Rory Musgrave, a baritone from Connemara, Ireland, made headlines in November 2023 as he sang the title role in Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” and Gregorief in Erlanger’s “L’Aube Rouge” simultaneously - both productions being scheduled in the same month - at the Wexford Festival Opera. Last year, for his UK Operatic debut, he sang the title role of Eugene Onegin for Opera Holland Park’s young Artist Programme, as part of their 2022 season. In 2019 me made his international debut singing the role of Young Kelvin in the Asian premier of Solaris by Dai Fugikura (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Japan) and is set to return to Tokyo to reprise this role. Other roles sung in 2022 include Marcello of Puccini’s La Boheme (at the Cork Opera House), and Alonso, re di Napoli of Scribe’s La Tempesta (at the Wexford Festival Opera).
Other recent opera engagements include; White Rabbit/Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland,Mayor of Youghal/Vagabones, Eumete/The Return of Ulysses, under the baton of Christian Curnyn and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Junius/The Rape of Lucretia (Opera Collective Ireland); Camillo/Ein Wintermarchen, Sextus/What Happened to Lucrece, Smirnoff/The Bear and Magnus/Herculanum, Gaby and various/Bernstein a la Carte, Le Podestat/Dr Miracle (Wexford Festival Opera); Taddeo/L’Italiana in Algeri, Belcore/L’Elisir d’Amore (Blackwater Valley Festival); Marcello/ La Boheme, Germont/La Traviata, Schaunard /La Boheme, St. Brioche/The Merry Widow (Cork Operatic Society); Schaunard/La Boheme, Count Gil/Susanna's Secret (Opera Theatre Company); Schaunard/La Boheme, Baron Duphol/La Traviata (Lyric Opera Productions); Gabriel Conroy/James Joyce’s The Dead (Performance Corporation – World Premier); Second Soldier and Namaan/Salome (Northern Ireland Opera).
Rory performs extensively in concerts and recitals including venues such as the National Concert Hall, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Clifden Arts Festival, Wexford Festival Opera and Opera Holland Park. His Oratorio repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah, Carmina Burana, Hayden’s Paukenmesse. He has also sung in Castletown House Lunchtime Summer Series, Great Music is in Great Houses and the Isle of Wight Proms. He made his debut with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in 2015, as a guest soloist in their Lunchtime Concert Series and has gone on to perform with numerous other ensembles including Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, RTE Concert Orchestra, RTÉ Contempo Quartet, Wexford Sinfonia and Crash Ensemble. He recently sang Ravel’s Don Quichotte a Dulcinee with the RTE Concert Orchestra, under the baton of Kensho Watanabe.
Rory has a keen interest in the vocal traditions of his homeland and this led him become a member of the international choral group Anúna in 2005. He proudly continues to collaborate Michael McGlynn, the groups founder and artistic director, and the group to this day. In this time he had many wonderful experience including; tours to Japan, China and mainland Europe; the recording of numerous albums and television shows; and was a part of the adventure that was Celtic Origins PBS Special, Album and subsequent tours in the United States.
He is a graduate from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, with a Masters in Vocal Performance. An OTC Opera Hub Emerging Artist with Opera Theatre Company (2014 – 2016), Rory was also awarded the PWC Emerging Artist Bursary and the Arnholm Bursary by Wexford Festival.
