Andrew Richards
Tenor
American heldentenor “Andrew Richards as Parsifal has a voice of steel” (Stuttgarter Nachrichten): One of the finest tenors of his repertoire today, Andrew Richards has frequently appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra national de Paris, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala, Arena di Verona and other major stages, collaborating with leading conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Dan Ettinger, Paolo Carignani and Jérémie Rhorer.
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Upcoming highlights of Andrew's 2023-24 season include Tristan und Isolde in concert with the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic and other performances of his Wagnerian repertoire. In recent seasons, his debut as Tristan at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari was received with critical acclaim. He sang his first Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walküre in 2018 in Kyoto, with Michael Hampe directing and Richard Numajiri conducting. His first Parsifal, directed by Calixto Bieito, was the subject of the movie Die Singende Stadt. His work at La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels, in the title roles of Werther and Parsifal, was equally met with great critical acclaim.
Andrew Richards has performed on major stages across the world, including the leading opera houses of New York, Milan, London, Munich and Paris, Semperoper Dresden, Opéra National du Rhin, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Teatro Communale di Bologna, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Royal Danish Opera, Staatsoper Hamburg, Teatro Nacional São Carlos, the Granada Festival, Arizona Opera, Oper Köln, Oper Frankfurt, the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Opéra Nice, Florida Grand Opera, as well as the Bregenzer Festspiele. Conductors with whom he has also collaborated with include Michele Mariotti, Jacques Lacombe, and Roberto Abbado.
Before turning to the heldentenor repertoire, Andrew Richards was one of the world's most sought-after tenors in La Bohème, La Traviata and Cavalleria Rusticana. Other roles performed include Florestan (Fidelio), Lancelot (Le Roi Arthus), Licinius (La Vestale), the title role in Don Carlo, Hermann (Pique Dame), Arrigo (La battaglia di Legnano), Gabriele Adorno (Simon Boccanegra), MacDuff (Macbeth), Pollione (Norma), Samson (Samson et Dalila), the title role in Faust, Duca (Rigoletto), Tamino (The Magic Flute), and Carlson (Of Mice and Men). In 2004, he made his European debut in Trieste, simultaneously debuting the role of Don José in Carmen. This role would become his calling card, having performed it at The Metropolitan Opera, Opéra Comique in Paris, as well as stages in Verona and Berlin, in addition to being broadcast internationally on arte TV. From 2005-2009, Mr. Richards was a member of the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden ensemble, where he performed roles such as Radamès, Cavaradossi, Rodolfo, Don José and MacDuff.
As a teenager, Andrew Richards was a trombonist and singer performing alongside Sarah Vaughan and other jazz icons. Upon hearing his first opera, La Forza del destino, he applied the next day to Eastman School of Music and was accepted. Having earned his BA in singing, Mr. Richards made his professional debut in the role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at New York City Opera in 1999. Today based in Antwerp and New York, Andrew Richards teaches singing at the Royal Conservatory Antwerp.
