Performances
“Dominating the evening was J. Patrick Raftery. A big, soaring, easily produced voice! What a star he seems destined to be!”
New York Times
Bio
J. Patrick Raftery’s professional debut was in 1979 when he sang Schaunard in La Boheme sharing the stage with Luciano Pavarotti. After his years at The Boston Conservatory and The Juilliard School of Music, Patrick was taken up by The Richard Tucker Music Foundation and C.A.M.I. artists when his career soared and took him to all the major opera houses of the world in less than a decade. Until his debut at the Metropolitan Opera with Mirella Freni in Manon Lescaut, Patrick was one of America’s most prominent baritones.
In August 1992, Patrick gave his first performances as a tenor at New York’s Avery Fischer Hall (now David Geffin Hall) in concert performances of Lucio Silla. The 1992/93 season included Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer, Florestan in Fidelio and Max in Jonny Spielt auf, all with the Opera of Leipzig. Immediately, the same company invited him to participate in their 300-year anniversary celebration by singing Grigori/Demitri in the acclaimed production of Boris Godunov by Oscar winning director Istvan Szabo.
Patrick’s debut at La Scala came in the 1993/94 season’s opening production of Spontini’s La Vestale, conducted by Riccardo Muti and recorded live for Sony Classical. That same season, Patrick debuted in quick succession the roles of Parsifal, Samson and Siegmund – the latter in the Frankfurt Opera’s critically acclaimed Ring, directed by Herbert Werneke and conducted by Sylvain Cambreling.
Patrick participated in The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden’s world premier of Alexander Goehr’s opera Arianna, Siegmund in Seattle’s Ring, Erik in a new Der Fliegende Hollander for the Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), Andrei Kovanski in Kovanschina for The Hamburg State Opera, and the world premier of Salammbo for The Paris Opera.
Patrick has been Tristan for the Operas of Meiningen, Nancy and The Croatian National Theater of Zagreb. The 2004/2005 season found Patrick’s role debut as Otello for the opera of Syracuse and a filming of his Siegmund for a DVD of Wagner’s Ring for the opera of Liege.
Most recently, J. Patrick Raftery was Father Grenville in Vancouver Opera’s production of Dead Man Walking and made his role debut with Pacific Opera Victoria as Benoit/Alcindoro in Puccini’s La Bohéme.
Patrick was a member of the voice faculties at the Universities of Toronto and Western Ontario and in 2014 accepted an appointment with the University of British Columbia where he is currently an Associate Professor of Voice and Opera.
Listen
- Play $"A North American Songbook" (album with Mark Anderson, piano)
"A North American Songbook" (album with Mark Anderson, piano)
"Auf dem Strom" with Valerie Whitney and Richard Epp (Schubert)
- Play $Vancouver Opera Offstage podcast: Episode 17
Vancouver Opera Offstage podcast: Episode 17
- Play $OPERABIZ podcast: Episode 1022
OPERABIZ podcast: Episode 1022
In recital with Mark Anderson, piano (Morawetz)
In recital with Terrence Dawson, piano (Duparc)
Largo al Factotum (The Tucker Foundation, intro by Beverly Sills)
Trovatore duet with Anna Tomowa-Sintow (Chicago Lyric Opera)
"L’occasione fa il ladro" duet with Luciana Serra (Pesaro Festival)
Schedule & History
UBC Choirs: Rise, Heart
Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Oct 29, 2021
- Role:
- Soloist
- Composer:
- Vaughan Williams
UBC Symphony Orchestra
Britten Serenade for tenor and horn
Nov 23, 2019
- Role:
- Tenor Soloist
- Composer:
- Benjamin Britten
- Conductor:
- Jonathan Girard
- Horn:
- Valerie Whitney
Vancouver Opera
La Bohème
Feb 14, 16, 19, 21, 24, 2019
- Role:
- Benoit/Alcindoro (Baritone)
- Composer:
- Giacomo Puccini
- Conductor:
- Judith Yan
- Performers:
- s. Bellemare, s. Joynt, t. Kang, b. Addis