SCOTT RAMSAY

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B. Hughes, Theater-Chicago

Two characters stand out among a cast of more than a dozen: baritone Justin Ryan as Walt Disney and tenor Scott Ramsay as Wilhem Dantine. Both sing beautifully and powerfully with excellent tone and diction. Ramsay’s Dantine, however, is the character that shakes things up and adds a measure of tension to an otherwise uneventful libretto. Ramsay imbues his character with integrity and strength, when it could easily have descended to sniping and menace."

 

The Perfect American 

Wilhelm Dantine - Longbeach Opera

M. Swed, LA Times

"Scott Ramsay’s Dantine, the fired animator, berated and mourned Walt, ferociously and poignantly, as both monster and god of animation."

 

Salome 

Narraboth - Detroit Symphony Orchestra

M. Stryker, Detroit Free Press

"Scott Ramsay was a more distinctive Narraboth, singing with both lyricism and enough edge to compete with the orchestral roar behind him."

 

Carmen 

Don José - Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra

L. Bernabo, News Tribune

"The character of Don Jose is certainly no Don Juan, but Scott Ramsay turns his Act 2 La fleur que tu m’avais jetee into a heartfelt declaration of love that suddenly transforms the love-struck sergeant of the dragoons into a rather credible romantic figure. This is the pivotal aria in the opera, and Ramsay carried it off very effectively. More importantly, the tenor fully captured the emotions of the final confrontation with Carmen, and reaffirmed the belief that singing the notes is one thing, but feeling them is what it is really all about in a night at the opera."

 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Edgardo - Portland Opera

A. Allen, Oregon Artswatch - Portland, OR

"Ramsay, cast as star-crossed lover Edgardo, is a powerhouse. He sings often on his knees, and there is little lovelier than his final aria (“Tu che a Dio spiegasti l’ali”) as he writhes in pain from stabbing himself, heading toward heaven with his beloved and lost Lucia. Over the top, of course, but exquisite."

 

A Streetcar Named Desire 

Mitch - Virginia Opera

R. Ashby, ShowBizRadio - Washington D.C.

"Of all the leads, Ramsay is the most perfectly cast. In addition to his musical qualifications, his Mitch becomes a large, shambling, socially awkward fellow, whose sweetness and kinder instincts are never quite a match for his domination by his mother and his peers, particularly Stanley. He genuinely cares for Blanche, and his desolation in the final scene, sitting alone at the table as Blanche is led off by the doctor, is one of the evening’s most moving moments."

 

J. Reinthaler, The Washington Post

"Scott Ramsay sang with both appealing innocence and wary caution."

 

Mrs. President: The Opera 

Henry Ward Beecher - Symphony Space

C. McGovern, The Glass

Her equal for the male singers is definitely Scott Ramsay as the popular orator Henry Ward Beecher. In his own dramatic developments, Ramsay gives a fiery performance that accentuates both the character’s flair and anger.

 

Sweeney Todd

Beadle Bamford - Opera Theatre St. Louis

S.B. Miller, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Tenor Scott Ramsay’s Beadle Bamford is a well-rounded picture of corruption."

 

J. Sohre, Opera Today

"Scott Ramsay sang a wondrously secure Beadle Bamford. He was a good physical type to boot. There is a freshness, clarity and bloom in Mr. Ramsay’s tenor that are enormously pleasing. The repeated falsetto’d “Ding Dong’s” in his parlor duet with Mrs. Lovett caused a ripple of delight in the audience."

 

C. Lavazzi, KDHX - St. Louis

"Scott Ramsay had all the oily nastiness you’d expect as Beadle Bamford, along with a strikingly strong head voice and falsetto. His final notes in “Ladies in Their Sensitivities” could shatter glass."

 

H. Hamm, CBS - St. Louis

"Scott Ramsay as the Beadle and Timothy Nolen as the depraved Judge Turpin reek evil from the stage."

 

S. Cantrell, Dallas News

"Scott Ramsay is the potent, prodding Beadle Bamford"

 

Matinée Musicale Recital Series

Recital Review: Cincinnati, OH

M.E. Hutton, Music In Cincinnati

"Tenor Scott Ramsay gave the Cincinnati audience a very human Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress” in March with the Vocal Arts Ensemble and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. He returned April 26 to delight a Matinee Musicale audience at Mayerson Jewish Community Center in Amberley Village. The recital, final concert of MM’s 99th season, comprised songs and opera arias. Joining him in a superb collaboration was pianist Christopher Allen. The songs, said Ramsay, were some of his favorites, including lieder by Richard Strauss and songs by Paolo Tosti, John Duke and Gene Scheer. Likewise, the arias (specially requested by MM, he said) were drawn from some of his favorite roles.

