RORY MUSGRAVE
General Management
Susanna Stefani Caetani
susanna@onlystage.co.uk
biography
Rory Musgrave, a baritone from Connemara, recently made his UK Operatic debut singing the title role of Eugene Onegin for Opera Holland Park’s young Artist Programme, as part of their 2022 season. In 2019 he made his international operatic debut singing the role of Young Kelvin in the Asian premier of Solaris by Dai Fugikura (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Japan) and is set to return to Tokyo to reprise this role. Upcoming roles include Marcello/La Boheme (Cork Opera House), and Alonso, Re di Napoli/La Tempesta (Wexford Festival Opera).
Other recent opera engagements include; White Rabbit/Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Mayor of Youghal/Vagabones, Eumete/The Return of Ulysses, under the baton of Christian Curnyn and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Junius/The Rape of Lucretia (Opera Collective Ireland); Camillo/Ein Wintermarchen, Sextus/What Happened to Lucrece, Smirnoff/The Bear and Magnus/Herculanum, Gaby and various/Bernstein a la Carte, Le Podestat/Dr Miracle (Wexford Festival Opera); Taddeo/L’Italiana in Algeri, Belcore/L’Elisir d’Amore (Blackwater Valley Festival); Marcello/ La Boheme, Germont/La Traviata, Schaunard /La Boheme, St. Brioche/The Merry Widow (Cork Operatic Society); Schaunard/La Boheme, Count Gil/Susanna's Secret (Opera Theatre Company); Schaunard/La Boheme, Baron Duphol/La Traviata (Lyric Opera Productions); Gabriel Conroy/James Joyce’s The Dead (Performance Corporation – World Premiere); Second Soldier and Namaan/Salome (Northern Ireland Opera).
Rory performs extensively in concerts and recitals including venues such as the National Concert Hall, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Clifden Arts Festival, Wexford Festival Opera and Opera Holland Park. His Oratorio repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah, Carmina Burana, Hayden’s Paukenmesse. He has also sung in Castletown House Lunchtime Summer Series, Great Music is in Great Houses and the Isle of Wight Proms. He made his debut with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in 2015, as a guest soloist in their Lunchtime Concert Series and has gone on to perform with numerous other ensembles including Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, RTE Concert Orchestra, RTÉ Contempo Quartet, Wexford Sinfonia and Crash Ensemble. Among his most recent highlights, in August 2023, Rory has been part of the exciting Kammeroper Festival at Schloss Rheinsberg, promoted by Opera Collective Ireland and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, in a double bill of Dido & Aeneas by Henry Purcell and Venus & Adonis by John Blow. In the next season (2024-2025) Rory is going to open the Wexford Festival Opera performing in Le Maschere by P. Mascagni (18-31 October, 2024) and in The Elixir of Love by G. Donizetti (18 Oct - 2 Nov, 2024); from 14 to 24 of December 2024 Rory will be Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari and he will be Junius in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari (18-27 April, 2025).
Rory has a keen interest in the vocal traditions of his homeland and this led him become a member of the international choral group Anúna in 2005. He proudly continues to collaborate Michael McGlynn, the groups founder and artistic director, and the group to this day. In this time he had many wonderful experience including; tours to Japan, China and mainland Europe; the recording of numerous albums and television shows; and was a part of the adventure that was Celtic Origins PBS Special, Album and subsequent tours in the United States. He is a graduate from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, with a Masters in Vocal Performance. An OTC Opera Hub Emerging Artist with Opera Theatre Company (2014 – 2016), Rory was also awarded the PWC Emerging Artist Bursary and the Arnholm Bursary by Wexford Festival.
© Photo by Frances Marshall
press
“Rory Musgrave lets forth an invigorating baritone.”
The Irish Independent
“Musgrave’s monotone declamation was focused and captivating, and the image of the prophet stripped to a ragged loincloth, smeared with blood and wine, was as arresting as the tremor of Vesuvius that thundered at this point.”
Opera Today
“Baritone Rory Musgrave was the real star of the show with his larger-than-life characterization of Dr. Dulcamara, in which every line was expertly crafted to play up his falsity and superficial charm, and he happily interacted with the audience members, casting them knowing and amusing looks. His singing was vibrant, energetic and bold, which allowed him to dominate poor Nemorino as he sold him his phoney love potion.”
Alan Neilson on Opera Wire