Ryan F. Burns was named the National Winner of The American Prize in
Vocal Performance — The Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Award,
in the professional opera division for 2017-18. He performs regularly with
opera companies, orchestras, and ensembles in the Northeast. He has
received training from the CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster, the
VOICExperience program, and the Total Interpretation Project as part of
the Capobianco Opera Studio.
Burns has performed with the former Opera Boston, Salt Marsh Opera,
Connecticut Lyric Opera, Opera Theater of Connecticut, Opera Providence,
Hartford Opera Theater, UConn Opera Theater, Greater Worcester Opera,
Opera del West, and the Jessica Lang Dance Company. Additionally, he
has been a soloist with the New Haven Symphony, Greater Middletown
Chorale, South Hadley Chorale and Orchestra, Pioneer Valley Symphony
Orchestra, and the Sounds of Stow Festival Chorus and Orchestra.
His operatic credits include Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Figaro in
Il barbiere di Siviglia, Dr. Falke/Frank in Die Fledermaus, Valentin in Faust,
Father in Hänsel und Gretel, Schaunard in La bohème, Sid in Albert
Herring, Masetto in Don Giovanni, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, John
Proctor in The Crucible, General Boum in The Grand Duchess, King
Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Maximilian in Candide.
In 2017, Burns graduated with a doctorate of musical arts from the
University of Connecticut under the direction of Dr. Constance Rock, where
he was a former Concerto Competition winner. While there, he also served
as an adjunct instructor of Opera Studio, directing the voice area’s opera
outreach program. Currently, he serves as Program Coordinator for the
JOY! Conservatory Scholarship Program (UConn), and Director of Music at
The Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut.