Baritone Clayton G. Williams Set for Solo Recital at The Fordham, 2/22

Rising young artist, Clayton G. Williams, a New York-based baritone who recently was a member an ensemble cast in New World Waking one of, "the most original and entertaining productions witnessed this year..." [Broadway World] will present a solo recital as part of The Fordham at Four Concert Series this February.

Mr. Williams recently appeared as the baritone soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Southeast Queens Ecumenical Chorale after concluding US recital tour of Souls of the Soil, a concert series in collaboration with mezzo-soprano, Erica Papillion-Posey.

The Fordham at Four Concert Series recital featuring Clayton G. Williams will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 4:00pm at the Fordham United Methodist Church, located at 2543 Marion Avenue, Bronx, NY 10458. The program will be accompanied by Christopher Cooley, piano and will feature guest artist, Arielle Crosby, soprano. The performance is free and open to the public.

"I am excited to be a part of the 2015 Fordham at Four Concert Series at the historic Fordham United Methodist Church." Mr. Williams remarked on the collaboration. "I am excited to perform a variety of music from opera, art song, and musical theatre. I am blessed to join in their mission to be a beacon of light for the Bronx community and beyond."

After his performance in the Fordham at Four Concert Series, Mr. Williams is scheduled to perform the iconic role of Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen with Golden Rose Opera Works in March and later in the year will also present a concert featuring the world premiere of spiritual arrangements by Stacey V. Gibbs.

About Clayton G. Williams - Rising young artist, Clayton G. Williams, a New York based baritone performing in opera, musical theatre, concert and recital closed out 2014 performing as part of an ensemble cast in New World Waking one of, "the most original and entertaining productions witnessed this year..." [Broadway World] at the off-Broadway venue, Urban Stages directed by famed director Andy Gale. In 2015, Williams will return to his roots of gospel and African-American spirituals as a featured artist in the world premiere performance of spiritual arrangements by Stacey V. Gibbs, to be published in a collection of African American Spirituals for the solo voice in January 2015.

On the opera stage, Williams' is scheduled to make his role premiere as Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen with Golden Rose Opera Works in March 2015. Williams' recent opera credits include Porgy in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess at the Siena Summer Music Festival. Other roles include Bartolo and Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and Bunthrone in Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience. Selected to perform two opera festivals in Siena, Williams performed several concerts throughout Siena, Italy.

Equally at home as a soloist in both concert and recital, Williams' credits include the Baritone Soloist in Handel's Messiah, Bizet's Agnus Dei, Mozart's Missa Brevis in C, K. 220 and performing in the chorus of Faure's Requiem in 2010 at Carnegie Hall.

In 2014, Williams created and performed in a US recital tour, Souls of the Soil, in collaboration with mezzo-soprano, Erica Papillion-Posey. The overwhelming popularity of the program, which highlighted an eclectic array of American music, compelled the duo to schedule several performances throughout the United States.

As a versatile musician, Williams is also a talented musical theatre performer most recently featured as Jorell in an Irving Berlin revue entitled Coming to America at the Manhattan School of Music Summer Voice Festival. Other credits includeBroadway Babies, which was comprised of scenes from Gershwin's Shall We Dance, and Musilda, a parody of the musical based on Ronald Dahl's beloved book.

Williams has been recognized with the Emerging Talent Award in the Lotte Lenya Competition and was also a recipient of the Brazeal W. Dennard Scholarship, Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarship, and a regional winner of the NBA Gold-Standard Scholarship during its inaugural year, and is a member of the Mu Beta Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc.

A Detroit native, Williams attended the Detroit School of the Fine and Performing Arts and earned a Bachelor of the Arts in Music from Winston-Salem State University. Williams holds a Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music. He currently studies with Dr. Gregory Hopkins.

Learn more about Clayton G. Williams at: www.claytongwilliams.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.