in review
Living in the Body (Lori Laitman) - Recording Released Dec. 2019
Naxos
2020-01: "The name Vale Rideout is new to me, but this particular tenor’s expertise in Laitman’s Two William Carlos Williams Songs (1997, revised 2008 and 2017) is exceptional. The two songs provide a striking contrast, with the more serious first one ceding to a jazz-inflected successor."
- Colin Clarke, Fanfare
Rev. 23 (Julian Wachner/Cerise Jacobs) - World Premiere
Madame White Snake Projects, Boston
2017-10: "Tenor Vale Rideout as Hades had the best time in the hall; his voice easily carried over the amplification the best, both cutting and dramatic"
- Ian Wiese, Boston Music Intelligencer
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Rev. 23 (Julian Wachner/Cerise Jacobs) - World Premiere
Madame White Snake Projects, Boston
2017-10: "Hades was played with Mad Max aggressiveness by tenor Vale Rideout. His voice was potent and pliant. And one could not but admire his game tackling of the character’s inherent dramatic challenges – juggling thwarted erotic desire for Persephone, nimble intellectual counterweight to Lucifer’s mercurial temper, and an unstinting frustration at being made the lackey and subordinate in his own abode."
- Charles Geyer, myscena.org
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Orff's Carmina Burana
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
2017-06: "Tenor Vale Rideout was equally effective in his part, singing with a wonderfully full voice of the tortured swan, moving to various areas on the stage terrace in different phases of being cooked."
- Chantal Incandela, Nuvo.net
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Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Winston-Salem Symphony
2016-10: "Tenor Vale Rideout soared over the somewhat stodgy Turkish March section..."
- Peter Perret, Classical Voice of North Carolina
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Das Rheingold (Wagner)
North Carolina Opera
2016-09: "The woebegone Mime, brother of Alberich, was sung very nicely by Vale Rideout"
- Ken Hoover, Classical Voice of North Carolina
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Wuthering Heights (Floyd)
Florentine Opera Recording
2016-09: "Tenor Vale Rideout brings depth to the wan Edgard Linton."
- Rebecca Paller, Opera News
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Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Trinity Church Wall Street
2016-05: "Four excellent vocal soloists — the soprano Sarah Brailey, the mezzo-soprano Melissa Attebury, the tenor Vale Rideout and the bass-baritone Dashon Burton — sat in the first pew of the church until their moment came in the last movement, when they rose to face the audience, seated right before them, and sang splendidly."
- Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times
Britten & Finzi Debut CD
ACIS
2016-04: "American tenor Vale Rideout offers gripping performances here of song cycles by two great 20th Century English composers. ... Now comes Rideout’s performance, and I find it more powerful than either of the others. His beautifully placed voice has substance and warmth; it is both vigorous and sweet... With absolutely lucid enunciation of words and strong feeling for the texts, his reading grabbed hold of me more than any I’ve heard... A real strength of his singing is a masterly management of dynamic contrasts.”
- R. Moore, American Record Guide
Missa Solemnis
Dallas Choral Festival
2016-1: "Vale Rideout’s tenor aptly balanced lyricism and heft.”
- Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News
Die Fledermaus, Alfred
New Orleans Opera
2015-11: "In his company debut as Alfred, Vale Rideout displayed a bright, clear tenor and was the effective clown that this role so requires."
- George Dansker, Opera News
Mendelssohn St. Paul
New York Choral Society
2015-2: "Tenor Vale Rideout, sensitively voiced and well-acted, reincarnates in several roles—acting as Saul’s counterpart in the martyred Stephen, healer Ananias, and companion Titus.”
- Emily Snyder, The Jewish Week, NY
La traviata, Alfredo
Eugene Opera
2014-1: "Vale Rideout makes an excellent partner for Ms. Partridge. His voice is mellifluous."
- Diana Barth, The Epoch Times
War Requiem (Britten)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Washington Chorus
2013-11: "The standout was the tenor, Vale Rideout, who joined emotional expression with intense singing."
