Tenor Randall Bills, appearing this spring as Tamino in Seattle Opera's production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, leads a master class with UW voice students.
Randall Bills, tenor
Hailed by the Wall Street Journal as a voice of “lyrical beauty and intensity” and praised by Opera News for “his consummate mastery of Rossini’s style, range and vocal bravura,” American tenor RANDALL BILLS continues to impress both international public and press throughout an already extensive career.
In the 2016/17 season Mr. Bills returns to Seattle Opera as Tamino in Chris Alexander’s production of Die Zauberflöte conducted by Julia Jones, debuts at the Theater Wielki Poznań as Il conte d’Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviliga conducted by Massimiliano Caldi in a production from Marek Weiss-Grzesiński, and at El Paso Opera as Don Ramiro in Garnett Bruce’s production of La Cenerentola conducted by Robert Tweten, returns to the Opernhaus Chemnitz for performances of Don Ramiro in Kobie von Rensburg’s production with conductor Felix Bender, and to Theater Dortmund as Tamino in Stefan Huber’s production with conductor Gabriel Feltz.
Further concert work includes “Night at the Proms” with the Hamburg Festival Orchestra and the Philharmonie Südwestfalen with conductor Russell Harris, Händel’s Messiah with the American University of Beirut Choir and Choral Society conducted by Thomas Kim, and recitals as part of the “Cultural Events” series at Point Loma Nazarene University with pianist Ines Irawati, and at the University of Southern California with pianist Dr. Alan L. Smith.
Other recent career highlights for Mr. Bills include Così fan tutte a t English National Opera, Geoffredo/Ubaldo in Armida for the Rossini Opera Festival, Così fan tutte at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, The Turn of the Screw at Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and Léopold in Halévy’s La Juive at Vlaamse Oper. Additionally, Mr. Bills has sung Die Zauberflöte at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, Il barbiere di Siviliga at Oper Leipzig, La traviata at the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, Der Rosenkavalier at Theater Bremen, The Rake’s Progress at the Staatstheater Braunschweig, Mosè in Egitto with New York City Opera, Riccairdo e Zoraide at the Rossini in Wildbad Festival, Mazeppa at the Komische Oper Berlin, and La sonnambula at the Staatstheater Darmstadt.
Equally at home on the concert as well as operatic stage, Mr. Bills has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Fresno Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, and Pasadena Symphony, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Ariel Ramierz’ Missa Criolla with Opus 7 at the Hollywood Bowl, and Mendelssohn's Elias with conductor Michael Guettler and the Verona Teatro Filarmonico. Other concert works include Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the Vahrer Kantorei, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with Jorge Mester and the Naples Philharmonic, Mozart’s Mass in C minor with the Pasadena Symphony and the Bochum Symphony, and the composer’s Requiem with the Long Beach Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Paulist Choristers, and USC Thornton Symphony under Maestro Carl St. Claire, Berlioz’ Roméo et Juliette with the Louisville Orchestra, and Uriel in Haydn’s The Creation with the La Sierra Sinfonia.
Mr. Bills has been the tenor soloist for Händel’s Messiah with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and conductor Grant Gershon, as well as soloist for performances of the work at the grand re-opening of the Ambassador Auditorium with Jorge Mester and the Pasadena Symphony as well as Mozart's Litaniae de venerabili altaris scarament and Weber's Freischutz-Messe with the Sinfonie Orchester Wuppertal conducted by Ralf Weiker, Bach's Johannes-Passion with conductor Ruben Jais and L'orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Guiseppe Verdi, Händel’s Utrecht Jubilate with the American University of Beirut Choir and Choral Society conducted by Thomas Kim, and Orff’s Carmina Burana with conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the Houston Symphony.
A consummate recitalist, praised by the Los Angeles Times for his “crystal-clear diction,” Mr. Bills has given recital performances internationally including his “Young Artist of the Year” Debut Recital under the auspices of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Los Angeles Chapter, lieder programs with the International Kultureform Theater Bremen and a recital at the Würzburg Residence with the Mainfranken Theater Chamber Music Series, as well as a recital program at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China. Mr. Bills has also had the privilege of participating with internationally recognized collaborative pianist Dr. Alan L. Smith in the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Memorial Recital at the University of Southern California.