Ryland Angel

Born on St. Cecilia's Day, Countertenor RYLAND ANGEL was a chorister at Bristol Cathedral and a lay-clerk at Chester Cathedral. He trained as a lawyer before deciding to pursue a professional career as a singer in 1991 when he started studying with David Mason. Since then, Mr. Angel has received a Grammy nomination and has performed with William Christie, Rene Jacobs, Ivor Bolton, Roy Goodman, Christophe Rousset, Philippe Herreweghe, Christophe Coin, Gabriel Garrido, Cantus Köln, Le Concert Spirituel, Le Parlement de Musique, the Ensemble of Early Music of New York and Ensemble La Fenice. Recently he performed The Fairy Queen with Boston Baroque as well as performances of Venus and Adonis by Desmarest conducted by Christophe Rousset at Opera de Nancy and a return engagement with the William Byrd Ensemble in Paris joining them additionally at the Boston Early Music Festival. Other recent engagements have included: Tolomeo Giulio Cesare with Opera Colorado and Boston Baroque and concerts with the New York Collegium and Messiah with Musica Sacra in a Carnegie Hall debut; plus Adrasto in Sant Alessio with Les Arts Florissants at Lincoln Center, Barbican (UK), Caen, Luxembourg, Theatre des Champs Elysées (Paris) (DVD on EMI/Virgin Veritas). He sang on the movie Henry IV and also sang in Le Petit Prince. He performed Giove in The Return of Ulysses Monteverdi -Christophe Rousset -Toulouse opera, Paris Cite de la Musique, and the Leipzig festival. Mr. Angel has performed with the English National Opera in Monteverdi's Orfeo, Buggen in Purcell's The Fairy Queen and Fritz in the world premiere of Gavin Bryars' Doctor Ox’s Experiment, directed by Atom Egoyan. He sang the title role in Handel's Amadigi di Gaula in Karlsruhe with Roy Goodman, Bertarido Rodelinda with Il Combattimento in the Carre Theatre Amsterdam and Zephyr Apollo and Hyacinth with the Classical Opera Company in London. Other opera engagements include the title role in Gluck's Orfeo in Koblenz, the title role in Marazzoli's San Tomaso with Cantus Köln, Venus and Adonis at Flanders Opera with René Jacobs, Dido and Aeneas at the Opera Comique in Paris, King Arthur and Acis and Galatea with Deller Consort, Peri's Euridice with Opéra Normandie, The Play of Daniel in Paris and Tokyo, Jupiter in Ballet Comique de La Royne in Geneva and "Love Divine" in a staged version of Caldara's Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin at Le Louvre, Paris. He has performed Monteverdi's Selva Morale with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, the world premiere of Doux Mensonges at the Opéra National de Paris Palais Garnier with Jiri Kylian and William Christie, as well as an appearance at London's South Bank Centre in Carmina Burana conducted by Mark Ermler. Mr. Angel sang in Tolomeo with Muziektheater Transparant in Antwerp, the title role in Radamisto for Opera Theatre of St. Louis, in concert performances of Handel's Israel in Egypt with Graeme Jenkins in Dallas, The Play of Daniel for the Spoleto Festival in Italy and Athamas Semele for Oper Köln. He has also appeared inAgrippina with New York City Opera, and as Oberon A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Florentine Opera under Steuart Bedford. He recently returned to English National Opera as Buggen The Fairy Queen, a part he has also sung for the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona. Other engagements include recordings of Charpentier Te Deum with Le Concert Spirituel, Scarlatti Cantatas with Les Folies Francaises, works of Clarke and Purcell with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Nicholas McGegan and Messiah with both the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lim Yau. He has sung Tolomeo Guilio Cesare for Utah Opera, and Oberon A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and made his debut with the Philharmonia Baroque of San Francisco in a Scarlatti program conducted by Nicholas McGegan. Recordings include: "Counter-tenor Duets and Song" -Purcell (Deux-elles); Te Deum - Charpentier (Glossa); The Cecilian Vespers -D. Scarlatti (Avie); "Totus Amore" -Solo Cantatas of Scarlatti, Stradella and Bassani (Deux Elles); Ballet Comique de La Royne -Beaujoyeaux (K317); Messe des Morts -Charpentier (Naxos); "Motets of Lorenzani" (Naxos); "A Baroque Christmas" (Ex Cathedra); "A Bohemian Christmas" (Ex Cathedra); Polish Baroque -Pekiel and his contemporaries (Ambronay editions); Recital CD with Fort Worth Early Music (now Texas Camerata);Venus and Adonis -Desmarest (Ambroisie); O magnum Mysterium -Tiffany Consort (MSR Classics - Grammy nominated); "In Sure and Certain Hope" -N. White (MSR classics); "Ryland Angel" -Ryland Angel (EMI) (appearances on 'Good Morning America' and PBS); "The New Voice of Christmas" (KOCH). DVD's and Films: Sant' Alessio (EMI/Virgin); Le Petit Prince (IMax); The Fairy Queen (Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona); Etoiles -Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet; "Heavenly Voices" (EMI/PBS TV special). Plus, coming soon: a new CD of Buxtehude and Bach for Countertenor with Rick Erickson and the Bach Players.