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Clay Hilley

Tenor

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      • Past Season
      • Past Season
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      • Press/Interviews
      • Reviews
      • Repertoire
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    Clay Hilley

    Tenor

      • Make Your Own
      • Schedule
      • Banner
      • Past Season
      • Past Season
      • Past Season
      • Bio
      • Media
      • Press/Interviews
      • Reviews
      • Repertoire
      • Contact
      • …  
        • Make Your Own
        • Schedule
        • Banner
        • Past Season
        • Past Season
        • Past Season
        • Bio
        • Media
        • Press/Interviews
        • Reviews
        • Repertoire
        • Contact

      Clay Hilley

      Tenor

      • "For opera houses saying there are no dramatic tenors, look no further as Clay Hilley is a tenor on the rise who needs attention."--Operawire

         

        "Clay Hilley brought vocal heft, clarion sound and stamina to the role"--The New York Times

        “Hilley’s first note showed that he is a Heldentenor poised for international success: It rose from pianissimo to fortissimo and back again with pinpoint control. He projected brilliance and power while taking care of every consonant and vowel. He also engaged the part of Florestan on a psychological level, a startling achievement.”—ArtsATL

      • Current Season

        2022/2023

        Siegfried, Götterdämmerung

        Bayreuther Festspiele

        Director: Valentin Schwartz

        Conductor: Cornelius Meister

        August 2022

        Tenor Soloist, Das Lied von der Erde

        St. Louis Symphony

        Conductor: Stéphane Denève

        September/October 2022

        Tristan, Tristan und Isolde

        Deutsche Oper Berlin

        Director: Graham Vick

        Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles

        November 2022

        Tenor Soloist, Psalmus Hungaricus (Kodály)

        l’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

        Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano

        December 2022

        Tenor Soloist, Das Lied von der Erde

        Houston Symphony Orchestra

        Conductor: Juraj Valčuha

        February 2023

        Der Kaiser, Die Frau ohne Schatten

        Festspielhaus Baden-Baden 

        Director: Lydia Steier

        Conductor: Kirill Petrenko

        April 2023

        Der Kaiser, Die Frau ohne Schatten

        Berliner Philharmoniker

        Conductor: Kirill Petrenko

        April 2023

        Drum Major, Wozzeck

        Royal Opera House Covent Garden

        Director: Deborah Warner

        Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano

        July 2022

        Siegfried, Siegfried & Götterdämmerung

        Deutsche Oper Berlin

        Director: Stefan Herheim

        Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles

        October & November 2021; January 2022

        Samson, Samson et Dalilah

        BJU Opera Association

        Director: Darren Lawson

        Conductor: Michael Moore

        March 2022

        Tenor Soloist, Missa Solemnis (Beethoven)

        Madison Symphony Orchestra

        Conductor: John DeMain

        April 2022

        Title Role, Siegfried (Act III in concert)

        Bilbao Symphony Orchestra

        Conductor: Erik Nielsen

        May 2022

         

        Radamès, Aïda (Act III in concert)

        Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

        Conductor: Nicola Luisotti

        May 2022

        Siegmund, Die Walküre

        Tiroler Festspiele Erl

        Director: Brigitte Fassbaender

        Conductor: Erik Nielsen

        July 2022

      • 2020/2021

        Title Role, Der Zwerg

        Dutch National Opera

        Director: Nanouk Leopold

        Conductor: Lorenzo Viotti

        September 2021

        Phoebus, Notre Dame (Franz Schmidt)

        St. Galler Festspiele

        Director: Carlos Wagner

        Conductor: Michael Balke

        June and July 2021

        Title Role, Siegfried

        Deutsche Oper Berlin

        Director: Stefan Herheim

        Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles

        April/May 2021

        Tristan, Tristan und Isolde (Act II in concert)

        Den Norske Opera

        Conductor: Sir Edward Gardner

        January 2021

        Tenor Soloist, Das Lied von der Erde

        l’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

        Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano

        October 2020

        Tenor Soloist, Das Lied von der Erde

        Opera Roanoke

        Conductor: Steven White

        November 2020

         

        Florestan, Fidelio

        Washington National Opera

        Director: Francesca Zambello

        Conductor: Robert Spano

        Fall 2020 (CANCELLED due to COVID)

