Rimrock Opera Performer-- Randolph Locke

RANDOLPH LOCKE
Tenor

American Tenor Randolph Locke continues to enjoy a busy international career. Recent triumphs include his debut as Radames in the Opera Memphis production of Aida conducted by Sherril Milnes. The Commercial Appeal reported “Aptly self-assured and virile, Locke possesses a pure tenor voice that rang out with vigor and might in his arias about battle; yet the same voice melted with aching sensitivity during expressions of intimacy with Aida.”

Highlights of Mr. Locke’s most recent seasons have included Don José in Carmen with San Francisco Opera, Calaf in Turandot at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland, Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana, opposite Agnes Baltsa in Thessaloniki, Greece, Orin Mannon in the Lyric Opera of Chicago production of Mourning Becomes Electra. A frequent artist at the Lyric, he has also been at the company for The Gambler, The Bartered Bride, Pélleas et Mélisande, The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe and Il tabarro. He also scored a success in his debut at the Festival Cervantino in Guanajuato, Mexico, as Panfilo in the revised premiere of Carlos Chavez’ The Visitors, which was later performed at the Teatro de Bellas Artes and released on CD on the RCA/BMG label.

Mr. Locke opened the 2005-2006 season as Radames in Aida for Opera Columbus, followed by his role debut in the title role of Samson et Dalila in Memphis, and Calaf in Turandot in Nashville, Indianapolis and Sacramento. He made his role debut as Canio in I Pagliacci at the Lake George Opera in summer 2006 and will be heard this season as Manrico in Memphis and as Don José in Tacoma.

Mr. Locke began the 2004-05 season as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in Nashville, traveled to Honolulu as Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, to Columbus as Radames in Aida, and to Opera Boston and the Chautauqua Festival as Judge Danforth in The Crucible.

He opened the 2002-03 season as Cavaradossi in Tosca for Columbus, reprised Don José for Opera Lyra Ottawa, made role debuts in a double bill of Cavalleria rusticana and I Pagliacci for Memphis, was Rodolfo in La Bohème with the Evansville Philharmonic, was soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Long Beach Symphony and the Florida West Coast Symphony, and joined the Florida Philharmonic and Johnstown Symphony for Opera Galas, was Cavaradossi in Nashville, and Don José for Opera Columbus. Mr. Locke appears regularly with the National Orchestra of Mexico where he was last heard as soloist in Handel’s Messiah

Mr. Locke opened the 2001-2002 season with his debut as Calaf in Turandot for Nashville Opera, which he repeated in Memphis. He was heard in the Verdi Requiem with the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra and the Flint Symphony, and Aegisthus in Elektra at the Virginia Opera. He continued the season in Memphis as Hoffmann and was next heard as Cavaradossi in Tosca in Grand Rapids. Mr. Locke’s 2000-2001 season began with debuts with the Teatro de La Opera in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as Roméo, and the Baltimore Opera as Aegisthus in Elektra. His season included other debuts: Hawaii Opera Theatre as Hoffmann and Edmonton Opera as Don José in Carmen. He returned to Opera Memphis for Don José, a role for which he is well known with audiences in Sarasota, Chautauqua, El Paso, Durham, Augusta and Columbus. He has sung Hoffmann with Hong-Kong Opera, Madison Opera, Chautauqua Opera and Opera Columbus.

Randolph Locke has also excelled in the Slavic and Germanic repertoire. He made his German debut as Luka in Janacek’s From the House of the Dead in Stuttgart, and sang the role of Lukas in the American premiere of Smetana’s Hubicka with Sarasota Opera. He covered Gregor in The Makropoulos Case with both the San Francisco Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and appeared in Strauss’ Daphne and Ariadne auf Naxos with the Santa Fe Opera. He has sung Lenski in Eugene Onegin with the Flint Symphony and the role of Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos has taken the tenor to the Teatro de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Opera Columbus and most recently Chautauqua Opera, where the Jamestown Post-Journal commented “Randolph Locke sang strongly with a delightful spinto quality as the god Bacchus”

Other career highlights include Pollione in Norma with Memphis Opera, Hagenbach in La Wally with Sarasota Opera, Cavaradossi in Tosca with Santa Barbara, Knoxville, and Virginia, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Delaware and Opera Carolina. He has also made extensive tours of the United States with wife mezzosoprano Carol Sparrow.

A native Texan, Mr. Locke is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University and received his Masters Degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which he attended as the first place Corbett Opera Scholarship winner, studying with Italo Tajo and John Alexander.