Richard Fredricks

Richard Fredricks, born August 15, 1933, in Los Angeles, California, is an American baritone who built a career as one of the leading dramatic baritones at both the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Early in his career he appeared on Broadway, receiving credit in The Music Master in 1957.

Fredricks made his New York City Opera debut on October 1, 1960, singing the role of Schaunard in La bohème alongside Chester Ludgin and Norman Treigle. Over the following years he took on a wide range of leading baritone roles with the company, including Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Horace Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Escamillo in Carmen, Baron Scarpia in Tosca opposite Plácido Domingo, Germont in La traviata, the title roles in Rigoletto and Don Giovanni (the latter directed by Frank Corsaro), and Ford in Falstaff, among many others. He participated in the world premiere of Jack Beeson's Lizzie Borden, portraying Captain Jason MacFarlane. His work with the company also included Lescaut in Manon alongside Beverly Sills, conducted by Julius Rudel, and the title role in Gianni Schicchi.

His association with the Metropolitan Opera began in 1976 when he appeared at Wolf Trap National Park as Don Carlo in John Dexter's production of La forza del destino. The following year he performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in La traviata with Rita Shane. His debut on the Met's main stage featured the role of Athanael in Thaïs opposite Sills, and he subsequently sang Don Giovanni, Barnaba in La gioconda, the Four Villains in Les contes d'Hoffmann, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Ostasio in Francesca da Rimini with Renata Scotto.

Beyond New York, Fredricks performed at major theatres throughout the Americas and in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Venice, Brussels, Israel, and Mexico. In Canada his credits included the Count de Luna in Il trovatore in Montreal, Rigoletto in Toronto and Quebec City, Scarpia in Tosca in Winnipeg, and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream in Vancouver. He also directed productions of La bohème for the Michigan Opera and the Duluth Opera, and both sang Lescaut and directed Manon for the Honolulu Opera.

Fredricks made several appearances on network television, performing multiple times on NBC's The Tonight Show. On November 5, 1971, he appeared as himself in the ABC series The Odd Couple, in an episode titled "Does Your Mother Know You're Out, Rigoletto," during which he sang selections from La traviata and the song "If Ever I Would Leave You" from Camelot. His discography includes recordings of The Treasury of Great Operettas, The Tender Land, Lizzie Borden, and Duruflé's Requiem. Video recordings of his performances have been released on labels including VAI, Paramount Pictures, and Deutsche Grammophon, among them a 1975 live recording of Roberto Devereux with Beverly Sills and Susanne Marsee, and a 1984 live recording of Francesca da Rimini featuring Renata Scotto and Plácido Domingo.