Donnie Ray Albert facts for kids
Donnie Ray Albert (born January 10, 1950) is an American opera singer. He is a baritone, which means he sings in a deep, rich voice. Donnie Ray Albert has performed in operas all over the world since 1976.
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Early Life and Training
Donnie Ray Albert was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on January 10, 1950. He finished McKinley Senior High School in 1968. After high school, he went to Louisiana State University. There, he earned a degree in music in 1972. He continued his studies at Southern Methodist University. He earned another music degree and learned from a teacher named Thomas Hayward.
Starting His Opera Career
Donnie Ray Albert began his professional opera journey in May 1975. His first performance was at the Houston Grand Opera. He sang in an opera called Treemonisha by Scott Joplin.
A year later, he returned to Houston Grand Opera. He sang in La Fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini. He also played the main character, Porgy, in George Gershwin's famous opera Porgy and Bess. This show was very popular! It moved to Broadway in New York City. It ran for 122 performances from September 1976 to January 1977. The recording of this show even won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording!
In 1978, he performed for the first time at the New York City Opera and the Washington National Opera. In 1979, he sang at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Singing Across the World
During the 1980s, Donnie Ray Albert was very busy. He sang with many opera companies across the United States. Some of these included the Baltimore Opera and the Dallas Opera. He also performed in Canada with the Vancouver Opera and the Canadian Opera Company.
In 1982, he sang in Mexico City at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. He made his debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1984. That same year, he sang the role of Porgy for his first time in Florence, Italy. He continued to play Porgy in many places, including the Michigan Opera Theatre and the Florentine Opera. In 1988, he went on a big tour of Porgy and Bess across Europe.
Famous Roles and Performances
Donnie Ray Albert has sung many important roles in operas. In 1996, he played the main character in The Flying Dutchman at the Cologne Opera in Germany. He also performed at La Scala in Italy, which is a very famous opera house. There, he sang in Armide and played the main role in Verdi's Nabucco.
Some of his other well-known roles include:
- Varlaam in Boris Godunov
- Basilio in The Barber of Seville
- Escamillo in Carmen
- Iago in Otello
- Jochanaan in Salome
- Timur in Turandot
- Valentin in Faust
- The main role in The Emperor Jones
Besides opera, Donnie Ray Albert has also had a busy career as a concert singer. He has performed with many famous orchestras. These include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.
