Ronald Hamilton
Ronald Hamilton is an American tenor who was born in Hamilton, Ohio, to a musical family. He began studying medicine first, but then opted for singing.
In 1972, he was engaged by the opera in Ulm. In 1975, he signed a contract with Dortmund, and, in 1977, with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. In the 1985-86 season, he was seen in Geneva, as Alwa in Lulu. It was in this role, in John Dexter's production, in which he made his 1988 debut at the Metropolitan Opera, opposite Catherine Malfitano and Tatiana Troyanos, conducted by James Levine.
The tenor appeared regularly with the companies of Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin (Staatsoper), in the roles of Florestan (Fidelio), Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos), Lohengrin, and Walther von Stolzing (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg). In the role of Stolzing, he participated in a tour with the Staatsoper to Japan. In 1988-89 and in 1989-90, he regularly appeared at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Der fliegende Holländer, Der Freischütz, Oberon, Lohengrin, and Die Meistersinger). Also in his répertoire are the roles of Tristan in Tristan und Isolde, Aegisth in Elektra, the Kaiser in Die Frau ohne Schatten, and the Leper in Saint François d'Assise.
Hamilton made his debut at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in 1988, in Lulu. He then appeared in the role of Skuratov in From the House of the Dead. In 1990, he sang the important role of St Simeon Stylites in Hans Zender's Stephen Climax. At the Salzburg Festival, in 1990, he sang Orpheus in Ernst Krenek's Orpheus und Eurydice, with Dunja Vejzovic.
Among his recordings are found, on Compact Discs, Orpheus und Eurydice (of Krenek, 1990) and Stephen Climax (with Dale Duesing, conducted by Sylvain Cambreling, 1990) and, on DVD, Wozzeck (as the Drum-Major, opposite Duesing, 1996).
Sources
- The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia, edited by David Hamilton, Simon & Schuster, 1987. ISBN 0-671-61732-X
- Program notes to Stephen Climax, La Monnaie, 1990.