         

        Title role, Der Zwerg

        San Francisco Opera

        Director: Darko Tresnjak

        Conductor: Henrik Nánási

        Spring 2021 (CANCELLED due to COVID)

         

        Radamès, Aïda

        Pittsburgh Opera

        Director: Crystal Manich

        Conductor: Antony Walker

        Spring 2021 (CANCELLED due to COVID)

         

      • 2020/2021

        Title Role, Der Zwerg

        Dutch National Opera

        Director: Nanouk Leopold

        Conductor: Lorenzo Viotti

        September 2021

        Phoebus, Notre Dame (Franz Schmidt)

        St. Galler Festspiele

        Director: Carlos Wagner

        Conductor: Michael Balke

        June and July 2021

        Title Role, Siegfried

        Deutsche Oper Berlin

        Director: Stefan Herheim

        Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles

        April/May 2021

        Tristan, Tristan und Isolde (Act II in concert)

        Den Norske Opera

        Conductor: Sir Edward Gardner

        January 2021

        Tenor Soloist, Das Lied von der Erde

        l’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

        Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano

        October 2020

        Tenor Soloist, Das Lied von der Erde

        Opera Roanoke

        Conductor: Steven White

        November 2020

         

        Florestan, Fidelio

        Washington National Opera

        Director: Francesca Zambello

        Conductor: Robert Spano

        Fall 2020 (CANCELLED due to COVID)

         

        Title role, Der Zwerg

        San Francisco Opera

        Director: Darko Tresnjak

        Conductor: Henrik Nánási

        Spring 2021 (CANCELLED due to COVID)

         

        Radamès, Aïda

        Pittsburgh Opera

        Director: Crystal Manich

        Conductor: Antony Walker

        Spring 2021 (CANCELLED due to COVID)

         

      • 2019/2020

        Title Role, Siegfried

        Nationaltheater Mannheim

        Director: Achim Freyer

        Conductor: Alexander Soddy

        Summer 2020 (CANCELLED due to COVID)

        Siegfried (c), Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, Der Ring des Nibelungen

        Lyric Opera of Chicago

        Director: David Pountney

        Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis

        Spring 2020 (CANCELLED due to COVID)

        Paul, Die Tote Stadt

        Bard Music Festival

        Director: Jordan Fein

        Conductor: Leon Botstein

        Summer 2019

        Tambourmajor (c), Wozzeck

        Metropolitan Opera

        Director: William Kentridge

        Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin

        Fall 2019/Winter 2020

        Father Grenville, Dead Man Walking

        Lyric Opera of Chicago

        Director: Leonard Foglia

        Conductor: Nicole Paiement

        Fall 2019

        Canio, Pagliacci

        Opera Roanoke

        Conductor: Steven White

        Fall 2019

      • BIO

        Praised in The New York Times for his “vocal heft, clarion sound and stamina,” by de Volkskrant for a “sublime” voice, in the Financial Times for his “extraordinary energy and stamina,” and heralded by Concerti for having ” sung himself into the front row of the hero tenors…” American Clay Hilley appears at the world’s leading opera houses and concert venues in the most challenging heldentenor repertoire.

         

        Clay Hilley’s most recent triumph was at the 2022 Bayreuther Festspiele, where he replaced an ailing colleague as Siegfried for the premiere of Valentin Schwarz’s new production of Götterdämmerung, under the baton of Cornelius Meister. On less than twenty-four hours’ notice, he was flown from his vacation in Italy for this prominent debut, a performance acclaimed by critics and Bayreuth’s audience, alike.

         

        The 2022-23 season sees the tenor in three prominent debuts: with Deutsche Oper Berlin he sings his first staged production of Tristan und Isolde conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles; at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden he assays the role of Der Kaiser in a new production by Lydia Steier of Die Frau ohne Schatten with Kirill Petrenko on the podium of the Berliner Philharmoniker; and he makes a debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in a new production by Deborah Warner of Wozzeck led by Sir Antonio Pappano.

         

        No less impressive is a concert schedule that includes Die Frau ohne Schatten with Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Philharmonie, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Stéphane Denève and the Saint Louis Symphony and with Juraj Valčuha and the Houston Symphony, Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus with Sir Antonio Pappano and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and a concert performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Edinburgh International Festival with Sir Donald Runnicles leading The Philharmonia.