- Anne Midgette, The Washington Post
Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Tenor (Britten)
Trinity Church, Britten Festival
2013-09: "In the Serenade the principals were the luminous tenor Vale Rideout and the horn player Danielle Kuhlmann, who played the French horn with a smooth, firm tone. She fearlessly leaned into the natural overtones called for in the part, allowing the raw, uncorrected notes to take shape in ways that were by turns rough and seductive.
The sound of Ms. Kuhlmann’s horn blended beautifully with Mr. Rideout’s voice, which has remarkable purity in the high range and is able to maintain a sleek polish across the dynamic range. With his excellent diction and natural, smooth-flowing delivery light on vibrato, he was an ideal match for Britten."
- Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, New York Times
Our Town (Rorem), Stage Manager
Central City Opera
2013-09: "Tenor Vale Rideout struck just the right feel as the Stage Manager, who is alternately a narrator, commentator and intercessor in the action.".
- Kyle MacMillan, Opera News
The Pearl Fishers (Bizet), Nadir
Hawaii Opera Theater
2012-02: "...tenor Vale Rideout (Nadir) had the tonal brilliance and power to steal the girl and the spotlight. Rideout was especially noteworthy."
- Ruth Bingham, Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Elmer Gantry - Recording, (Aldridge) NAXOS, Frank Shallard
Florentine Opera - Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
2011-12: "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" - becomes about doubt and soul-searching in context. Vale Rideout uses his robust, characterful tenor to make this a passage of compelling complexity for his character, Frank Shallard."
- Joshua Rosenblum, Opera News
Rigoletto in concert, The Duke
The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
2011-10: "Rideout was absolutely perfect, exuding all the confidence you’d expect from a shady duke, especially performing “Questa o quella,” and his signature aria “La donna e mobile.”"
- Roger LeLievre, annarbor.com
The Inspector (Musto), Tancredi
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts
June, 2011: “With his warm tone and smooth technique, Vale Rideout proved to be quite an elegant phrase-spinner as Tancredi; he revealed a knack for comic acting as well.”
- Tim Smith, Opera News
The Rape of Lucretia, Male Chorus
Castleton Opera/Cal Performances
March, 2011: “Tenor Vale Rideout stole the show, perhaps, in a bravura performance as the Male Chorus (the role written for Britten's partner and muse, Peter Pears).”
- Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
Carmina Burana - Recording, Tenor Soloist
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Nov. 2010: "The soloists act out their parts splendidly--in the case of Vale Rideout, the tenor in the ultra-high "Roasted Swan" episode, almost too well. He never resorts to falsetto and winds up sounding like he's about to be murdered."
- Robert Levine, classicstoday.com
Rio de sangre (Davis), Igneo
Florentine Opera
October, 2010: “The standouts were Ava Pine and Vale Rideout as Blanca and Igneo, the young lovers; their radiant singing and beguiling characterizations left a deep and lasting impression”
- Gregory Berg, Opera News
Elmer Gantry (Aldridge), Frank Shallard
Florentine Opera
March, 2010: “Vale Rideout's honeyed tenor limned Frank Shallard's vocal journey gracefully”
- Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News
Don Giovanni, Don Ottavio
Palm Beach Opera
Feb, 2010: “Vale Rideout was a fine Don Ottavio, with a nice, creamy tenor that held up well and was heartfelt where it needed to be, in Dalla sua pace and Il mio tesoro.”
- Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Post
The Turn of the Screw, Peter Quint
Boston Lyric Opera
Feb, 2010: “Most notable among the cast were soprano Emily Pulley and tenor Vale Rideout… Rideout in the role of the ghost Peter Quint, was equally mesmerizing. Though somewhat stilted in his acting, he made up for it vocally with a seductiveness that was both eerie and forceful, allowing him to make the most of the mono-dimensional yet disturbingly enticing character.”
