Vale Rideout, Bio

American tenor Vale Rideout has garnered critical acclaim for his musical artistry and superb stagecraft throughout the United States and Europe. Possessed of both a beautiful instrument and an ability to consistently deliver passionate, energetic performances, he is equally in demand for leading tenor roles from the standard repertory to contemporary works.The Colorado native can be heard on his recently released solo CD of Britten and Finzi songs, as Frank Shallard in Elmer Gantry (on Naxos, received two Grammy awards, and voted No. 1 by Opera News “Best of the Year”), both produced by Florentine Opera, as well as on live recordings of Prince of Players by Carlisle Floyd (Grammy Award nomination) and Rio de sangre (Albany Records, Grammy Award nomination). He is the tenor soloist in a live recording of Carmina Burana with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. He can also be heard on the Newport Classics recording of The Ballad of Baby Doe, the world premiere recording of Kurt Weill’s The Eternal Road and David Schiff’s Gimpel the Fool (both on Naxos). He is featured on the live recording of The Inspector by John Musto and, singing the role of Robert MacNamara, in Steven Stucky’s August 4th, 1964, with Jaap Van Zweden and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, released on the DSO Live label and nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award.

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In 2022, Vale appeared with Opera Colorado in The Shining as Delbert Grady and sang the tenor solos in Verdi's Requiem with the Highland Concert series at the Meyerson in Dallas. He also recently performed with New Orchestra of Washington under the direction of Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez singing Christian Jost's Dichterliebe, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in a return to Washington Chorus; sang tenor soloist in Britten's War Requiem with Fresno Philharmonic; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes with Quad City Symphony Orchestra; returned to Florentine Opera as Edgar Linton in Floyd’s Wuthering Heights; sang Davey Palmer in Dove’s Siren Song with Hawaii Opera Theater; returned to Carnegie Hall as soloist in Mendelssohn’s St. Paul, with New York Choral Society; and sang Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Virginia Symphony. His 2013-14 engagements included Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings at Trinity Church Wall Street (NY), under Julian Wachner; tenor soloist in Britten’s War Requiem with the Washington Chorus; with Richmond Symphony in Berlioz’ La damnation de Faust; with Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; with Toledo Symphony Orchestra in Verdi’s Requiem; title role in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex at Rutgers University; as Alfredo in La traviata with Eugene Opera; with Kentucky Opera as Romeo in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette; Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Saratoga; and in an evening of songs by John Musto with New York Festival of Song.

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Recent highlights include his debut with Jacksonville Symphony as soloist in Britten’s War Requiem; Edgar in Der Vampyr with American Symphony Orchestra; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Detroit Symphony; “The Essential Bernstein” with Washington Chorus, under Julian Wachner; Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with Wisconsin Philharmonic; Carmina Burana with Eugene Symphony Orchestra; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra; Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Nashville Opera; Stage Manager in Rorem’s Our Town in a return to Central City Opera; title role in Faust with Opera Coeur d’Alene; Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de perles with Hawaii Opera Theatre; soloist in Messiah with Nashville Symphony Orchestra, also with Pacific Symphony Orchestra; Haydn’s The Creation in a return to Highland Park United Methodist Church; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Greenville Symphony, also with the Texas Music Festival at University of Houston; Duke in selections from Rigoletto with Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra; Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Imperial Symphony Orchestra, Opera Fort Collins, and Shreveport Opera; Pong in a semi-staged Turandot with Toledo Opera; The Instructor in Cummings & Korie’s new opera, Positions 1956, with UrbanArias opera company; Prologue/Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw in a return to Central City Opera; and soloist in Berlioz’ Te Deum with Colorado’s “Summer Choralfest.”

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Career highlights include his debut with the New York Philharmonic & Los Angeles  Philharmonic in Britten's War Requiem under Lorin Maazel; Atis in Keiser's Croesus with Minnesota Opera; his return to Florentine Opera as Igneo in the world premiere of Don Davis' Rio de Sangre; Camille in The Merry Widow with Florentine Opera; Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Phoenix Opera, also Chautauqua Opera; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Palm Beach & Tulsa Operas; Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia for Cal Performances under Lorin Maazel and with Central City Opera; His Los Angeles Opera debut in Parsifal; the role of Tancredi in the world premiere of John Musto's The Inspector at Wolf Trap Opera; Mime in Das Rheingold with North Carolina Opera: soloist in Messiah with the Louisiana Philharmonic; his debut with San Francisco Opera performing Alfred in Die Fledermaus; the world premiere of Stucky's August 4, 1964 with the Dallas Symphony in Dallas and at Carnegie Hall; Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw with Boston Lyric Opera; Roderick in Glass' The Fall of the House of Usher with Nashville Opera; Alfredo in La traviata with Pacific Opera Victoria; Egeo in Cavalli's Giasone with Chicago Opera Theater; soloist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in "A Christmas Celebration"  and sang in Vaughan Williams' Hodie with Highland Park United Methodist Church.

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Other performances of note include Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Boston Baroque; Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Tulsa Opera; Sam in Susannah with Central City Opera; War Requiem with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Also he has sung Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia conducted by Maazel at the maestro's Chateauville Foundation, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with Maazel's Symphonica Toscanini in both Rome and Brussels; sang Messiah with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Sugar Creek Festival; Haydn's Paukenmesse with the Berkshire Choral Festival; Nadir in Les Pêcheurs des perles with Opera Columbus; the title role in Faust with Opera Tampa; Sam in Susannah with Mobile Opera; Gernando in Haydn's L'isola disabitata with Gotham Chamber Opera; Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Central City Opera; Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance at the Chautauqua Institution; soloist in Carmina Burana with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; with Central City Opera as Le Prince Charmant in Cendrillon; sang as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at the Tampa Performing Arts Center; George Gibbs in the professional premiere of Ned Rorem's Our Town with Lake George Opera; and both Martin in Aaron Copland's The Tender Land and the world premiere of Mel Marvin's Guest from the Future at the Bard SummerScape Festival. He performed Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore with Anchorage Opera; Jacquino in Fidelio with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with the Ann Arbor Symphony; Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi with the OK Mozart International Festival; and Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Merola Opera Program.

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Concert highlights include appearing as soloist in Messiah with the Seattle and Pensacola symphonies as well as with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, Carmina Burana with the Indianapolis and Virginia Symphony Orchestras, Mozart's Mass in C Minor with the Huntsville Symphony, and in an evening of opera arias and ensembles with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He made his Carnegie Hall debut singing Bach's Magnificat and later returned to sing Mozart's Requiem. Other concert highlights include his American Symphony Orchestra debut in a program of Hindemith one-act operas, and his return to the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra as soloist in Mozart's Requiem and Haydn's The Creation. Mr. Rideout has been a featured soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus, Naples Philharmonic (FL), BBC Singers, and symphonies in California, Colorado, and New York.

Vale Rideout has appeared in recital at UNC, his alma mater, in a recital of British song at Vassar College and a recital benefiting the Loveland Opera Theater in Colorado where he performed Schubert's Winterreise. He has also appeared at the Middle Collegiate Church in New York City. Mr. Rideout was awarded first prize in Savannah Music Festival's 2006 American Traditions Competition and was a 2003 regional finalist in the Metropolitan National Council Auditions.