Eric Barry in La traviata · Opera Colorado · Photo © Matthew Staver

From leading roles with Pittsburgh Opera and Opera Colorado to appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra, Spanish-American tenor Eric Barry has built an international career on the opera and concert stages. Praised by Opera News for his “clear timbre, evenness of projection and exceptional sensitivity,” he has also appeared with Pacific Symphony, the Utah Symphony, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. His live recordings of operatic rarities have earned international award nominations, bringing these performances to audiences worldwide.

On the opera stage

Barry’s leading roles include Rodolfo in La bohème with Pittsburgh Opera, North Carolina Opera, and Opera Memphis; Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Alfredo in La traviata with Opera Colorado; and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore with Boston Midsummer Opera. He has portrayed Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress with Wolf Trap Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Florentine Opera, and Macduff in Macbeth opposite Greer Grimsley with Opera San Antonio. His repertoire extends to Canio in Pagliacci and Cavaradossi in Tosca, both performed with Amarillo Opera, and the title roles in Rossini’s Otello and Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito with Opera in the Heights.

The recorded voice

Barry’s discography includes two recordings nominated for International Classical Music Awards in Opera: Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, in which he sings the Prologue and Peter Quint, and the album pairing Holst’s At the Boar’s Head, featuring him as Prince Hal, with Vaughan Williams’s Riders to the Sea. The Britten recording also earned a Fryderyk nomination, while the Holst/Vaughan Williams album received Crescendo magazine’s Joker distinction, an editorial honor recognizing exceptional recordings. His longstanding collaboration with conductor Łukasz Borowicz and the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival in Warsaw has also yielded recordings of Donizetti’s Maria Padilla, Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re, Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, and Bizet’s Djamileh.

In concert

On the concert stage, Barry has performed Verdi’s Requiem with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Utah Symphony, and Ethel Smyth’s Mass in D at Carnegie Hall. International appearances include engagements with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared with Jacksonville Symphony, Madison Symphony Orchestra, and Omaha Symphony. His concert repertoire encompasses Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah. Television appearances include Eric Barry: Home for Christmas and PBS presentations of Amarillo Opera productions, including Pagliacci.

Beyond the stage

Eric Barry’s journey to the opera stage began in Sundown, a small West Texas town where the school band provided his first musical outlet. He arrived at West Texas A&M University intending to study business and play in the marching band, only to discover an unexpected talent for singing.

Encouragement and early opportunities from the local performing arts community inspired Eric to exchange the business track for a life in music. That decision led him to New York City for intensive vocal study and then to the Yale School of Music, where he earned both a Master of Music and an Artist Diploma.

His career has since included award-winning performances, seven commercial opera recordings heard on NPR and the BBC, and featured in two PBS documentaries, including Eric Barry: Home for Christmas. Inspired by an idea from his wife, Ana, the couple worked together to establish a scholarship through the West Texas A&M University Foundation. Recipients are selected through the annual Eric Barry Vocal Competition, which recognizes and supports singers with exceptional performance potential.