Raymond Ayers

American baritone Raymond Ayers has performed at theaters across the U.S. and Europe, accumulating a repertoire of over 75 roles. Recently he was seen performing: When Lilacs in the Dooryard Bloom’d with Hans Graf at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Der Ferne Klang (Graf / Schauspieler) at Nationaltheater Mannheim with GMD Dan Ettinger, La Bohème (Marcello) at Theater Bremen directed by Benedikt von Peter, Don Carlo (Rodrigo) at Theater Hagen directed by Philipp Kochheim, Händel’s Messiah with Laurent Gendre conducting at the Musique Baroque en Avignon as well as performances with Radio Festival Montpellier singing Carmina Burana, which was broadcast on French National Radio. Other notable performances include Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro) with Theater Bonn, La Traviata (Germont) with Staatstheater Braunschweig and Bernstein’s Mass (Celebrant) with the Minnesota Orchestra. This season Mr. Ayers will also travel to the US for performances of La Boheme (Marcello) with the Colorado Symphony and Staatstheater Braunschweig for Zandonai’s Giulietta e Romeo (Tebaldo).

This fall Mr. Ayers continues as leading baritone at Germany’s Nationaltheater Mannheim. There he will be featured in Die Fledermaus (Dr. Falke), Cosi fan tutte (Guglielmo), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro) and Die Lustige Witwe (Danilo). In past seasons Mr. Ayers was seen performing the World Premier of Golem (Athansius Pernath) by Bernhard Lang as well as Turandot (Ping), Der Ferne Klang (Graf / Schauspieler), Die Zauberflöte (Papageno) Alceste (Hercules / Apollo), La Bohème (Schaunard), Falstaff (Ford), L’elisir d’Amore (Belcore), Die Liebe zu drei Orangen (Pantalone), Freischütz (Ottokar), Pagliacci (Silvio) and as baritone soloist in Carmina Burana.

For six seasons Mr. Ayers was engaged as leading baritone at Theater Hagen singing many roles with the house, including: Don Carlo (Rodrigo), Wildschütz (Graf), Don Giovanni (title role), Otello (Iago), La Boheme (Marcello), Fledermaus (Dr. Falke), Ring in einem Abend (Gunter), La Traviata (Germont), Orpheus in der Unterwelt (Jupiter), Il Pagliacci (Silvio), La Cenerentola (Dandini), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro), Don Pasquale (Malatesta), Cosi fan tutte (Guglielmo), Un Ballo in Maschera (Silvano) and Turandot (Ping).

Having a natural affinity and ability for modern music, Mr. Ayers has been involved in a number of productions and premiers in this genre: The German Premier of Selma Ježková - Dancer in the Dark (Bill Houston), the European Premier of Salsi Puedes (Chucho), the World Premier of The Star Gatherer (Mega the Baker) and the New York Premier of The Seagull (Constantine). Others include: Nixon in China (Chou En-lai), Lola rennt (Manni), The Picture of Dorian Gray (Lord Henry Wotton) and Bernstein’s Mass (Celebrant).

Mr. Ayers has been heard with the Minnesota Orchestra having collaborated with esteemed music director Osmo Vänskä and acclaimed conductor Andrew Litton. He was most recently seen with the orchestra in Die Zauberflöte (Papageno). He shared the stage with renowned artists Deborah Voigt, Carl Tanner and Greer Grimsley singing Tosca (Angelotti), and was also heard at Sommerfest in the Orchestra’s production of La Bohème (Marcello) with James Valenti and Maureen O’Flynn. He has appeared twice as the Father in their charming holiday production of Hansel and Gretel and lead a “cast of thousands” in Bernstein’s Mass (Celebrant) to critical acclaim.

Mr. Ayers holds degrees from Westminster Choir College (BM) and Manhattan School of Music (MM). He is recorded on both Albany Records (The Seagull) and Afka labels (as oboist), and has been seen and heard on television and radio broadcasts throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Raymond Ayers’s tracks

• Barber of Seville: Figaro/Almaviva Duet: All'idea di quel metallo by Raymond Ayers
• Samuel Barber Op. 10 (Complete) by Raymond Ayers
• Die lustige Witwe: O Vaterland by Raymond Ayers
• Brahms, Vier ernste Gesänge by Raymond Ayers
• Händel's Messiah, Thus saith the Lord, but who may abide by Raymond Ayers
• I heard you singing, Eric Coates by Raymond Ayers
• Silent Noon, Vaughan Williams by Raymond Ayers
• Bernstein's Mass crazy scene by Raymond Ayers