How better to open a vocal recital than with Richard Strauss? And Ramsay and Allen did so handsomely. “Heimliche Aufforderung” (“Secret Invitation”) made a radiant introduction, followed by the touching “Allerseelen” (“All Soul’s Day”) in which the poet recalls love born in the spring. The tender “Morgen” (“Tomorrow”) was followed by “Zueignung” (“Dedication”), a triumphant, noble thanksgiving for transforming love. The Tosti songs, a “post-pasta set,” quipped Ramsay, began with his popular, sunny “La Serenata.” “Aprile,” a lovely ode to spring, was gentle and sweet, with a hint of modulation on the evocation of love in the refrain. Ramsay let his voice break slightly now and then in “Non t’amo più” (“I don’t love you anymore”), to heart-rending effect. American composer John Duke’s “Three Chinese Love Lyrics” (1964) made a fine impression. There was reverie in “Noonday,” sung as the beloved sleeps, regret in “Through Your Window” about love delayed (“too late”). In the “The Shoreless Sea,” a passionate wish to sail with the beloved always, Ramsay soared thrillingly on the final “drunk with love.” A highlight of the recital was a set by Gene Scheer. Ramsay had fun with “At Howard Hawk’s House,” a jazzy narrative by a marine on shore leave who just misses meeting a pair of Hollywood beauties. “Lean Away,” sung with great beauty, was a reflection on “things you cannot know, like the wind that takes you home.” Ramsay and Allen evoked keenly the pain of loss in “Holding Each Other,” and they offered a moving rendition of Scheer’s well known “American Anthem” (first performed in 1998 for President and Mrs. Clinton and also at the 2005 inauguration of President George W. Bush).

Moving to opera, Ramsay treated his audience to “Questa o quella” (“This one or that one”), the licentious Duke’s aria from Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” which he sang for the first time in February at Sacramento Opera. He made an affecting contrast with Lensky’s “Kuda kuda vï udalilis” (“Where have you gone, o golden days?”) from Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” which he debuted for Madison Opera in November. Using his face with great expression, he vividly conveyed Des Grieux’ vision of Manon from Massenet’s “Manon” (“Le Rêve,”“The Dream”). Closing number was “Una furtive lagrima” (“A furtive tear”) from Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’amore” (“The Elixir of Love”). The popular aria is the tenor’s “national anthem,” said Ramsay, and it fit him perfectly, both vocally and dramatically. Called back for an encore, he and Allen performed Werther’s “Pourquoi ma réveiller? (“Why do you wake me now?”) from Massenet’s “Werther,”. It made for a ravishing sendoff."

 

The Rake's Progress 

Tom Rakewell - Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra

M.E. Hutton, Music In Cincinnati

"Ramsay's smooth lyric tenor enhanced Tom's sympathetic side, as in his remorseful aria sung on his knees at Mother Goose's whore house and at the beginning of Act II, where he lamented "the gap in my heart." Most affecting was the final scene, where he and Sierra adopted the same pose used by Hogarth in his painting of the rake in Bedlam."

 

Rigoletto

Duke of Mantua - Sacramento Opera

E. Ortiz, The Sacramento Bee

As the free-loving Duke of Mantua, Scott Ramsay proved a fitting tenor. His take on "La donna e mobile" was one where his lithe tenor gave a buoyancy to the irony of the music and lyrics.

 

Eugene Onegin

Lenski - Madison Opera

G. Hettmansberger, Madison Magazine

"Ramsay delivered solid evidence of his growing reputation."

 

Opera in the Park

Soloist - Madison Opera

L. Christians, The Capital Times

"Tenor Scott Ramsay’s Una furtiva lagrima, from Donizetti’s 'The Elixir of Love', was sweet and sorrowful. I found it hopelessly romantic - Ramsay's bright high notes lept into the crowd."

 

S. Tabachnick, The Daily Page

"Wisconsin likes to root for its own, and when Wisconsin native Scott Ramsay sang Donizetti's Una furtiva lagrima from 'The Elixir of Love', we were proud. His approach to this love aria was careful and gentle, but that changed when he and Yun sang Bizet's friendship duet from 'The Pearl Fishers'. Ramsay's tenor was clarion and strong."

 

Verdi's Requiem

Soloist - Master Chorale of South Florida

L. Budmen, The Classical Review

"Scott Ramsay sang an ardent Ingemisco with a bright lyric tenor of strength and beauty."

