Current Season
Bayreuther Festspiele
Director: Valentin Schwartz
Conductor: Cornelius Meister
August 2022
St. Louis Symphony
Conductor: Stéphane Denève
September/October 2022
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Director: Graham Vick
Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles
November 2022
l’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano
December 2022
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
Director: Lydia Steier
Conductor: Kirill Petrenko
April 2023
Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Director: Deborah Warner
Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano
July 2022
Director: Stefan Herheim
Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles
October & November 2021; January 2022
BJU Opera Association
Director: Darren Lawson
Conductor: Michael Moore
March 2022
Bilbao Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Erik Nielsen
May 2022
Tiroler Festspiele Erl
Director: Brigitte Fassbaender
Conductor: Erik Nielsen
July 2022
Director: Nanouk Leopold
Conductor: Lorenzo Viotti
September 2021
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
Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano
October 2020
Opera Roanoke
Conductor: Steven White
November 2020
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
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
“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
“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
“Tenor Clay Hilley’s soaring lines set a high standard for the vocal soloists yet to be heard.” — The Chicago Tribune
"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
“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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
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
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
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
Bill Palant
Managing Director
Ansonia Station, Post Office Box 230132
New York, New York 10023
Tel: 929.777.0775
Email: bp@etudearts.com