         

        At age 39 Clay Hilley sang Siegfried in Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelungen in Stefan Herheim’s new production at Deutsche Oper Berlin under the baton of Sir Donald Runnicles. Other highlights of the 2021-22 season included his debuts with Dutch National Opera as the title role of Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg in a new production by Nanouk Leopold led by Music Director Lorenzo Viotti and with the Tiroler Festspiele Erl as Siegmund in a new production of Die Walküre directed by KS Brigitte Fassbaender under the baton of Erik Nielsen. He joined Nicola Luisotti and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for the Third Act of Aida, John DeMain and the Madison Symphony for Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, and Erik Nielsen leading the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra in the Third Act of Siegfried.

         

        Concert highlights of recent seasons include Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, the Second Act of Tristan und Isolde with Edward Gardner leading the Orchestra of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, Beethoven’s Fidelio with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with Marin Alsop and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival.

         

        Past operatic seasons have featured Clay Hilley in his debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Dead Man Walking, in the role of Phoebus in Schmidt’s Notre Dame at Theatre St. Gallen, in the title role of Dvořák’s Dimitrij as well as singing Paul in Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt at the Bard Music Festival conducted by Leon Botstein, and in the title role of Mozart’s Idomeneo at the Salzburger Landestheater under the baton of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.

         

        The tenor received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education at the University of Georgia, a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University, a Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music, and a Performer’s Certificate from the Opera Institute at Boston University.P

      • MEDIA

      • REVIEWS

        Dead Man Walking (Father Grenville), Lyric Opera of Chicago (debut)

        “Clay Hilley contributed a fine characterization as the passive-aggressive prison priest Father Grenville. The young singer possesses a daunting Heldentenor, and his huge voice soared over the massed ensemble in the prayer that closes Act [II]”—Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review

         

        Die tote Stadt (Paul), Bard Music Festival

        “For the remarkably high-lying, famously testing part of Paul, Bard fielded tenor Clay Hilley, in a very impressive role debut. The Georgia native has a striking résumé of dramatic parts, including a strong Dimitrij in Dvořák’s opera at Bard two summers ago. Hilley sustained Korngold’s punishing tessitura admirably, keeping the line musical and dynamically flexible, earning vociferous bravos.”—David Shengold, Opera News. Print edition, November 2019, page 48.

         

        “Paul’s tessitura lies astonishingly high, but it proved child’s play for American tenor Clay Hilley, who dispatched the long and punishing part with practiced ease. Moreover, he conquered the role without sacrificing tonal beauty or musical intelligence, and he offered a skillfully acted portrait of a man in the grip of his ghosts.”— Bachtrack

         

         

        Mahler’s Symphony no. 8 (Tenor Soloist/Dr. Marianus), The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (debut)

        “Tenor Clay Hilley’s soaring lines set a high standard for the vocal soloists yet to be heard.” — The Chicago Tribune

         

        Fidelio (Florestan), The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (debut)

        "Hilley's powerful voice and expressive delivery perfectly complemented soprano Christine Goerke, a true bravura and exciting Leonore, who easily stood out as the star of the performance.”--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

         

        “Hilley’s first note showed that he is a Heldentenor poised for international success: It rose from pianissimo to fortissimo and back again with pinpoint control. He projected brilliance and power while taking care of every consonant and vowel. He also engaged the part of Florestan on a psychological level, a startling achievement.”—ArtsATL

         

         

        Die ägyptische Helena (Menelas), Odyssey Opera

        “Clay Hilley, as Menelas, was a powerhouse, a heldentenor of apparently indefatigable torque and point; some of his clarion notes may still be bouncing around Jordan Hall’s rafters.”—The Boston Globe

         

        “Menelas is Strauss’ longest and most unforgiving tenor part. Its tessitura is high and relentless, but the singer must also be able to lighten and sweeten the voice for the more lyrical passages. Clay Hilley had the capacity to master both aspects, plus the stamina to maintain that mastery. His voice has power and ping, carrying over Strauss’ loudest outbursts, and convincingly expresses Menelas’ delirium without devolving into ear-splitting hysteria.”— Bachtrack.com

         

         

        Dvořák’s Dimitrij (Dimitrij), Bard Summerscape

         