 

Beethoven's Symphony No. 9

Soloist - Toledo Symphony

S. Vallongo, Toledo Blade

"The best quartet I have heard in this work joined the symphony, massed choirs, and Maestro for the dynamic fourth movement ... the powerful tenor Scott Ramsay ... articulated the powerful texts in a superb example of ensemble singing."

 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Edgardo - Green Mountain Opera Festival

J. Lowe, The Times Argus

"Scott Ramsay was a heroic Edgardo ... his delivery in the final scenes was heart-wrenchingly tender and beautiful."

 

Verdi's Requiem

Soloist - Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

A. Reguero, Democrat & Chronicle

"The concert, which ends the RPO's Philharmonic Series season, also included the best four vocal soloists I've heard perform choral repertoire with the RPO. Scott Ramsay, the tenor, had a shimmering upper register and a clear, expressive voice."

 

La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein

Fritz - Opera Boston

K. Ratzlaff, Opera News

" Ramsay's sweetness of voice, bright smile and intrepid good cheer were irresistible."

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K. Powers, The Boston Herald

"Scott Ramsay (Fritz) and Wendy Bryn Harmer (Wanda) played the peasant lovers to perfection, and both more than held their own in their onstage musical jousts with Blythe."

 

Faust

Faust - Eugene Opera

M. Farwell, The Register-Guard

"Scott Ramsay is the finest tenor we have heard in years, and his bright, fine-grained voice was perfect for this French title role."

 

Mozart's  Requiem

Soloist - Music of the Baroque

J. von Rhein, The Chicago Tribune

"The fine singing of the vocal quartet lent a sense of heartsease to Glover's conception."

 

E. Mandel, Chicago Classical Music

"The soloists brought an equally masterful command to the delicate texture. Ramsay's ringing tenor and Zukerman's silkey soprano blended evenly with their lower counterparts."

 

L.A. Johnson, The Classical Review

"... and the clear plaintive tenor of Scott Ramsay made an impact as well."

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Verdi's Requiem

Soloist - The Louisville Orchestra

A. Adler, The Courier-Journal

"Tenor Scott Ramsay displayed taste and refinement in his Hostias."

 

Songs From Spoon River

CD Review

C. Clarke, Fanfare Magazine, Issue: January/February 2010

"The hypnotic opening song (“All are sleeping on the hill” for tenor), intriguingly introduces the listener to the inhabitants of a cemetery with a dirge-like gait. That Scott Ramsay can imbue this with a sense of contained beauty is testament to how carefully these chosen singers have been considered for this recording."

 

Così fan tutte

Ferrando - Arizona Opera

C.E. Burch, Arizona Daily Star

"Scott Ramsay‘s Ferrando showcased a commanding, controlled tenor throughout the night."

 

La Bohème

Rodolfo - Duluth Festival Opera

S. Black, The News Tribune

"Tenor Scott Ramsay as Rodolfo was riveting from opening to closing. He was the most charismatic character on stage, and his singing was absolutely beautiful."

 

Opera Gala Concert

Soloist - Springfield Symphony Orchestra

C.J. Noble, The Republican

"Puccini got the longest home-run shot of the night, as Scott Ramsay and Sara Jakubiak sang O Soave Fanciulla from his opera La Boheme, floating their high Cs from offstage to the delight of all present."

 

Roméo et Juliette

Roméo - Syracuse Opera

S. Landesman, The Ithaca Journal

"In the strongly cast title roles, the Roméo of tenor Scott Ramsay was superb. Ramsay, with the bearing and hunky appearance of a Gerard Depardieu, sang his balcony scene apostrophe ("Ah! lève-toi, soleil!") with powerful and ringing ardor, the final scene's "Salut! tombeau" and his deadly toast with somber passion."

 

D. Kushner, The Post-Standard

"Ramsay was tender and appropriately sentimental as Romeo, his tasteful lyric tenor perfectly suited to the role ... his performance revealed a full-bodied instrument unencumbered by the challenge of repeated high B-naturals. The singer seemed to relish the rich, melodic phrases set down for him by Gounod."

 

L'Elisir d'Amore 

Nemorino - Opera Grand Rapids

J. Kaczmarczyk, The Grand Rapids Press

"Donizetti gave him the night's best aria, and Ramsay held the audience in the palm of his hands with a mixture of vulnerability and virtuosity while singing Una furtiva lagrima."

 

Lulu

Painter & Sailor - Lyric Opera of Chicago

M. Thomas Ketterson, Opera News

"Tenor Scott Ramsay essayed the Painter's cruelly stratospheric tessitura exceptionally well and chillingly rendered his suicidal disintegration."

