J. Patrick Raftery

Tenor

"J. Patrick Raftery has turned out to be an ideal interpreter for the role of Tristan. His voice is dark - timbered and perfectly directed, flows fully in the middle and radiates into a brilliant top. Furthermore, he is an excellent and very convincing actor. Brilliant in Wagnerian style and articulation of the German language."

Das Opernglas, K.F. Schulter

J. Patrick Raftery's professional debut was in 1979 when he sang Schaunard in La Boheme sharing the stage with Luciano Pavarotti. After his years at The Boston Conservatory and The Juilliard School of Music Mr. Raftery was taken up by The Richard Tucker Music Foundation and C.A.M.I artists when his career soared and took him to all the major opera houses of the world in less than a decade until his debut at the Metropolitan Opera with Mirella Freni in Manon Lescaut, Mr. Raftery was one of America's most prominent Baritones.

"Dominating the evening was J.Patrick Raftery. A big soaring, easily produced voice! What a star he seems destined to be!"

The New York Times

In August 1992, Mr. Raftery gave his first performances as a tenor, at New York's Avery Fischer Hall in concert performances of Lucio Silla. The 1992/93 season included Erik in Der Fliegende Hollander, Florestan in Fidelio and Max in Jonny Spielt auf, all with the Opera of Leipzig. Immediately, the same company invited him to participate in their 300 year anniversary celebration by singing Grigori/Demitri in the acclaimed production of Boris Godunov by Oscar winning director Istvan Szabo.

Mr. Raftery's debut at La Scala came in the 1993/94 season's opening production of Spontini's La Vestale conducted by Riccardo Muti and recorded live for Sony Classical. That same season Mr. Raftery debuted in quick succession the roles of Parisifal, Samson and Siegmund. The latter in the Frankfurt Opera's critically acclaimed Ring of Herbert Werneke conducted by Sylvain Cambreling.

"...elegant and stylish.. His voice is big and round, beautifully produced, blessed with high A's he tosses off as if they were nothing at all."

The Washington Post

Mr. Raftery participated in The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden's world premier of Alexander Goehr's opera Arianna, Siegmund in Seattle's Ring , Erik in a new Der Fliegende Hollander for the Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), Andrei Kovanski in Kovanschina for The Hamburg State Opera and the world premier of Salammbo for The Paris Opera.

Mr. Raftery has been Tristan for the Operas of Meiningen, Nancy and The Croatian National Theater of Zagreb. The 2004/2005 season found Mr. Raftery's role debut as Otello for the opera of Syracuse and a filming of his Siegmund for a DVD of Wagner's Ring for the opera of Liege.

"J. Patrick Raftery is a discovery as a very intelligent Wagnerian (singer)"

The Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung

The 2006/2007 season found Mr. Raftery reviving Otello for the Opera of Budapest, Sergei (Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk)and Siegmund for Oper Wiesbaden and Eisenstein for a new production of Die Fledermaus in Toulouse. Mr. Raftery will be joining The University of Toronto Faculty of Music as a voice instructor (fall 2007) and will be returning to the Opera of Monte Carlo to revive Eisenstein in the 2007/2008 opera season.

2007

www.jpatrickraftery.com

Mr. Raftery's debut was with Luciano Pavarotti for The San Diego Opera’s production of  La bohème. This debut and The Richard Tucker Music Foundation Award Winner’s concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall helped catapult Mr. Raftery to performances with the major opera houses and orchestras of the world.

Notable debuts:

Théâtre du Châtelet-Paris (  Les pêcheurs de perles-Zurga), The Canadian Opera Company(Marcello),The Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden (Le Nozze di Figaro-Conte),  Das Deutsche Oper Berlin (Marcello), The Glyndebourne Festival (Guglielmo),The Metropolitan Opera of New York (Manon Lescaut-Lescaut), Opéra de Paris (Il Barbiere di Siviglia-Figaro), Bayerische Staatsoper (Sharpless), Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro (Il Turco in Italia-Poeta),The San Fransisco Opera (Marcello), The Washington Opera (Il Barbiere di Siviglia-Figaro), Teatro alla Scala (La Vestale-Cinna)

Distinguished collaborators:

Alagna, Bartoli, Braun (V),Crespin, De Los Angeles, Dessay, Domingo, Freni, Ghiaurov, Gruberova, Horne, Kraus, Lorengar, Morris, Pavarotti, Quillico(L), Siepi, Taddei, Tomowa-Sintow, Vickers

Preeminent conductors:

Bartoletti, Bernardi, Bertini, Davis (Colin), Haitink, Jordan (Philip and Armin),Mazur, Muti, Oren, Ozawa, Patanè, Pritchard, Rilling, Rostropovich,Vernon, Zedda

Various orchestral concerts:

The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Das Gewandhausorchester (Leipzig),  The Philadelphia Orchestra, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, “SWR” Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden, Washington D.C.’s National Symphony Orchestra

Stage Directors:

Fo(Dario), Hall (Peter), Mansouri, Marthaler, Menotti, Mussbach, Newton (Christopher), Nunn (Trevor),Pizzi, Ponnelle, Savary, Szabó, Zambello

Teachers and Coaches:

Armen Boyajian, Bruno Cagli, Todd Duncan, Philip Gosett, Stuart Hamilton, Erica De Haar, Robert Kettleson, George London, John Moriarty, Janine Reiss, Richard Trimborn, Alberto Zedda

In fall of 2007 after a career spanning over three decades, seventy operatic roles, numerous recitals and concerts worldwide Mr. Raftery joined the voice faculty at The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music.