines was a basso opera singer who performed at the Metropolitan Opera from 1946 to 1987...
. John Relyea has performed with major symphony companies across the country, such as the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera
Seattle Opera
The Seattle Opera is an opera company located in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1963 by Glynn Ross, who served as the company's first general director through 1983, Seattle Opera's season runs from August to late May, with five or six operas offered and with eight to ten performances each, often...
and the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in addition to the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
His roles include Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, the four villains in The Tales of Hoffman, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
, Giorgio in I Puritani
I puritani
I puritani is an opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. It was his last opera. Its libretto is by Count Carlo Pepoli, based on Têtes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine, which is in turn based on Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality. It was first produced at...
, Escamillo in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Colline in La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, Marke in Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
, Caspar in Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
, Banquo
Banquo
Banquo is a character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play Macbeth. In the play, he is at first an ally to Macbeth and they are together when they meet the Three Witches. After prophesying that Macbeth will become king, the witches tell Banquo that he will not be king himself, but that his...
in Macbeth
Macbeth (opera)
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia, Garibaldo in Rodelinda, Publio in "La Clemenza di Tito
La clemenza di Tito
La clemenza di Tito , K. 621, is an opera seria in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Metastasio...
", and Mephestopheles in La damnation de Faust. and appears on the Metropolitan Opera's DVD presentations of Don Giovanni and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, both released by Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
.
John Relyea is married with two sons. He resides in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
.