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date = "2019-03-18T21:35:52+00:00"
discipline = "Bass"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1552944881/media/2019/03/RaymondAceto.jpg"
primary_image_credit = ""
related_companies = ["scene/companies/l-opéra-de-montréal.md", "scene/companies/seattle-opera.md", "scene/companies/opera-philadelphia.md", "scene/companies/canadian-opera-company.md", "scene/companies/oper-frankfurt.md", "scene/companies/spoleto-festival-usa.md", "scene/companies/the-dallas-opera.md", "scene/companies/houston-grand-opera.md", "scene/companies/lyric-opera-of-chicago.md", "scene/companies/the-santa-fe-opera.md", "scene/companies/royal-opera-house.md", "scene/companies/san-francisco-opera.md", "scene/companies/the-metropolitan-opera.md", "scene/companies/washington-national-opera.md"]
slug = "raymond-aceto"
social_media = []
title = "Raymond Aceto"
website = "http://www.raymondaceto.com/"

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American bass Raymond Aceto has established an important presence among the world’s leading opera companies and symphony orchestras. His performances continue to gather both popular and critical acclaim. Of his performance as Baron Scarpia, The Houston Chronicle hailed, “Raymond Aceto oozes suave villainy as the evil Baron Scarpia, his voice a dark rumble of menace and lust as he plots to destroy Cavaradossi and conquer Tosca…intelligent characterization distinguishes Aceto’s Scarpia as more than a cartoon villain. Commanding in voice and presence, implacable in his lust for Tosca, he is nonetheless subtle in his calculations. It’s his smiling ease that confirms how dangerous he is.”

Aceto’s 2018-2019 season begins with his return to the Metropolitan Opera for performances in Bizet’s _Les Pêcheurs de Perles_ under conductor Emmanuel Villaume and in Sir Richard Eyre’s production of _Carmen_. Following his 2016 debut at Washington National Opera in Francesca Zambello’s _RING_ Cycle, he returns to the Kennedy Center in 2019 as Méphistophélès in Gounod’s _Faust_. He reprised the roles of Hunding and Fafner in Zambello’s _RING_ Cycle with the San Francisco Opera in June, led by Donald Runnicles. On the concert stage this season he performs Beethoven’s _Symphony No. 9_ with the Las Vegas and Louisiana Philharmonics.

A frequent presence on the world’s international stages, Aceto performed last season in a new production of _Nabucco_ for the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Shanghai Grand Theater, conducted by Daniel Oren. He also appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra on tour to Vienna’s Musikverein as Harasta in _The Cunning Little Vixen_ under the baton of Music Director Franz Welser-Most and directed by Yuval Sharon. In 2015 he traveled to Japan with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Banquo in _Macbeth_ and Il Commendatore in _Don Giovanni_ with Sir Antonio Pappano conducting. A regular collaborator with leading symphony orchestras, he has recently been seen as a soloist for Verdi’s _Requiem_ with the Oregon and Grand Rapids Symphonies, Bruckner’s _Te Deum_ with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Mozart’s _Requiem_ with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under Music Director Ward Stare, and Wagner’s _Der Fliegende Holländer_ with the St. Louis Symphony under Music Director David Robertson.

His operatic appearances in the United States include _Roméo et Juliette_, _La fanciulla del West_, _King Roger_, and _Rigoletto_ with Santa Fe Opera; _Nabucco_, _Aida_, _Don Giovanni_, and _Rigoletto_ at the Metropolitan Opera; _Nabucco_, _Macbeth_, _Il barbiere di Siviglia_, _Das Rheingold_, _Siegfried_, _Samson et Dalila_, _Les pêcheurs de perles_, _Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny_, _Aida_, _Manon_, and _Boris Godunov_ with the Lyric Opera of Chicago; _Macbeth_, _Aida_, _Turandot_, _Aida,_ and _Susannah_ with the San Francisco Opera; _Tosca_, _L’incoronazione di Poppea_, _Rigoletto_, _Lucia di Lammermoor_, _Simon Boccanegra_, _Boris Godunov,_ _Carmen_, _Die Zauberflöte_, and _Don Giovanni_ with Houston Grand Opera; _Don Giovanni, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, La bohème, Das Rheingold, Luisa Miller,_ and _Die Zauberflöte_ with The Dallas Opera; Méphistophélès in Gounod’s _Faust_ and Vodnik in _Rusalka_ with New Orleans Opera; and Wagner’s _RING Cycle_ at Washington National Opera. He has appeared in leading roles with the opera companies of Seattle, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Boston, Colorado, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Cleveland, as well as the opera festivals in St. Louis and Spoleto (USA).

On the international stage, Aceto has been seen in _Il Barbiere di Siviglia_, _Turandot, Rigoletto_, and _Il Trovatore_ at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Oroveso in _Norma_ at the Gran Teatre del Liceu; _Simone Boccanegra_, _Aida,_ and _Carmen_ at Deutsche Oper Berlin; _Aida_ at the Vienna Staatsoper; _Il Trovatore_ at the Teatro Real Madrid; _Rigoletto_ at the Netherlands Opera; _Lucia di Lammermoor_ _Le Vêspres Sicilienne_ at Oper Frankfurt; _Nabucco_, _Aida_, and _Carmen_ at the Arena di Verona; Scarpia in _Tosca_ at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna; _I due foscari_ at La Monnaie; Zaccaria in Nabucco at the Teatro Comunale di Firenze; _Carmen_ at Teatro Massimo; _Fidelio_ and _Der fliegende Holländer_ at the Canadian Opera Company; and _Rigoletto_ at L’Opéra de Montréal.

In concert, Aceto has appeared with leading symphony orchestras across the world, including Mahler’s _Das Klagende Lied_ with the Dallas Symphony; Szymanowski’s _King Roger_ with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Verdi’s _Requiem_ with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the New West Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Colorado Symphony, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at London’s Royal Albert Hall; Beethoven’s _Symphony No. 9_ with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl; Beethoven’s _Mass in C Major_ with the Cleveland Orchestra; Mahler’s _Symphony No. 8_ with the Nashville Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony; Stravinsky’s _Pulcinella_ and Ravel’s _L’enfant et les sortileges_ with the San Francisco Symphony; Strauss’ _Salome_ at the Tanglewood Festival; Beethoven’s _Fidelio_ with the Minnesota Orchestra; Bizet’s _Carmen_ with the St. Louis Symphony; and Gounod’s _Faust_ with the Dallas Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra. He made his Alice Tully Hall debut as Balthazar in a concert performance of Donizetti’s _La Favorite_ with L’Opéra Français de New York, and his Carnegie Hall debut as Andrea Cornaro in _Caterina Cornaro_ with the Opera Orchestra of New York.

A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artist’s Development Program, the Ohio-born bass has appeared frequently with the company since his debut as the Jailer in _Tosca_ during the 1992-1993 season. In 1995 and 1996, Mr. Aceto was awarded Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grants, and in 1994 he was a recipient of a Sullivan Foundation Award. In 1996, he traveled to Japan for performances and a recording of _The Rake’s Progress_ with Seiji Ozawa conducting. Mr. Aceto can also be heard in the role of Capellio in Teldec’s recording of _I Capuleti e i Montecchi_.