Ryan
Edwards
Biography
Geoffrey
Edwards
Biography
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Baritone
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A.K.A.:
DOC


Ryan Edwards


Acclaimed baritone Ryan Edwards has appeared in major operatic roles throughout North America and Europe. Since his Metropolitan Opera debut in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR with Beverly Sills, Mr. Edwards' numerous performances with the Met have included the leading baritone roles in ERNANI, DON CARLO, and LA FORZA DEL DESTINO. Among his European appearances are ATTILA and IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA at the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, I PURITANI at London's Royal Festival Hall, and CATERINA CORNARO for L'Opera de Nice and French National Radio.

Eminent in the Verdi repertory, Mr. Edwards has received international praise for his vocal and dramatic interpretations of such roles as Count di Luna in IL TROVATORE, Jago in OTELLO, and the title roles in NABUCCO and MACBETH. OPERA NEWS declared, "Ryan Edwards' magnificent instrument is ideally suited for Verdi," while OPERA (London) hailed him as "a Verdi baritone 'di prima classe.'" He has also received critics' accolades for such diverse repertoire as PIQUE DAME at the San Francisco Opera with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting, THAIS at the Greater Miami Opera, and the British premiere of Bloch's MACBETH at London's Royal Festival Hall.

As a concert artist, Mr. Edwards has been featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has been heard on radio broadcasts of over twenty operatic productions, including TOSCA, AIDA, and OTELLO, as well as such concert works as CARMINA BURANA, the Brahms REQUIEM, and Mahler's SYMPHONY NO. 8.

His performances have been carried internationally by the BBC, ORTF-Paris, Voice of Europe Radio Network, CBC, and the Texaco Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts. On television, he has been seen in CBC's award-winning production of Tchaikovsky's MAID OF ORLEANS, NET's Brahms REQUIEM conducted by Andre Previn, and the PBS documentary THE VOCAL LION. Mr. Edwards' extensive media credits also include the film of I PAGLIACCI directed by Henry Butler, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra recording of Mahler's SYMPHONY NO. 8, and the world premiere recording of CATERINA CORNARO with Montserrat Caballe and Giacomo Aragall.

As a teacher, lecturer, and author, Mr. Edwards gives master classes throughout the United States and Europe and is a frequent judge for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and other national competitions. He is a Past President of the National Opera Association and has served as Artistic Consultant and Master Teacher for the International Opera Academy in Rome and the Marquee Theatre Company. He has written numerous articles on opera and drama and is the author, with son Geoffrey, of THE VERDI BARITONE: STUDIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRAMATIC CHARACTER (Indiana University Press), A.K.A. DOC: THE ORAL HISTORY OF A NEW ORLEANS STREET MUSICIAN (Cadence Jazz Books), and VERDI AND PUCCINI HEROINES: DRAMATIC CHARACTERIZATION IN GREAT SOPRANO ROLES (Scarecrow Press). They are currently working on a novel and a theatre-lover's interpretive guide to favorite Italian operas. Mr. Edwards is an alumnus of the Academy of Vocal Arts and the prestigious Juilliard Opera Center.