Roderick Williams OBE, baritone & Iain Burnside, piano
Thursday, November 13, 7:30PM
Ordway Concert Hall
British baritone and composer Roderick Williams is known for his rich and sophisticated tone, intelligent interpretations, broad repertoire, and his infectious enthusiasm. Williams’ International Artist Series program on November 13 with the esteemed Scottish pianist Iain Burnside will include the world premiere of a new work by Minnesota-based composer Libby Larsen. Additionally, Roderick will serve as the Schubert Club’s Featured Artist for 2025-26 and will work with local student musicians in public masterclasses.
Born in London to a Welsh father and Jamaican mother, Roderick Williams is one of the world’s best-loved baritones who has been featured on countless recordings and recently performed at King Charles’ coronation as both soloist and composer. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2017, he is also known for being a thoroughly nice chap with a beaming smile.
An accomplished opera performer and recitalist, Williams has appeared at opera houses and concert halls in the cultural capitals of the world, encompassing a repertoire from the baroque to the modern era. He is a regular performer at the BBC Proms and in 2019 he performed all three Schubert song cycles at Wigmore Hall in London. Roderick is an established composer and has recently taken up the role of Composer in Association with the BBC Singers.
“Mr. Williams proved a natural and expressive communicator…..He imbued each song with myriad colorful nuances, his rich, burnished baritone [was] lovely throughout the evening.”
~ The New York Times
Pianist Iain Burnside, has worked with a broad roster of international singers: Dame Margaret Price, Rosa Feola, Ailish Tynan, Joyce DiDonato, Laurence Brownlee, and Bryn Terfel, among many others. Burnside is well-known to U.K. audiences as a former presenter on BBC Radio 3 and has recorded more than 60 CD’s, with a special place reserved for the highways and byways of English Song. He has recorded the complete baritone songs of Gerald Finzi with Roderick Williams on the Naxos label. Burnside is the International Visiting Artist at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin.
