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Bass-Baritone Colin Ramsey has been lauded for his “majestic, rotund, ravishing bass” (Opera Today). During the 20-21 season, Mr. Ramsey will join San Diego Opera as Colline in La bohème, and Betto in Gianni Schicchi, as well as returning to Pacific Opera Project as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and the Festival Lyrique en Mar as Leporello in Don Giovanni. Other recent engagements include a return to Opera Santa Barbara as Frère Laurent in Romèo et Juliette and the Bonze in Madama Butterfly, joining the Festival Lyrique en Mar as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor and as the bass soloist in Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, and several productions of La bohème as Colline. His 2018-19 season was an exciting one that included a return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for John Cage’s Europeras directed by Yuval Sharon. Mr. Ramsey also made his San Diego Opera debut as Marullo in Rigoletto and returned to Opera Santa Barbara for Robert Ward’s The Crucible singing the role of Reverend Hale.

Other recent performances have seen him in role and company debuts singing Le Comte des Grieux in Manon, The Speaker in Die Zauberflöte, and his Santa Fe Opera debut singing the Registrar in Madama Butterfly and covering Edward Teller in John Adam’s Dr. Atomic. Mr. Ramsey’s unique “smoky” timbre has been well lent to additional roles such as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Father Palmer in Silent Night, Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Collatinus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, and Seneca in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea.

In concert, Mr. Ramsey has been a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and La Jolla Symphony. He has performed as the bass soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, Dvorâk’s Stabat Mater, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Handel’s Messiah, Faurè’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, the Brahms Requiem, and as Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.

Mr. Ramsey has found success in the competition circuit as a winner of the Pasadena Opera Guild Competition, 3rd Prize winner in the Rocky Mountain Region of The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and an Encouragement Award winner in the George London Foundation Competition.

Several Apprentice programs have been pivotal in Mr. Ramsey’s growth and training as a singer including those of The Santa Fe Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Santa Barbara and the Crested Butte Music Festival. He is an alumnus of The Manhattan School of Music where he attended as a Presidential, and Presser Foundation Scholar. Upon graduating, he was honored with the Hugh Ross Award, given annually to a “singer of unusual promise.”

Find out more about Colin at his website: http://www.colinramsey.com/

Colin Ramsey

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