 

W. Delacoma - Musical America

"Scott Ramsay's Painter was a deft combination of romantic artiste and craven careerist. Re-appearing as the Sailor, he embodied menacing stupidity."

 

J. Sohre - Opera Today

"Scott Ramasy’s Painter deserves special mention for his gleaming delivery."

 

The Destruction of Jerusalem

Zedekiah - American Symphony Orchestra 

A. Tommasini, The New York Times

"Also impressive was the bright-voiced tenor of Scott Ramsay as Zedekiah."

 

Die Zauberflöte

Tamino - Arizona Opera

D. Behnke, The News & Sun

"Scott Ramsay is a trouper. After a successful performance Saturday night, he was called back on 30 minutes' notice Sunday to repeat the role of Tamino - the other tenor having become indisposed. Ramsay's clear tenor and capable acting surfaced fully by the recitative early in Act I, and he continued to put in a fine performance."

 

Semele

Jupiter - Opera Boston

M. Guerriere, The Boston Globe

"Scott Ramsay's sweet, silky tenor was a fascinating match for Jupiter, reimagined as a formidable executive, exercising power through confident charisma; his elegant singing of Where'er You Walk, the opera's greatest hit - staged as a counterpoint to a Semele-Ino reunion - reinvigorated even that warhorse."

 

W. Chin, Opera News

"In any production of Semele, Jupiter is no prince. Here, Helfrich turned him into a real "player," tossing around baubles and cash, giving as much time to checking text messages as tending to Semele. Scott Ramsay, who shows great promise, handled these dimensions very well. Vocally, he was at his best in Where'er you walk, singing with sweetness and sincerity."

 

G. Loomis, The Financial Times

"Scott Ramsay's Jupiter looked very corporate in a three-piece suit, but his soft-grained tenor made a touching moment of Where'er you walk as he gazed tenderly on his inamorata and her sister as they flipped through a photo album."

 

Don Giovanni

Don Ottavio - Dayton Opera

E. Street, Dayton City Paper

"Scott Ramsay makes an auspicious Dayton Opera debut in the part of Don Ottavio. Ramsay seems totally at home on stage and thoroughly in sympathy with Mozartean style. Blessed with a lucious, effortless-sounding instrument, Ramsay can modulate his voice to a melting mezzo-piano, which he displays in stunning effect in the second verse of his Act I aria, Dalla sua pace."

 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Edgardo - Dublin International Opera Festival

M. Dervan, The Irish Times

"He's engaged, he's wound up and fearlessly sends his voice on its difficult missions."

 

Roméo et Juliette

Roméo - Opera New Jersey

D. Shengold, Opera News

"Ramsay's growing tenor remains light, but he is a thoughtful, musical artist and shaped text and music with care and stylish expressiveness. Nothing was shirked, certainly not the high C capping Act III."

 

R. Baxter, The Courier Post

"Ramsay sings with the ardor and polish the music demands."

 

R. Bonapace, The Star-Ledger

"The setting was especially well suited for Scott Ramsay as Roméo whose fine acting skills exuded a tenderness and vulnerability. The tenor from Chicago sang with a warm and sonorous tone."

 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Edgardo - Connecticut Grand Opera

D. Shengold, Opera News

"Scott Ramsay's Edgardo emerged a fully drawn figure, plausibly romantic and impulsive, etched in meaningfully declaimed and unfailingly musical phrases. He withstood the terrors of the part's high tessitura ... his clear timbre suggests a promising future ... it was a pleasure to hear Edgardo's beautiful music so cleanly negotiated."

 

J. Sehulster, The Advocate
"Edgardo was finely sung by Scott Ramsay. His bright tenor first matched Gilbert in Verranno a te sull'aure, the rapturous duet that concludes Act I; his grand aria Fra poco a me ricovero, Edgardo's suicide scene at the opera's conclusion, was soulful and touching."

 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Edgardo - The Kentucky Opera

C.H. Parsons, Opera News

"With the arrival onstage of Lucia, Alisa and Edgardo ... the performance took soaring flight. Gilbert's Lucia was no ice-and-crystal voice but one with warm, opal sound that caressed the ear. Ramsay matched her note for note, his lovely tenor of similar color and grace ... Ramsay countered with an equally beautiful death scene, marshaling sufficient reserves of power for Edgardo's punishingly difficult final phrases."

