Jay Baylon

Bass-baritone Jay Baylon realized a love of music at an early age while studying the cello. Soon after, his significant vocal talent was revealed and cultivated. Winner of the 1996 George London Foundation's George London-Kirsten Flagstad Memorial Fund Award, bass-baritone Jay Baylon has won critical acclaim for both operatic and concert appearances. The Richmond Times described his voice as "so full and unstrained that it could pass for a classic Russian bass." His commanding vocalism and thoughtful musicianship allow him to pursue a broad repertoire, ranging from the cantatas of J.S. Bach to the music dramas of Richard Wagner.

Mr. Baylon, who is well known to audiences throughout North America, made his debut in 1997 with the Pittsburgh Opera Company as Der Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, and went on to sing the same role at the end of that year for the Washington Opera. 1997 also saw Mr. Baylon's debut with the San Francisco Opera where he was responsible for the title role in Der fliegende Holländer and performed the role of Count Ceprano in Rigoletto. In 1998 he debuted with Arizona Opera in his first performances of Ramfis in Aïda, and in Toronto in his debut with the Canadian Opera Company as Don Fernando in Fidelio. That same year he shared the stage with Mirella Freni and Plácido Domingo in the role of Grech for Washington Opera's production of Fedora.

Mr. Baylon performed Don Alonzo (while covering Don Diego) in Le Cid and Elder Ott in Susannah for the Washington Opera, made his Sarasota Opera debut in the title role of Der fliegende Holländer, sang Monterone in Rigoletto for the Kentucky Opera and performed Zuniga in Arizona. He has performed Larkens in La Fanciulla del West for Canadian Opera Company, Il Frate in Don Carlo for Arizona Opera, Ramfis in Aida for Indianapolis Opera, Timur in Turandot for the New Orleans Opera, Nourabad in Pearl Fishers with Nashville Opera, Frère Laurent in Gounod's Romeo & Juliette with Knoxville Opera and Angelotti in Tosca for the Baltimore Opera, as well as in Providence and Boston. On the concert stage, he has performed the Dvorak Stabat Mater with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and at the Berkshire Choral Festival; Shostakovich 14th Symphony with the Richmond Symphony; the title role in Elijah and the St. Matthew Passion with the Handel Choir of Baltimore; Mozart's Requiem with the Paul Hill Chorale and at the National Arts Center in Ottawa; Verdi Requiem and the Vaughn-Williams Hodie with the Mercersburg Choral. In 2003 Mr. Baylon performed the Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the Nashville Symphony which was also recorded and released in 2004 on the Naxos label.