Richard Williams

Born and raised in Western Canada, Richard Williams first distinguished himself as a singer in 1981 by winning First Place in the Alberta Provincial Music Festival. This led to a Second Place at the National Festival in Toronto. Richard then went on to perform with various choirs and orchestras throughout Western Canada, including the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble.  

Richard made his professional debut in Europe in 1992.  His performances took him to many of the world's great music centres including Frankfurt, Geneva, London, and Paris.

Richard also pursued a conducting and teaching career while in Europe. He was appointed to many prestigious posts, including Director of Vocal Studies at the International School of Geneva, Switzerland, Chef de chant for the National Swiss Youth Choir and Chef du Choeur for Opera Studio de Geneve.  Upon his return to Canada, Richard founded the Penrhyn Academy of Singing, in Vancouver, BC.

Richard's performances here in British Columbia include appearances with the Vancouver Bach Choir, The Vancouver Academy of Music Opera Studio, West Coast Symphony, Northwest Opera, Douglas College Chorale, The Handel Society of White Rock, Summerchor Vancouver, Opera Appassionata, Kamloops Symphony, Abbotsford Symphony, and Sinfonia.

As a vocal adjudicator, Richard has been engaged by the B.C. Provincial Festival of the Arts, and by numerous regional festivals including the Prince George and District Music Festival, the Kamloops Festival of the Performing Arts, the Pacific Northwest Festival of the Arts, and the Coquitlam and District Music Festival.

 In 2007, Richard founded Opera Pro Cantanti ("Opera for the Singers") and mounted the company's first full production--Verdi's Rigoletto.  Since then, Opera Pro Cantanti has given over 100 performances of seven major operas from the standard repertoire.  OPC performs nearly every week of the year, making it Canada's only repertory opera company.

 In addition to his many administrative and directorial duties, Richard performs regularly with his opera company.  His roles with OPC include Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth, Rigoletto in Verdi's Rigoletto, Bluebeard in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle, Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Germont in Verdi's La Traviata, and Riccardo in Bellini's I Puritani.  When he is not performing a lead role, Richard also enjoys singing as a member of the OPC Chorus.

Reviews

"Perfectly integrated...this singer embued the music with a velvet tone and delicatesse. ...fitted excellently into the team...his navigation of the melodic lines measured, though not without touching poignancy in the tone..." - Journal du Jura, Bienne Switzerland

Evangelist in Bach's St. John Passion, Frankfurt Germany                                            The events surrounding the crucifixion have been told for almost 2000 years. It is therefore all the more remarkable when a group still succeeds today in imparting a crackling excitement in telling the story. Our curiousity was arroused...by a change of distribution. Richard Williams, originally engaged as the Evangelist, took over the tenor arias as well. Thus, this rendering of the Passion resulted in a two-hour top performance by the Canadian tenor. Since Bach has already given the Evangelist a very substantial part, this double distribution presented an almost impossible challenge. However, Williams unexpectedly rose to the occasion with bravura. As Evangelist, he sometimes appeared to be giving too much, painting the tone pictures in too vivid colours, but this force of expression served him well as a contrast for the arias. By turns soft and calm, then again forceful and biting, he was able to convey excellently the different moods of the Passion. The end of the performance was greeted with breathless silence. The tension, which had built up almost unnoticeably, dissipated slowly. Then came loud applause for all the performers. The level of applause rose especially for Williams, which was fully deserved." - Daniel Herrmann, Frankfurter Rundschau, Frankfurt Germany

Musiques Estivales a Compesieres - Featured soloist for Brahms solo cantata Rinaldo
"As for the soloists heard this evening, it is necessary to mention...the pleasant timbre of Richard Williams, in the rare cantata 'Rinaldo' by Brahms." - Quotidien de Geneve Switzerland

Chamber Music Concert, Grenoble France
"...gave evidence of real talent...which covered the full range of emotions and gave the listener a true feeling of theatre." - Dauphinee Liberee, Grenoble France

Schubert's Die Winterreise, Gibsons, BC.
"I will not mince words here. The performance we were treated to at the Heritage Playhouse was of world-class calibre...I will make no invidious comparisons, but Richard Williams and his accompanist Harold Brown need defer to no one. His voice ranges smoothly from the low notes of Der Lindenbaum through the dramatic tones of Wasserflut to the poignancy of Der Leiermann. His expression of the moods of the various songs was masterful. It is incredible to me that he is not better known."- Dick Hammond, Gibsons.

Solo Recital of Dichterliebe by Schumann
"With mastery over his instrument, Williams infused all the pieces with colour, feeling, lyricism and musicality." - 1oo Mile Free Press, Canada

Solo Recital of Lieder
"...interpretation of the pieces was excellent. His German diction was superb and the musical lines were sensitively sung, with a true reflection of the emotions and meaning of the words being sung." - The Undercurrent, Bowen Island, Canada

Guest Soloist with Kamloops Symphony Orchestra
"...the hearts of the listeners were warmed by the smooth and tender voice of baritone Richard Williams during Les Nuits d'Ete by Berlioz. The six songs in this cycle...were performed with an exquisite understanding of the sensuous French style. Le Spectre de la Rose was particularly exceptional... superb attention to detail... Williams performed effortlessly..."- Kamloops Daily News, Canada