Bass-baritone Richard Walshe continues his Fest contract at Staatsoper Hannover into the 2023/24 season. This season roles include Escamillo (Carmen), Sprecher (Die Zauberflöte), Montano (Otello), Peter Besenbinder (Hansel und Gretel), King Lear (Lear) and Dulcamara (L’Elisir). Previous roles include Melisso (Alcina), Schaunard (La Bohème) and Plutone (L’Orfeo), Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Don Alfonso (Cosi fan Tutte), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Sprecher (Die Zauberflöte) and Colline (La Bohème) and Angelotti in (Tosca). In summer 2022, Richard made his debut with West Green House Opera as Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore.
In 2018/19, Richard was a member of the Zurich International Opera Studio; while there, roles included Sicario (Macbeth), Schabernak (Le Grand Macabre) and Bartolo (Il Bariere di Siviglia). Also that season, Richard sang the role of Angelotti in a semi-staged version of Tosca at the Abu Dhabi Festival, at the invitation of Sir Bryn Terfel.
In the Summer of 2017, Richard was an artist with the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Project, appearing as Eiler in the Salzburg Festival Kinderoper: Der Schauspieldirektor. In June 2016, he debuted for Opera Holland Park, performing the role of Colline in Puccini’s La Bohème as part of the Christine Collins’ Young Artist Programme, a role he reprised in a concert performance with Northern Ireland Opera.
Richard completed his formal training with Royal Academy Opera, under the tutelage of Mark Wildman and Iain Ledingham. For RAO, Richard performed the roles of Minskman (Flight), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Brown (Die Dreigroschenoper), Melisso (Alcina), Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Amantio di Nicolao (Gianni Schicchi). Richard was also a member of Royal Academy Song Circle and in 2018 appeared in a concert of Venetian Songs at the Wigmore Hall.
Richard has had numerous successes on the competition platform, winning the Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Singing Competition in September 2016. He was also awarded the Audrey Strange Memorial Prize at the Royal Overseas League Annual Music Competition, and the second and audience prizes at the National Mozart Competition in 2017.
As an Oratorio soloist, Richard has had a variety of performance opportunities, including: Brahms’ Requiem; Handel’s Messiah; Bach’s Cantata BWV 203 Amore Traditore; Pilate and Christus in Bach’s St Johns Passion; Zebul in Handel’s Jephtha; and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
September 2023
