Richard Berkeley-Steele

Biography

Sought after in the dramatic tenor repertoire, Richard Berkeley-Steele performs internationally in some of the world’s most important opera houses, working with a number of distinguished conductors and directors. His key roles include Siegfried – notably in the 2001 Seattle Ring Cycle and at English National Opera in 2004 under Paul Daniel – and Siegmund, which he performed in the 2005 Seattle Ring Cycle under Robert Spano, at the Nationaltheater Mannheim and Städtische Theater Chemnitz, both under Oleg Caetani, and in Harry Kupfer’s production for the Gran Teatre del Liceu under Bertrand de Billy. His other Wagnerian roles include Tristan at Grange Park Opera, with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Myung-Whun Chung, and in concert with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko; Tannhäuser at Opera Australia under Richard Hickox, at the China National Opera House and Fuzhou Grand Theatre; Lohengrin at Teatro Massimo in Palermo and Loge (Das Rheingold) with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. Other roles include Drum Major (Wozzeck), Peter Grimes, Don José (Carmen) and Jimmy Mahoney (Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny). In 2013, he debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Laca (Jenůfa). His most recent opera appearances include Loge (Der Ring des Nibelungen) for Opera Australia and General Wingrave (Owen Wingrave) at the Aldeburgh and Edinburgh International festivals and at the Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse. A consummate concert artist, Richard Berkeley-Steele performs throughout Europe in repertoire including Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, The Apostles and The Kingdom; Verdi’s Requiem, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Updated: June 2015