Samuel Ramey

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Samuel Ramey

Samuel Ramey 1942-, American operatic bass, b. Colby, Kans. He studied music at Kansas State and Wichita State (grad. 1968) universities and debuted with the New York City Opera in Bizet's Carmen in 1973. Known for his rich, expressive voice and commanding stage presence, he garnered international acclaim with debuts in such European venues as Glyndebourne (1976), Hamburg (1978), and La Scala and Vienna (1981). He first appeared at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1984 in Handel's Rinaldo. Ramey is noted for performing with equal skill in bel canto works requiring speed and flexibility and in dramatic parts demanding strength and power. He also is adept at portraying opera's demons and rogues, among them Mephistopholes in Gounot's Faust, the devil in Berlioz's Damnation of Faust, and the four villains in Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann.

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"Samuel Ramey." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Ramey, Samuel (Edward)

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Ramey, Samuel (Edward) (b Colby, Kan., 1942). Amer. bass-baritone. Sang with Grass Roots Opera Co., Raleigh, N.C. Début NY City Opera 1973 (Zuniga in Carmen), becoming prin. bass. Débuts: Glyndebourne 1976; Chicago and S. Francisco 1979; La Scala and Vienna 1981; CG 1982; NY Met 1984; Salzburg Fest. 1987. Series of Rossini roles at Pesaro 1981–9. Also many Mozart principal roles.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "Ramey, Samuel (Edward)." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "Ramey, Samuel (Edward)." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-RameySamuelEdward.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "Ramey, Samuel (Edward)." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved December 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-RameySamuelEdward.html

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