tenor

Ben Gulley, tenor

American tenor Ben Gulley has been hailed as “outstanding" (Opera News) and "startlingly gifted" (San Francisco Classical Voice). The award-winning artist’s recent seasons have included feature roles in opera, solo engagements, concert, film work, touring and important appearances abroad.

Gulley’s engagements for the 2024-2025 season include an exciting variety of fully staged productions including Rodolfo in La bohème with Knoxville Opera and Canio in Pagliacci with Pensacola Opera, as well as concert engagements such as a holiday concert with Orchestra Iowa, Carmina Burana with the Grand Rapids Symphony, and highlights from Bizet’s Carmen with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.

Recent artistic and critical triumphs include his debut as Romeo in the rave-reviewed Roméo et Juliette with Opera Idaho (2024), headlining “An Evening with Sir Tim Rice” alongside the EGOT legend himself (2024), winning Broadway World’s “Best Actor In A Musical” award for his debut as Quasimodo in Dennis DeYoung's Hunchback of Notre Dame with Skylight Music Theatre (2022), a debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca with Sarasota Opera (2022), Tenor Soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with Orchestra Iowa (2023) and international engagements as Tenor Soloist in Bruckner’s Te Deum with Maestro Hartmut Haenchen and as Tenor Soloist in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde opposite renowned mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung with the Belgian National Orchestra in Brussels and Namur, Belgium under Maestro Hugh Wolff (2021). In April of 2023, Gulley enjoyed a triumph with Portland Opera, jumping into the role of the Prince in Rusalka on two days’ notice and traveling directly to a dress rehearsal with no prior musical or stage rehearsals. Then, weeks later, he ended the season in similarly heroic and dramatic fashion by learning and performing the role of Foresto in Verdi’s Attila in three weeks’ time for a last-minute replacement at the Opera Festival of Chicago.

Other engagements of note for the 2023-2024 season included debuting with and headlining Symphony San Jose’s Christmas Pops program, a solo recital with pianist and NPR’s Peter Dugan for Fontana Chamber Arts, a role debut as Edgardo in a return to Opera Orlando for Lucia di Lammermoor, and concert appearances for Symphony San Jose’s season finale, “A Night of Puccini,” a return to Orchestra Iowa as the Tenor Soloist in Carmina Burana, and headlining with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra for their Fourth of July Touring Patriotic Pops Concerts.

Season highlights for the 2022-2023 season included engagements with the Asheville Symphony (“Night at the Opera”), concerts for Hidden Valley Music Seminars and the Tallahassee Symphony (“Viva Verdi!”), Tenor Soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with Orchestra Iowa, Radames in Aida with Fort Worth Opera, and Tenor Soloist in Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Belgian National Orchestra at the BOZAR in Brussels, Belgium.

Amidst the 2019-2022 COVID-19 disruption in the performing arts, Mr. Gulley performed the Tenor Soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (2021) and with the University of Texas-Austin Symphony (2022), his Dallas Opera Recital (digital) debut in 2020, headlined an “Opera in the Park” concert with Opera Idaho (2021), produced the online “Aria-Thon” broadcast charity event and “Opera in the Park with Ben” with Opera Steamboat (2020), as well as his 2019-2020 Ben Gulley National Recital Tour presented by LiveOnStage (cut short due to COVID-19 lockdown), recitals for Perdue University, North Dakota State University, Epworth by the Sea, Banner Elk Community Concerts and the Jacksonville, FL Museum of Science and History (2021).

Previous seasons included engagements with Opera Orlando for a role and house debut as Dick Johnson in The Girl of the Golden West (2019), Opera San Luis Obispo as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (2018) and Radames in Aida (2015), Sarasota Opera as Ismaele in Verdi’s Nabucco (2018), a debut as the Prince in Dvorak's Rusalka with Opera Steamboat (2017), a debut as Dr. Marianus in Mahler’s 8th Symphony with South Dakota Symphony (2017), the Tenor Soloist in “Beethoven vs. Coldplay” by Steve Hackman with the Grand Rapids Symphony (2017), Christmas Pops concerts with the Jacksonville Symphony (2018) and Louisville Symphony Orchestra (2018), an Operetta Recital with Sarasota Opera (2018), and headliner for The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s Opera Ball (2019). Mr. Gulley made his international company debut with the Staatsoper Hamburg, where he covered the late Marcello Giordani as Énée in Les Troyens under Maestro Kent Nagano (2016), performing at the Great Pyramids of Egypt in Giza (2017), a company and role debut with Sarasota Opera as Pedro in d'Albert's Tiefland (2017), his Carnegie Hall debut with The American Symphony as the Tenor Soloist in Haydn's Mass in Time of War (2017), and his celebrated 70-date Ben Gulley Solo US National Recital Tour, presented by Allied Concert Services (2014-2015).

Mr. Gulley is equally at home in the musical theater, having won praise and awards for his turn as Quasimodo in Dennis DeYoung’s Hunchback of Notre Dame (Skylight Musical Theatre, 2022). Dan in Next To Normal (MTH, 2016), Jack in Into The Woods (MTH, 2010), An Evening with Cole Porter (MTH, 2014) and originating Disney’s stage version of the evil puppeteer, Stromboli, in Stephen Schwartz’s Gepetto and Son (now My Son Pinocchio, Coterie Theater).

