Richard Cowan (bass-baritone)

Cowan was born in Euclid, Ohio, and attended Euclid High School. He earned a degree in opera and composition from the Indiana University School of Music in 1981.

Cowan apprenticed first with Central City Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre and then joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago's Center for American Artists in 1983. He made his Chicago debut in 1983 as The Priest in the company premiere of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and by 1988 had appeared there in Carmen, Arabella, and Die Frau ohne Schatten.Delacoma, Wynne (4 December 1988). [https://web.archive.org/web/20140610220441/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3917327.html "Deep-voiced Richard Cowan gets down to business"]. Chicago Sun-Times. 9 January 2013. He later appeared in two more company premieres: Antony in Barber's Antony and Cleopatra (1991) and John Sorel in Menotti's The Consul (1996).Lyric Opera of Chicago Archives. [https://www.lyricopera.org/searchresults.aspx?q=Richard%20Cowan%20inurl:/about/cast Richard Cowan]. Retrieved 9 January 2013.

His European debut came in 1985 when on the invitation of Bruno Bartoletti, he sang The Animal Trainer and The Athlete in Alban Berg's Lulu at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, roles he would later reprise in Chicago and at San Francisco Opera.San Francisco Opera Archives. [http://archive.sfopera.com/qry3webcastlist.asp?psearch=Richard%20Cowan&Submit=GO Richard Cowan]. Retrieved 9 January 2013. In 1985 he was a National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and in 1987 won the Grand Prize in the Concours International de Chant de Paris.Central Opera Service Bulletin (Spring/Summer 1987). [http://www.cpanda.org/pdfs/csob/2704.pdf "Winners"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210906/http://www.cpanda.org/pdfs/csob/2704.pdf |date=2015-09-23 }}, Vol. 27, No. 4, p. 59 Cowan made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1990 on the opening night of the season as Schaunard in La bohème and went on to perform there as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and in the title role of Don Giovanni,Metropolitan Opera Archives. [http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/gisrch2k.r?Term=Cowan,%20Richard%20&limit=500&vsrchtype=no&xBranch=ALL&xmtype=&Start=&End=&theterm=Cowan,%20Richard%20&srt=&x=0&xHome=&xHomePath= Cowan, Richard (Bass-baritone)]. Retrieved 9 January 2013. a role he would sing many times in the opera houses of North America and Europe. His other leading roles have included Bluebeard in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle (Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Opera de Geneve, Melbourne, Liege, and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin), Escamillo in Carmen (Chicago, Toronto), Jokanaan in Salome (Miami, Minneapolis, Vancouver), and Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress (Spoleto Festival).Sachs, Harvey (21 July 1993). [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/21/style/21iht-spoleto_0.html "Stravinsky Tops Billing at Italian Festival"]. New York Times. Retrieved 9 January 2013.

Cowan was the artistic director of Lyrique en Mer, Festival de Belle Île in France. He founded the festival in 1998, and has directed various works at the island's Citadelle Vauban such as Otello, Rigoletto, La traviata, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, Dido and Aeneas, La Cenerentola, and Carmen.Perdoux, Martin (18 October 2001). [http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/opera-in-the-raw/Content?oid=906767 "Opera in the Raw"]. Chicago Reader. Retrieved 9 January 2013.Le Télégramme (22 August 2013). [http://www.letelegramme.fr/local/morbihan/vannes-auray/belleile/belleile/lyrique-en-mer-richard-cowan-la-cheville-ouvriere-22-08-2013-2209723.php "Lyrique en mer. Richard Cowan, la cheville ouvrière"]. Retrieved 9 January 2013 {{in lang|fr}}. He has taught classical voice at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Northern Kentucky University, and Carnegie Mellon University.Carnegie Mellon University (28 August 2008). [http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/August/aug28_cfafaculty.shtml "Carnegie Mellon's College of Fine Arts Appoints New Faculty Members for 2008–2009 Academic Year"].

Cowan died after a long illness on November 16, 2015, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.{{cite news|url=http://www.letelegramme.fr/morbihan/le-palais/necrologie-richard-cowan-du-lyrique-en-mer-21-11-2015-10858714.php|title=Nécrologie. Richard Cowan, du Lyrique en mer|work=Le Télégramme|date=November 21, 2015}}[http://slippedisc.com/2015/11/sad-news-death-of-enterprising-baritone-and-festival-director-aged-57/ Sad news: Death of enterprising baritone and festival director, aged 57]

• La Bohème (1988) – Chœur de Radio France and Maîtrise de Radio France; Orchestre national de France; James Conlon, conductor. Label: Erato
• Madame Butterfly (1995) – Chœurs et Maîtrise de Radio France; Orchestre national de France; James Conlon, conductor. Label: Sony Classical

• Schaunard in La Bohème (1988 feature film of the opera, directed by Luigi Comencini)Poppi, Roberto (1991). [https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZSEf-WwH7UC&pg=PA88 Dizionario del cinema italiano], Vol. 5, p. 88. Gremese Editore. {{ISBN|8877424230}} {{in lang|it}}
• Sharpless in Madame Butterfly (1995 feature film of the opera, directed by Frédéric Mitterrand)Weiskind, Ron (3 January 1997). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19970103&id=WdBRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KW8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2679,1175301 "Butterfly has wings"]. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
• Dr. Clovis Vincent in Ravel's Brain (2001 television documentary on Maurice Ravel, directed by Larry Weinstein)Telefilm Canada. [http://www.telefilm.ca/en/catalogues/production/ravel-s-brain Ravel's Brain]. Retrieved 9 January 2013.

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• [https://lyrique-belle-ile.com/ Official website: Lyrique-en-mer, Festival de Belle-Île] {{in lang|fr|en}}

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Category:1957 births

Category:2015 deaths

Category:Carnegie Mellon University faculty

Category:Jacobs School of Music alumni

Category:Northern Kentucky University faculty

Category:American operatic bass-baritones

Category:People from Euclid, Ohio

Category:Roosevelt University faculty

Category:American voice teachers

Category:Winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions

Category:Singers from Ohio

Category:Classical musicians from Ohio