- Tom Schnauber, Boston Music Intelligencer
La Traviata, Alfredo
Pacific Opera Victoria
Oct, 2009: “The tenor Vale Rideout's performance as Alfredo grows palpably in strength and nuance, both vocally and dramatically, from act to act.”
- Kevin Bazzana, Times Colonist
Lucia di Lammermoor, Edgardo
Central City Opera
Sept, 2009: “Looking the Romantic Byronic loner to perfection, he acted ardently and was highly affecting in the final scene. A sensitive musician, he projected the text with superb clarity.”
- David Shengold, Opera News
Lucia di Lammermoor, Edgardo
Central City Opera
July, 2009: “Deserving particular kudos is tenor Vale Rideout, a former Central City apprentice who is back for his third summer with the company as a professional. He is making his debut in the role of Edgardo, Lucia's lover from a rival clan, and he could hardly be better suited to the role. He has the dashing looks and fiery intensity this character demands, as well as the appropriate vocal weight and agility. Expect other companies to be eager to engage Rideout for this part.”
- Kyle MacMillan, The Denver Post
The War Requiem
The New York Philharmonic
June, 2009: “The relatively modest episodes were the most successful here, largely because of the fine and moving work of the baritone, Ian Greenlaw, and especially the tenor, Vale Rideout. Although Mr. Greenlaw did not always project as well as Mr. Rideout, they were superbly expressive and balanced in the duet “So Abram rose,” backed by equally fine instrumental work.”
- James R. Oestreich, The New York Times
L’isola disabitata, Gernando
Gotham Chamber Opera
Feb, 2009: “Tenor Vale Rideout was a passionate Gernando, singing with bright, forward thrust and a fine messa di voce”
- Joanne Sydney Lessner, Opera News
Susannah, Sam Polk
Central City Opera
Jul, 2008: “Rounding out the principals is tenor Vale Rideout, who captures — both in his acting and singing — the homespun nature and elusive complexity of Sam Polk, Susannah's loving yet often drunken brother. Rideout brings an aptly folksy, understated vocal approach to the character."
- Kyle MacMillan, Denver Post
The Rape of Lucretia, Male Chorus
Central City Opera
June, 2008: “Special praise is reserved for the two remarkable chorus singers: up-and-coming tenor Vale Rideout and soprano Melina Pyron, who was so stunning in last summer's Saint of Bleecker Street in Central City. Vocally and dramatically, their contributions cannot be properly measured.”
- Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News
The Rape of Lucretia, Male Chorus
Central City Opera
June, 2008: “Vale Rideout and Melina Pyron, as the Male and Female Chorus, were invariably communicative and flexible in their rich mix of song, speech and everything between.”
- James R. Oestreich, The New York Times
Cendrillon, Le prince charmant
Central City Opera
Jul, 2007: “Vale Rideout was handsome and unexpectedly human as Prince Charming, singing with assurance. A highlight was his masterfully handled love duet in red with [Leah] Wool, sung under the approving gaze of [Heather] Buck.”
- Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News
Die Fledermaus, Alfred
San Francisco Opera
Oct, 2007: “Tenor Vale Rideout, also in a company debut, was an exuberant, clear-voiced Alfred.”
- Georgia Rowe, Opera News
Roméo et Juliette, Roméo
Opera Tampa
Dec, 2006: “Vale Rideout as Romeo delivered his rich and comforting tenor from the onset with a radiant "Ah! Leve-toi, soleil" ("Arise, o sun") aria, and kept vocally solid through his somber ode to death, "Salut, tombeau" ("Hail, gloomy tomb"), nearly three hours later.”
- Kurt Loft, Tampa Tribune
Messiah
Seattle Symphony
Dec, 2006: “Vale Rideout's lyrical sound and strong high notes were balanced by the drama and authority of Richard Zeller's powerful baritone.”
- Melinda Bargreen, Seattle Times
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