As a contemporary crossover artist, 2016 marked the commercial release of Mr. Gulley’s debut solo album of original music, In Between, which is available on every major music distribution and streaming service. From 2010 through 2014, Mr. Gulley was also a member of the Sony/BMG Masterworks recording and global touring group The American Tenors, alongside fellow tenors Nathan Granner and Daniel Montenegro and produced by creator and producer of The Irish Tenors, Frank McNamara. Mr. Gulley was also featured twice on the nationally televised PBS Memorial Day event “Celebration At The Station” with the Kansas City Symphony and Maestro Michael Stern.


Upcoming Performances

Alex Boyer, tenor

Tenor ALEX BOYER is steadily gaining recognition for his commanding voice and dramatic portrayals of the lyric and spinto tenor repertoire. Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle for Festival Opera’s production of Pagliacci, Boyer “mustered a large, potent sound that brought a welcome measure of anguish and dark menace to the role of Canio; his delivery of the famous showpiece ‘Vesti la giubba’ lacked nothing in the way of grit and vocal power.”

Most recently, he has been seen as Tichon in Janáček's Káťa Kabanová with West Edge Opera, Cassio in Otello and Cavaradossi in Tosca with Livermore Valley Opera, Cavaradossi with Hawaii Opera Theatre and as Captain Ahab in Jake Heggie's Moby Dick with Chicago Opera Theater. 

Other engagements include covering the roles of Ruggero in La Rondine with the Metropolitan Opera; Pollione in Norma, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and Ahab in Moby Dick with the Dallas Opera; performing the roles of the Abbot in Andrea Chénier and Remendado in Carmen with San Francisco Opera; Rodolfo in La bohème and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto with Island City Opera; Marcello in Leoncavallo's La bohème and Alwa in Lulu in the acclaimed West Edge Opera production. 

He is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program and the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers.



Upcoming Performances

Orson Van Gay II, tenor

Operatic Tenor, Orson Van Gay II, possesses a unique voice that captivates the audience with his charisma and command of the stage for a singer of his generation. His performances showcase vocal talents that have brought him constant recognition in Southern California and across the United States.

Recent and Upcoming: In the 2019-20 season, he created the role of Raymond Santana in the world première of Anthony Davis’s Central Park Five (Pulitzer Winning Opera 2021) with Long Beach Opera and made his role debut as Rodolfo in La bohème with Pacific Opera Project. He was Nemorino with the Phoenicia Int. Festival of the Voice and sang the romantic lead of the Young Man in Last Romance with Kansas New Theater. Equally at home as a recitalist, Mr. Van Gay has appeared in the Portsmouth Community Concert, Inc. (VA), the Rio Hondo College and at Carnegie Hall in a recital with Wang Wei. This season included working with Maestro Conlon in a supporting role at LA Opera in their production of Il trovatore and with the LA Philharmonic in their preparation of Fidelio. He debuted as Danilo in Pocket Opera’s The Merry Widow, followed by his debut as The Athlete in the West Coast premiere of, I Can’t Breathe with Pacific Opera Project. He was Vitaliano in Long Beach Opera’s Guistino with James Darrah directing; and reprised his role in The Central Park Five with Long Beach Opera in 2022. He reprised the role of Alfredo in La traviata with Piedmont Opera. Mr. Van Gay is the proud recipient of 2022 inaugural Hurst Artist of the year award.

Orson Van Gay II was an ardent Alfredo...his sound was fluent and his high notes golden.
— Broadway World

Mr. Van Gay has sung extensively with the Los Angeles Opera in many venues including their “Connects”, “City of Hope” “IAMLA, series. He debuted the role of Bernard Curson in the world première of Figaro 90210 with the company and was Ramerrez in The Prospector in two different seasons. Other operatic roles include Alfredo (La traviata), Ben (The Night of the Living Dead) and the title roles of Candide and Orpheus.

He joined the Cal Philharmonic Orchestra in celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th anniversary and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 as tenor soloist at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Reviewed by George van Wagner he stated, “beautifully sung and strongly acted...audience members were visibly moved.” He has sung the haunting role of Orlando in The Industry’s nationally acclaimed production of Hopscotch. In addition to performing in the romantic and Germanic languages of opera, Mr. Van Gay was selected to perform in Mandarin last season making his debut with SINO U.S. Performing Arts Organization as tenor soloist for their concert series with performances in Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona.

He premiered Golden; a composition based on the life of Polish composer, Igancy Paderewski by Nathan Wang in Los Angeles and sang the role of Prince in the world première of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Vocal Performance from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and has been honored by the NATS organization in first place on several occasions.

As a native of southern California, Mr. Van Gay is also an actor in several nationally recognized television series. He has been featured in major television commercials and starred on a variety of shows for Netflix; including foreign film and television. He co- starred on the Disney series Coop & Cami Ask the World.

More on Orson Van Gay ll at: http://www.orsonvangay.com


Colors of a Lyric by Orson Van Gay II

releases May 14, 2023

“After performing for nearly two decades, I was often asked, "do you have a record available?" I often referred fans to my website or YouTube where they could find highlights from operatic performances. The pandemic gave me the time to reflect and curate some of my favorite arias. I wanted to give the world a sneak peak into the pieces that have helped shape and inspire my journey, as an artist. As a budding musician, I remember listening to the iconic opera singers and thinking, 'this is how I want to connect to humanity!" This has been a labor of love brought to fruition through years of performances. I hope you enjoy.”



Upcoming Performances