Biography

Anthony Dean Griffey - Tenor

Four-time Grammy Award Winning American tenor Anthony Dean Griffey has captured critical and popular acclaim on opera, concert and recital stages around the world. The combination of his beautiful and powerful lyric tenor voice, gift of dramatic interpretation and superb musicianship have earned him the highest praise from critics and audiences alike.

Celebrated across the globe for his powerful portrayal of the title role of Britten's Peter Grimes, Griffey first performed the role at Tanglewood in 1996 under the baton of Seiji Ozawa. The role has subsequently brought him international acclaim and the New York Times raved, “And the achievement of Mr. Griffey, a courageous artist, comes through. His Grimes is baby-faced, pitiable and volatile, both a menacing presence and a tragic victim.” His performance of Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera was broadcast live in HD to movie theatres across the world, featured on PBS and released on DVD (EMI Classics). Opera News featured Mr. Griffey's performance at the Houston Grand Opera, saying "Griffey's large, lumbering physical presence commanded the stage, but it was his vocal artistry that sealed a remarkable performance. Grimes is a complex mix of cruel villain and pitiful, misunderstood misfit: the vast color palette of Griffey's voice — airy and dreamy, earthy and rough, steely and powerful — brought that complexity to vivid life, showing us Grimes by turns as gentle giant, cruel and destructive monster, and haunted and hallucinating madman. In short, Griffey, who has sung Grimes at the Met, at the Paris Opera and elsewhere — could well set a new standard for this role." Mr. Griffey also released a recording of Peter Grimes on compact disc with Glyndebourne Opera conducted by Mark Wigglesworth.

Operatic engagements for the 2012-13 season include a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago as Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Renee Fleming and a semi-staged version of the same work at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke's. Mr. Griffey will sing the world premiere of Theaofanidis' The Gift with the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by Manfred Honeck, where he will also perform in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Other symphonic highlights include Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink, Britten's War Requiem with the Seattle Symphony conducted by Ludovic Morlot, Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Nashville Symphony, Das Lied von der Erde with the Eastern Music Festival, North Carolina Symphony, and Columbus Symphony, Britten's Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac with the Chamber Music Society in both Chicago and New York, and Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with the Milwaukee Symphony conducted by Edo de Waart. Mr. Griffey will also appear in recital opposite Warren Jones at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Mr. Griffey in collaboration with classical guitarist, Joseph Pecoraro will be releasing a solo Christmas album entitled “This Little Light” in October. Information can be found at thislittlelightcd.com

Operatic highlights of Mr. Griffey's extensive career include his role debut in a new production of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia as the Male Chorus at Houston Grand Opera, conducted by Patrick Summers; the title role in Kurka's The Good Soldier Schweik with Glimmerglass Opera; Flute in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, Italy; and Lennie in Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men with the Houston Grand Opera and Opera Australia in Melbourne and Sydney for which he won a Helpmann award for Best Male Performer in an Opera.

Symphonic highlights include Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Nashville Symphony; Britten's War Requiem with the Saito Kinen Orchestra at Carnegie Hall conducted by Seiji Ozawa, the Atlanta Symphony conducted by Robert Spano, and with the Eugene Concert Choir; Mahler's Eighth Symphony with the Detroit Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin and with the Orquesta Nacional de España in Madrid; Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis conducted by Alan Gilbert with the New York Philharmonic; Beethoven's Fidelio and Ninth Symphony with the New World Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the London Symphony Orchestra under Bernard Haitink, the New York City Opera's Opening Gala, the San Diego Symphony conducted by Jahja Ling and with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland at the Concertgebouw, where he also reprised Britten's War Requiem.

Also a consummate recitalist, Mr. Griffey has appeared in recital under the auspices of San Francisco Performances and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and made appearances with Music for a Great Space in Greensboro, North Carolina with long-time pianist and collaborator Warren Jones. Mr. Griffey debuted at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall in 2004 where André Previn composed, and dedicated a song cycle for Mr. Griffey and accompanied him on the piano. Mr. Griffey has also performed with the major recital series throughout the U.S. including Ravinia, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Schubert Club in Saint Paul, and the Cleveland Art Song Festival.

On DVD and compact disc, Mr. Griffey can be seen in the Grammy award winning Los Angeles Opera production of Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Euroarts) which also aired on PBS; The Metropolitan Opera's Tristan und Isolde (DG/Universal); the world premiere of A Streetcar Named Desire (Image Entertainment) with the San Francisco Opera; Taylor's Peter Ibbetson with the Seattle Symphony on the Naxos label with Gerard Schwarz; Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Loren Maazel, and recorded with the Tonhalle Orchestra released by RCA; Britten's War Requiem recorded live with Kurt Masur and the London Philharmonic at Royal Festival Hall; André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (DG); Les Mamelles de Tirésias conducted by Seiji Ozawa (Philips); I Lombardi with James Levine (Decca/London); Amy Beach's Cabildo (Delos); and Of Mice and Men with the Houston Grand Opera (Albany). Mr Griffey has also been featured as an Artist of the Week on A&E's Breakfast with the Arts.

Since the start of his career Griffey has taken an active role in many charitable efforts, advocating for arts programs in the Guilford County Public Schools, raising money for the Mental Health Association as well as giving benefit concerts for the "Open Door Shelter" for which Griffey has raised thousands of dollars for the homeless in his hometown. He is also actively involved with the High Point Area Arts Council. Anthony Dean Griffey holds degrees from Wingate University, the Eastman School of Music, the Juilliard School and was a member of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artists Program. He was awarded the Doctorate of Humane Letters from Wingate University in May 2012 and was also inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

Date Last Edited: 24th January 2013

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