Anthony Clark Evans
Biography
Lauded for his “stentorian Verdi style” by the Chicago Tribune and as “warm-toned, vivacious and humane” by the San Francisco Chronicle, baritone Anthony Clark Evans is quickly gaining recognition as one of the most promising Verdi baritones of his generation. Mr. Evans makes his house debut this season at Houston Grand Opera as Germont in La Traviata, and his house debut with Municipal de Santiago in the title role of Rigoletto. He also makes his house and role debut as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Cincinnati Opera, and returns to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Third Noble and cover the Herald in a new production of Lohengrin, conducted by music director Yannick Nezet-Seguin.
The 2021 – 2022 season saw Mr. Evans’ debut with Opera Philadelphia in the title role of Rigoletto, conducted by music director Corrado Rovaris and production by Lindy Hume. Mr. Evans also returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. Orchestral engagements included Verdi Requiem with the Washington National Cathedral, and Beethoven’s Symphony Number 9 with both the Jacksonville Symphony and the Bozeman Symphony.
Operatic highlights include Mr. Evans’ debut with the Metropolitan Opera as the Huntsman in the new Mary Zimmerman production of Rusalka, his operatic European debut as Giorgio Germont in La Traviata with Opéra National de Bordeaux, his San Francisco Opera debut as Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, conducted by music director Nicola Luisotti and Sharpless in the Jun Kaneko production of Madama Butterfly, Zurga in the Lee Blakeley production of Les Pêcheurs de perles with Santa Fe Opera, Leporello in Don Giovanni with Tulsa Opera, Tonio in Pagliacci with Opera San Jose, his San Diego Opera debut as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, his debut in the title role in Rigoletto with Kentucky Opera, and his debuts with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Dalals Opera, and Querido Arte in Guatemala as Marcello in La bohème. Additional roles at Lyric Opera of Chicago include Riccardo in I Puritani, opposite Larry Brownlee, the Jailer in Tosca (covering the Sacristan), Yamadori (covering Sharpless) in Madama Butterfly, the Huntsman (covering the Gamekeeper) in Rusalka, creating the role of Simon Thibault in the world premiere of Bel Canto, and covers of Leporello in Don Giovanni, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, the Count in Capriccio and Wolfram in Tannhäuser.
Concert work includes his Ravinia Festival debut singing in Bernstein’s Songfest with Ensemble dal Niente, William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Thomas Søndergård, Theatre Director in Les Mamelles de Tirésias with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, an appearance at the Richard Tucker Gala at Carnegie Hall, his debut with the Phoenix Symphony in Beethoven Symphony Number 9 conducted by Tito Muñoz and an appearance on the “Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park” concert, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Mr. Evans was also scheduled to debut with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra singing Brander in Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust conducted by Stéphane Denève.
Honors and awards include a 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World main prize finalist, a Grand Finals Winner of the 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a 2017 Richard Tucker career grand, a 2014 Sarah Tucker Career Grant, and top prizes in the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Competition, Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition, Marcello Giordani Competition, Giulio Gari Competition, and the Mario Lanza Competition. Mr. Evans took second prize in both the Liederkranz Foundation Competition and the Opera Index Competition, as well as prizes from the Sullivan Foundation, the Luminarts Fellowship, and the American Opera Society.
A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, Mr. Evans studied voice at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, and was a member of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mr. Evans currently resides in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Photo Credit: Kristin Hobermann