        "In the title role, Clay Hilley is asked to perform for three hours straight in music that tests a tenor’s stamina. In this case, the 35-year-old tenor did just that without ever sounding strained. From the beginning of the opera, Hilley was asked to scale the highest tessitura during his duet with Marfa, singing with intensity and beaming over the giant orchestra. Then in his first duet with Marina in Act two, Hilley took a lighter touch as he tried to persuade his wife to become Russian. However, Marina’s defiance immediately brought out Hilley’s forceful tenor that rang through the hall.
        The highlight of Hilley’s performance came at the end of Act two and the beginning of Act Three. In his first duet with Xenia, Hilley brought delicacy to his voice as he approached the young girl played by Olga Tolkmit. Each line was connected with suave phrasing and the tone becoming even more impassioned joining with Tolkmit’s to create a rousing conclusion. In his Act three aria “Viděl jsem ji, Xenii jsem zřel,” Hilley’s timbre brightened. He sang with a smooth legato and each time he repeated the words “Xenii,” the voice crescendoed to a forte, illuminating his passion for Xenia.
        His subsequent duet with Marina once again showed his forceful timbre as it continued to erupt with anger at his wife.... Hilley’s voice expressed the rage through staccato phrasing and emphasis on the consonants in the text. His high notes were also even more accentuated and took on more heft.
        During his Act four duet with Xenia, Hilley immediately went for the fortissimo sound emphasizing his desperation for being with her. The passion in his vocal color grew increasingly as he realized he could lose her. By the end of the end of the opera Hilley’s voice still sounded fresh as he continued to sing with authority. Even as he admitted to being an imposter, Hilley gave his timbre an imposing character, making his sacrifice an even more potent moment in the opera.
        ...Hilley has something that very few singers have nowadays and that is he can act with his voice and can captivate audiences once he begins.
        For opera houses saying there are no dramatic tenors, look no further as Clay Hilley is a tenor on the rise who needs attention."--Operawire

         

        "Singing the title role of Dimitrij, tenor Clay Hilley shows why he deserves to be on the stage of major opera companies. In the punishing role, which is murderously long and physically and emotionally trying, Hilley is extraordinary. He has a large voice, whose dynamics are in complete control. From impassioned whispers to great outcries of pain and joy, he thrills. His performances going forward include the Metropolitan, San Francisco and Dallas Operas. With that cutting heldentenor edge ready for action in the voice, and also a lyric line, Hilley is primed for the future. As Dimitrij he engaged in some of Dvorak’s loveliest melodies."--Berkshire Fine Arts

         

        "Tenor Clay Hilley...communicated Dimitrij's sincerity and sang the beleaguered leader's difficult, high-lying music with musical skill, emotional investment and attractive tone quality. Hilley's Wagnerian potential extends to clear suitability for several Slavic roles."--Opera News

         

         

        "The role is a daunting challenge for a heroic tenor. Clay Hilley brought vocal heft, clarion sound and stamina to the role"--The New York Times

         

        Pagliacci (Canio), Virginia Opera

        "As Canio, Clay Hilley offered abundant lung power...the tenor's ardent phrasing also paid dividends"--Opera News

        "Clay Hilley sang Canio, the duped husband, with a dramatic tenor that made his rage plausible"--The Virginian-Pilot

         

        Götterdämmerung (Siegfried), Union Avenue Opera

         

        "Clay Hilley sings the role of Siegfried as he did in last year's production of the opera of that name. Again he shows himself a true heldentenor-that heroic tenor that this role demands; his clear, true voice easily fills the hall."--Broadway World Review

         

        "Her Siegfried, Clay Hilley...displayed a clarion tenor that was unfazed by the role’s killer-high tessitura...his voice and presence carried him."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

         

        "Clay Hilley had the heroic sound and temperament one longs for in a Siegfried. The power of Hilley's voice was evident in his singing from backstage, when Siegfried magically impersonated another character"--Gerry Kowarski, Two on the Aisle

         

        Aïda (Radamès), Baltimore Concert Opera

        "But early in the performance Sunday afternoon at the Engineers Club, there was a pretty strong indication that things were going to be respectable. That's when tenor Clay Hilley, as Radames, delivered a sensitive account of "Celeste Aida," capped with a much appreciated diminuendo on the high B-flat."--The Baltimore Sun

