Biography
A 2008 Grammy-nominated artist, Richard Bernstein is at the forefront of singers of his generation. Acclaimed for the resonant beauty of his voice and consummate stage abilities, his magnetic bass garners praise from critics and audiences alike. He has performed his signature role of Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro worldwide with the opera companies of Philadelphia, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Portland, Palm Beach, as well as the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Pacific, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, and Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence, among others.
For the 2011-2012 Season, Mr. Bernstein will return to the Metropolitan Opera for his 16th consecutive season, where he has appeared in 250 performances and over 50 broadcasts since his debut in 1995. Highlights for the MET season include recreating the role of Lord Krishna in Satyagraha, which will also be broadcast in movie theaters internationally on November 19, 2011 for the MET's Live in HD Series, and Angelotti in Tosca. Mr. Bernstein will also cover Leporello in Don Giovanni and the role of Fafner in both Das Rheingold and Siegfried. In February 2012, Mr. Bernstein will go back to the company where he made his operatic debut, the L.A. Opera, to debut the role of Superintendent Budd in Albert Herring under the baton of Maestro James Conlon.
For the 2010-2011 season at the Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Bernstein sang Zuniga in Carmen, Angelotti in Tosca, Pietro in Simon Boccanegra, First Apprentice in Wozzeck, Bello in La Fanciulla del West and the Forester and Flemish Deputy in Don Carlo on tour with the MET in Japan. He also covered the roles in the following operas: Ferrando in Il Trovatore, Fafner in Das Rheingold, Luther and Crespel in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Colline in La Bohème, and Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos. A highlight from last season was returning to the Seattle Opera to sing the role of Sancho Panza in Don Quichotte. Also, two new DVD's came out from the Metropolitan Opera on the Sony Masterworks label; Mr. Bernstein is featured in those as Pietro in Simon Boccanegra and the 2nd Soldier in Salome.
In the 2009-2010 season at the Metropolitan Opera, productions included Pietro in Simon Boccanegra, as well as the company's productions of Die Zauberflöte, Tosca, Hamlet, House of the Dead, Armida, Ariadne auf Naxos, Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Carmen. In July 2010, Mr. Bernstein made his debut with Opera Fairbanks as Leporello in Don Giovanni, followed by playing Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival.
In the 2008-2009 season, Mr. Bernstein performed Alidoro in La Cenerentola with the Atlanta Opera, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Central City Opera, Pietro in Simon Boccanegra in his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Mo. James Levine, and he returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Salome, La Bohème, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Das Rheingold, Siegfreid and Eugene Onegin, as well as the MET's 125th Anniversary Gala. In addition, Mr. Bernstein was honored to be requested to perform selections of Figaro and Falstaff at the 1st National Endowment for the Arts Awards Ceremony in October 2008, honoring Leontyne Price, James Levine, Richard Gaddes and Carlylse Floyd.
In the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Bernstein reprised the role of Marco in A View from the Bridge with the Washington National Opera, a role he has previously performed at the MET. Opera News said, "Richard Bernstein's solid vocalism and astute theatrical skills brought out the simmering resentment of Rodolfo's moody brother, Marco." Completing the season at the Metropolitan Opera, he covered Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and performed their productions of Manon Lescaut, War and Peace, Macbeth, The Gambler, and Lord Krishna in Satyagraha. In the summer 2008, he performed Frank Maurent in Street Scene with Chautauqua Opera.
In the 2006-2007 season, Mr. Bernstein performed alternating nights as Colline in La Bohème and Alidoro in La Cenerentola with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and he debuted at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the San Diego Opera as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro. He also returned to the Metropolitan Opera in Simon Boccanegra and Eugene Onegin, and made his debut in Pamplona, Spain as Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. In concert, Mr. Bernstein performed the Bass Soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Charlotte Symphony, and Colline in La Bohème with the MET Opera in the Parks. Other recent noted engagements include his role debut of Orville Mason in the World Premiere of Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy and Colline in La Bohème with the Metropolitan Opera, Laurent in Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin at the world premiere in Dallas, Sancho Panza in Don Quichotte at the Klangbogen Festival in Vienna, and a return to Opera Pacific to revive his critically praised Mustafà in L'italiana in Algeri. He has performed Leporello in Don Giovanni at the opera companies of Los Angeles and Philadelphia, Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, Metropolitan Opera, and Savonlinna Festival in Finland.
On DVD, Mr. Bernstein appears on Sony's recent releases of Simon Boccanegra (Pietro) and Salome (2nd Soldier), and appears on EMI's release of the MET's Manon Lescaut (Captain), and Decca's release of Eugene Onegin (Zaretski), which was nominated in 2008 for the Best Opera Recording in the 51st Grammy Awards. He can also be heard on the recording of Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin as Laurent on Chandos Records.
Additionally, Mr. Bernstein has collaborated with a host of major American symphony orchestras and has also appeared at prestigious festivals here and abroad. These include the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and National Symphonies, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, as well as at the Lincoln Center, Ravinia, Spoleto and the Aspen Music Festivals, the Tanglewood Music Festival, and festivals abroad in Israel, Japan, Germany and Finland. Mr. Bernstein is also regularly invited to judge regional and district auditions for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Born and raised in New York, Mr. Bernstein moved west to pursue his musical studies at the University of Southern California. Upon graduation he was invited to join the Los Angeles Opera Resident Artist program for five seasons.