J. Patrick Raftery

Patrick Raftery made his professional debut as Schaunard in La bohème sharing the stage with Luciano Pavarotti. After his years at The Boston Conservatory and The Juilliard School of Music, Mr. Raftery was taken up by The Richard Tucker Music Foundation and C.A.M.I. artists when his career soared and took him to all the major opera houses of the world in less than a decade culminating in his debut at the Metropolitan Opera with Mirella Freni in Manon Lescaut.

In August 1992, Mr. Raftery gave his first performances as a tenor at New York's Avery Fischer Hall in concert performances of Lucio Silla. The 1992/93 season included Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, Florestan in Fidelio and Max in Jonny spielt auf, all with the Opera of Leipzig. Immediately, the same company invited him to participate in their 300-year anniversary celebration by singing Grigori/Dimitri in the acclaimed production of Boris Godunov by Oscar winning director Istvan Szabo. Mr. Raftery's debut at La Scala came in the 1993/94 season's opening production of Spontini's La Vestale conducted by Riccardo Muti and recorded live for Sony Classical. That same season Mr. Raftery debuted in quick succession the roles of Parsifal, Samson and Siegmund. The latter in the Frankfurt Opera's critically acclaimed Ring Cycle of Herbert Werneke conducted by Sylvain Cambreling.

Mr. Raftery participated in The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden's world premier of Alexander Goehr's opera Arianna, Siegmund in Seattle's Ring, Erik in a new Der fliegende Holländer for the Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), Andrei Kovanski in Kovanschina for the Hamburg State Opera and the world premier of Salammbo for the Paris Opera. Mr. Raftery has been Tristan for the Operas of Meiningen, Nancy and The Croatian National Theater of Zagreb, sang Otello for Syracuse Opera and appeared as Siegmund for a DVD of Wagner's Ring for the opera of Liege.

Further stage appearances have included a revival of Otello for the Opera of Budapest, Sergei (Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk), Siegmund for Oper Wiesbaden, Monsieur Taupe in Capriccio for Pacific Opera Victoria and Eisenstein for a new production of Die Fledermaus in Toulouse. As a concert artist, Mr. Raftery has been in Barcelona, Palma de Majorca, Granada for Haydn's Creation and Handel's Messiah and Regina for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Previously a member of the Voice Faculty at the University of Toronto and now Associate Professor on the Music Faculty at the University of British Columbia, he has still found time for a return to the Opera of Monte Carlo as Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, to Pacific Opera Victoria as William Marshall in Blitzstein’s Regina and the Major Domo in Ariadne auf Naxos and the roles of Benoit and Alcindoro in La bohème for Vancouver Opera. For the Regina Symphony he appeared as both Vanderdendur and Gouverneur in Candide.

A dedicated educator, in 2014 Professor Raftery accepted an appointment with The University of British Columbia’s School of Music as Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera and has since been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Frequently invited for Master Classes Professor Raftery has lead classes for: The Cologne Opera, Graz Opera, San Diego Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, The Pacific Opera Victoria, and the Universities of Lethbridge, Maryland, Manitoba, Edmonton, Montreal (McGill), and Arizona State.

A member of the LGBTQ+2 community since coming out in 1973, Patrick’s academic work is in the mental health and wellness area focusing on this community. Currently in the works are re-imaginings of Operatic works for inclusive/diverse casts and creative teams of “out” members of the queer community, including the successfully libretto workshop, in August 2022, for a reworking of Ravel’s L'heure espagnole, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. The Spanish Hour is currently seeking partners to produce in 2024!

September 2023

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