Randall Scarlata, baritone
Hailed for his warm, expressive sound, consummate musicianship, and winning way with the audience, baritone Randall Scarlata enjoys a lively career encompassing opera, recital, chamber music, and works for voice and orchestra. Career highlights include the world premiere of Thea Musgrave's one man opera, The Mocking-Bird in Boston, recitals in the US and Europe with pianist Richard Goode, soloist with the Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras, and with the Pittsburgh, San Francisco, American, Ulster, Tonkunstler, National, and BBC Symphonies, and the early music groups Wiener Akademie Orchester, Musica Angelica, among others. With Great Performers at Lincoln Center, he portrayed Siskov in Janacek's From the House of the Dead. He has appeared in many of the world's great music festivals, including the Ravinia, Marlboro, Edinburgh, Vienna, Salzburg, Aspen, and Spoleto (Italy) festivals.
Known for his versatility and consummate musicianship, Mr. Scarlata's repertoire spans four centuries and fifteen languages. A sought-after interpreter of new music, he has given world premieres of works by George Crumb, Paul Moravec, Ned Rorem, Lori Laitman, Thea Musgrave, Samuel Adler, Daron Hagen, Wolfram Wagner, and Christopher Theofanidis. His performances of Songs of Tin Pan Alley with soprano Jennifer Aylmer and pianist Laura Ward are favorites of both Art Song aficionados and lovers of popular music. He regularly performs the Schubert song cycles with pianist Jeremy Denk throughout the United States. In addition, Mr. Scarlata has recorded for the Chandos, Naxos, CRI, Gasparo, Arabesque, and Albany labels.
Recent and upcoming highlights include the Schubert song cycles with pianist Seymour Lipkin, the CD releases of his celebrated performance of the Celebrant in Bernstein's Mass, as well as songs of Lori Laitman and chamber music of Paul Moravec, the Philadelphia Orchestra's Bernstein festival, the world premiere of George Crumb's American Songbook, Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Vienna and Los Angeles, Brahms' Requiem and orchestral songs of Ravel and Stravinsky with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, performances at the Skaneateles, Kingston, Kneisel Hall, Portland and Bridgehampton chamber music festivals, Schubert Lieder with Inon Barnatan and Shai Wosner in Mexico City, Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the North Carolina Symphony, orchestral songs of Samuel Barber with the New World Symphony, and recitals throughout the United States and Europe.
Randall Scarlata's awards include First Prize at the 1999 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, First Prize at the 1997 Das Schubert Lied International Competition in Vienna, First Prize at the 1997 Joy in Singing Competition in New York, and the 1998 Alice Tully Vocal Arts Debut Recital Award. Mr. Scarlata received a Fulbright Grant to study at the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna and holds a masters degree from the Juilliard School. In addition, Mr. Scarlata spent several summers studying with the great French baritone, Gerard Souzay in Nice and in Salzburg. He is a Sing for Hope artist, having been involved with the foundation for over 10 years. Mr. Scarlata serves on the faculty of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at West Chester University. He is a past member of Chamber Music Society Two.
"It is impossible to imagine Randall Scarlata singing a mechanical or thoughtless phrase. One has the wonderful sense that Scarlata searches out the Platonic essence of what he plans to sing and then uses every attribute at his disposal to create the most appropriate and fully dimensional realization possible." -- The Washington Post
Randall Scarlata
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photo credit: Christian Steiner