Donnie Ray Albert facts for kids

Donnie Ray Albert (born January 10, 1950) is an American opera singer known for his deep, rich voice, called a baritone. He has performed in operas all over the world since 1976.

Early Life and Training

Donnie Ray Albert was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1950. He finished high school at McKinley Senior High School in 1968. He then went on to study music at Louisiana State University, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in 1972. Later, he earned a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University, where he 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 in an opera called Treemonisha by Scott Joplin.

The next year, in 1976, he returned to the Houston Grand Opera. He sang the role of Jake Wallace in Giacomo Puccini's La Fanciulla del West. He also played the main character, Porgy, in a very popular show called Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin. In this show, Clamma Dale played Bess.

This production of Porgy and Bess was so successful that it moved to Broadway in New York City. It ran for 122 performances from September 25, 1976, to January 9, 1977. The recording of this show even won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording!

In 1978, Donnie Ray Albert performed for the first time at the New York City Opera and the Washington National Opera. In 1979, he made his first appearance at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Performing Across the World

During the 1980s, Donnie Ray Albert was very busy performing with many opera companies across the United States. He sang with groups like the Baltimore Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Opera, New Orleans Opera, Portland Opera, and Tulsa Opera.

From 1981 to 1983, he performed several times at the Vancouver Opera in Canada. In 1982, he made his debut at the Opera Company of Boston and also sang in Mexico City at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

In 1984, he performed for the first time at the San Francisco Opera. That same year, he sang the role of Porgy for his debut at the Teatro Comunale Florence in Italy. He also performed with the Canadian Opera Company in 1986.

In 1987, he made his debut at the Michigan Opera Theatre, and in 1989, he first appeared at the Florentine Opera. In both of these performances, he again played the role of Porgy. In 1988, he went on a big tour of Europe with Porgy and Bess.

Famous Opera Roles

Donnie Ray Albert has sung many important roles in famous operas. In 1996, he sang the main role in Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman at the Cologne Opera in Germany.

At La Scala, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, he performed as Hidraot in Christoph Willibald Gluck's Armide. He also sang the main role in Verdi's Nabucco.

Some of the other characters he has played on stage include:

• Varlaam in Boris Godunov
• Basilio in Rossini's The Barber of Seville
• Count Monterone in Verdi's Rigoletto
• Don Carlo in Verdi's Ernani
• Don Fernando in Beethoven's Fidelio
• Escamillo in Georges Bizet's Carmen
• Ferrando in Verdi's Il trovatore
• Iago in Verdi's Otello
• Jack Rance in Giacomo Puccini's La fanciulla del West
• Jochanaan in Richard Strauss' Salome
• Nourabad in Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles
• Timur in Puccini's Turandot
• Valentin in Charles Gounod's Faust
• Trinity Moses in Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
• The main role in Louis Gruenberg's The Emperor Jones

Concert Performances

Besides opera, Donnie Ray Albert has also had a busy career as a concert singer. He has performed with many well-known orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.