|
The American tenor and actor, Bray Wilkins, obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Idaho (2000-2004).
Bray Wilkins is often praised for his sweet, romantic, and balanced sonority, which combined with his natural simpatico and sincere musicality, make him a consistent audience favorite. As a three-time Fellow at the Music Academy of the West (2005-2008), he had the privilege of working with William Bolcom, singing the role of Luigi in the Western premiere of Bolcom’s opera, A Wedding. In 2008 he worked with popular American composer Stephen Schwartz, singing the role of Mr. Clayton in workshops of his first opera, Séance On A Wet Afternoon, and covering the role in the world premiere with Opera Santa Barbara in 2009. Under the baton of James Conlon, he sang Charlie in Weill’s Mahagonny Songspiel at the Ravinia Festival (2009). A Seattle Opera Young Artist from September 2008 to May 2010, he sang the roles of Ferrando in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte, Lysander in Benjamin Britten's Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lensky in Eugene Onegin, and Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos. In 2011-2012, he debuted with Houston Grand Opera singing the title role in the newly commissioned chamber opera The Bricklayer, and he performed his first Duca di Mantua in Rigoletto with the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
In the 2012-2013 season, Bray Wilkins performed his role debuts as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore and Fenton in Falstaff, both with Opera Louisiane in Baton Rouge, and he sang Lensky in the Opera Company of Middlebury’s production of Eugene Onegin. On the concert stage, he sang his first W.A. Mozart Requiem at Louisiana Tech University and appeared in an operatic concert with Opera Birmingham. In May-August 2014, he was engaged with the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre as Will Parker in Oklahoma!, Grantaire in Les Misérables, and as a tenor soloist in The Best of Beethoven concerts.
Bray Wilkins has performed the roles of Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Basilio in W.A. Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Marco Palmieri in Gondoliers, Frederic in Pirates of Penzance, and in scenes from Werther, Die Fledermaus, and La Rondine. He currently lives in Wichita, Kansas. |