 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Edgardo - Lyric Opera of Chicago

W. Dellacoma, Chicago Sun-Times

"Ramsay's flexible voice is very attractive, and he is a much better actor than Marcello Alvarez. He brought a passionate intensity to the role that matched the fire of Dessay's riveting Lucia. The opera's tragic tale took flight as it had not with Alvarez."

 

Interview with Lyric Opera’s Sir Andrew Davis

E. Eriksson, Wisconsin Music Review

"Well, I’m a great believer in Scott. I think he’s a tremendous talent and he’s come a long way in the time he’s been here. Of course, my wife (Gianna Rolandi) coaches him and he’s a wonderful musician – and did you hear him when he stepped in, in Lucia last season?” … “He sang beautifully and actually, his last scene was far more moving than who was scheduled. He was just fantastic and the last scene – which occurs right after the Mad Scene and can be such an anti-climax if it’s not well done – he did it so movingly. I was very, very impressed and we all were. He’s done some great things and I think he has a very good career ahead of him. Again, he’s someone who’s a very intelligent musician and a sensitive artist."

 

Mozart at the Opera

Soloist - Albany Symphony Orchestra

J. Hennerty, The Times Union

"Scott Ramsay was arguably the most impressive of the four singers. He was ambitious enough to sing the original (very difficult) version of Fuor Del Mar from Idomeneo. He performed the rapid runs and other decorations handsomely. His voice was shown to even better effect in Dalla Sua Pace from Don Giovanni."

 

G. Freedman, The Daily Gazette

"Ramsay was fantastic in the brilliant coloratura work in the Fuor del mare. The evenness of his tone, agility, large range and stamina in this long aria were formidable. Ramsay sang a beautiful, fluid Dalla sua pace with a sweet tone."

 

Don Giovanni

Don Ottavio - Austin Lyric Opera

D. Mead, The Austin Statesman

"The other aristocrats — Don Ottavio, the would-be fiancé of Donna Anna ... were sung beautifully by Angela Fout and especially Scott Ramsay." (Austin Critics Circle Nomination - Best Male Performance/Opera)

 

Semele

Jupiter - Arizona Opera

C. Curcio, Curtain Up Phoenix

"Scott Ramsay's tenor was glowing for his Jupiter."

 

Turandot

Pong - Lyric Opera of Chicago

J. von Rhein, Chicago Tribune

"...with those fine tenors David Cangelosi as Pang and Scott Ramsay as Pong."

 

A. Patner, Chicago Sun-Times

Fortunately, the courtiers Ping, Pang and Pong are played wonderfully by three alums of Lyric's excellent training program ... Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey's Ping is a superb anchor for veteran character tenor David Cangelosi's Pang and Chicago-based tenor Scott Ramsay's Pong in their essential and often-moving scenes.

 

Verdi's Requiem

Soloist - Toronto Symphony Orchestra

K. Winters, Toronto Globe and Mail

"Scott Ramsay was an 11th-hour substitute for the originally assigned tenor. He was unknown in the role, and apparently learned it in four days. He proved a real find. His Ingemisco, Hostias and solo in the Lux Aeterna, had a sweetness and modest purity reminiscent of vintage Bjoerling and Simoneau."

 

Rising Stars In Concert

Soloist - Lyric Opera of Chicago

L. Emerick, Chicago Sun Times

"With ringing top notes, tenor Scott Ramsay skillfully negotiated the tricky intervals of Porquoi me reveiller from Massenet’s Werther."

 

Opera Highlights Concert

Soloist - Green Bay Symphony

E. Eriksson, The News-Chronicle

"Ramsay’s instrument posses the sine qua non for distinction – a vocal color immediately recognizable, singular in timbre and formed with technical mastery. Beautifully graduated, his voice has a trace of the softly veiled quality that made Jussi Björling’s tenor so unforgettable. The unfailing steady tone, the plaintive tonal quality, the ability to play assuredly with dynamics (his sustained diminuendo at the end was breathtaking) were all in the league with standards set by such immortal artists as Tito Schipa and Alfredo Kraus. This was consummate singing even by the most stringent standards."

 

W. Gerds, Green Bay Press Gazette

"Hometown folks came away impressed with how Ramsay has developed. Ramsay has a smooth, fresh, flowing voice. He plays characters nicely, too. His voice has the strength to carry to the last row of the Weidner Auditorium balcony, which is where I sat — on purpose — to check his power."

 

Bach Magnificat

Soloist - Madison Symphony Orchestra

J. Anderson, Madison Music Review

"Of the soloists, the standout performance was by Ramsay, whose aria Deposuit potentes was clear, strong and sure, despite its extreme pitch range and very fleet tempo."