         

        Aïda (Radamès), Opera Southwest

        "Clay Hilley as Radamés, Captain of the Guard and secretly in love with Aida, clearly has a set of pipes and it not afraid to show them off, especially in his opening aria, 'Celeste Aida.'"--Albuquerque Journal

         

        Siegfried (Siegfried), Union Avenue Opera 

        "The most challenging to cast is that of Siegfried himself, but if tenor Clay Hilley approaches his career intelligently, he’ll be playing the young hero for years to come, in houses much larger than this one. It’s a voice with beauty, size and heft, and the high tessitura appeared to be no problem for him." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

         

        "The cast is led by Clay Hilley in the title role. Hilley is every bit a heldentenor--that heroic tenor that this role demands; his clear, true voice easily fills the hall--and he powerfully fills it for much of the three-hour performance." - Broadway World

         

      • Repertoire

        ROLES PERFORMED

        Beethoven // Fidelio
        Florestan

         

        Dvořák // Dimitrij
        Dimitrij

         

        Floyd // Susannah
        Sam Polk

         

        Heggie // Dead Man Walking
        Father Grenville

         

        Korngold // Die tote Stadt

        Paul

         

        Leoncavallo // Pagliacci
        Canio 

         

        Mascagni // Cavalleria Rusticana
        Turiddu

         

        Mozart // Idomeneo
        Idomeneo

         

        Puccini // Il tabarro
        Luigi

         

        Puccini // Turandot
        Calaf

         

        Saint-Saëns // Samson et Dalila
        Samson

         

        Strauss, Richard // Die Ägyptische Helena
        Menelas

         

        Strauss, Richard // Ariadne on Naxos
        Bacchus

         

        Strauss, Richard // Die Frau ohne Schatten
        Kaiser

         

        Verdi // Aïda
        Radamès

         

        Verdi // Otello
        Otello

         

        Wagner // The Flying Dutchman  
        Erik

         

        Wagner // The Meistersinger von Nürnberg
        Stolzing

         

        Wagner // Tristan and Isolde
        Tristan 

         

        Wagner // Die Walküre  
         Siegmund

         

        Wagner // Siegfried
        Siegfried

         

        Wagner // Götterdämmerung
        Siegfried

         

        Wagner // Parsifal
        Parsifal

        SUGGESTED ROLES

        Bellini // Norma
        Pollione

         

        Berlioz // Les Troyens
        Énée

         

        Britten // Peter Grimes
        Grimes

         

        Britten // Billy Budd
        Vere

         

        Floyd // Of Mice and Men
        Lennie

         

        Giordano // Andrea Chénier
        Chénier

         

        Heggie // Moby Dick
        Ahab

         

        Janáček // Jenůfa
        Laca

         

        Janáček // Káťa Kabanová
        Tichon

         

        Puccini // La fanciulla del west
        Dick Johnson

         

        Strauss, Richard // Daphne
        Apollo

         

        Strauss, Richard // Salome
        Herod

         

        Verdi // La forza del destino
        Don Alvaro

         

        Wagner // Lohengrin
        Lohengrin

         

        Wagner // Rienzi
        Rienzi

         

        Wagner // Tannhäuser
        Tannhäuser

         

        Weber // Der Freischütz
        Max

         

        Weber // Oberon
        Hüon

         

        Weill // Mahagonny
        Jimmy

         

        CONCERT REPERTOIRE

        Beethoven // Symphony No. 9

         

        Haydn // The Creation

         

        Janaček '// Diary of One Who Vanished

         

        Janáček // Glagolitic Mass (Slavonic Mass)

         

        Kodály // Psalmus Hungaricus (Hungarian Psalm)

         

        Mahler // Das Lied von der Erde

         

        Mahler // Symphony No. 8

         

        Mendelssohn // Elijah

         

        Rachmaninov // The Bells

         

        Schoenberg // Gurre-Lieder

         

        Tippett // A Child of Our Time

         

        Verdi // Requiem

      • CONTACT

        Bill Palant

        Managing Director

         

        Ansonia Station, Post Office Box 230132

        New York, New York 10023

        Tel: 929.777.0775

        Email: bp@etudearts.com

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