William Neely
Opera / Musical theatre work
Captain Lutte Bitter Sweet (Noel Coward) Lamplighters, 2009
Voltaire / Pangloss Candide (Bernstein) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2009
Don Alfonso Cosi fan tutte Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2008
Pasha Selim Abduction from the Seraglio Midsummer Mozart Festival (George Cleve, cond., 2008)
John Sorel The Consul (Menotti) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2007
Don Quixote Man of La Mancha (Leigh) Santa Rosa Players, 2007
Alfio Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2007
Danilo The Merry Widow (Lehar) Lamplighters, 2007
Jack Rance Girl of the Golden West (Puccini) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2006
Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd (Sondheim) North Bay Op / Solano Coll (George Maguire), 2006
Tonio Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2006
Dr. Falke die Fledermaus (J Strauss) North Bay Opera, 2004
Cartwright The Wedding (Janice Wilson) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2003
Forester Cunning Little Vixen (Janacek) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2003
Don Giovanni Don Giovanni (Mozart) Bay Area Choral Harmonies 2003
Baron Scarpia Tosca (Puccini) North Bay Opera, 2003
Rambaldo La Rondine (Puccini) Pocket Opera, 2003
4 Villains Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach) North Bay Opera, 2002
Emperor The Nightingale (Stravinsky) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2002
Carl-Magnus A Little Night Music(Sondheim) Lamplighters, 2002
Fred / Petruchio Kiss Me, Kate (Porter) Piedmont Light Opera Theatre, 2001
Taddeo Italian Girl in Algiers (Rossini) Pocket Opera, 2001
Don Giovanni Don Giovanni (Mozart) Livermore Valley Opera, 2000
Ford Falstaff (Verdi) Cinnabar Opera, 2000
Don Alfonso Così fan tutte (Mozart) West Bay Opera, 2000; Cinnabar Opera, 2008
Un Passager 60th Parallel (Manoury) Berkeley Symphony, Kent Nagano, cond., 2000
Baritone soloist Mass (Bernstein) (fully staged) Cabrillo Festival, Marin Alsop, cond., 1999
Dr. Bartolo Barber of Seville (Rossini) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 1999
Treasurer Un giorno di regno (Verdi) Pocket Opera, 1999
Sharpless Madama Butterfly (Puccini) West Bay Opera, 1999
Phantom Phantom (Yeston / Kopit) Peninsula Civic Light Opera, 1998
Count Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) Cinnabar Opera Theater, 1998
Escamillo Carmen (Bizet) San Francisco Lyric Opera, 1998
Germont La Traviata (Verdi) San Francisco Lyric Opera, 1998
Albert Werther (Massenet) San Francisco Lyric Opera, 1998
Father / Jailer Dialogues of the Carmelites (Poulenc) Berkeley Opera, Jonathan Kuhner, cond., 1998
Dr. Malatesta Don Pasquale (Donizetti) West Bay Opera, 1997
Francis Chesney Where's Charley? (Loesser) Lamplighters, 1988, 1997
Baron Scarpia Tosca (Puccini) West Bay Opera, 1997
Papageno Magic Flute (Mozart) Berkeley Opera cond. by George Cleve, 1996
Dr. Falke Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss) Berkeley Opera, 1996 (as Bat Out of Hell)
Schaunard La Bohème (Puccini) West Bay Opera, 1995
Dr. Falke Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss) West Bay Opera, 1993
Blazes The Lighthouse (Maxwell Davies) Berkeley Contemporary Opera, 1992
The Traveler(7 Roles)Death in Venice (Britten) Berkeley Contemporary Opera, 1991
Apollo Egisto (Cavalli) ensemblecond. by Kent Nagano, 1980
Melchior Amahl / Night Visitors (Menotti) Sonoma City Opera, 2001
Sprecher Magic Flute (Mozart) Oakland Opera, cond. by Monroe Kanouse, 1986
San Francisco Opera Chorus work
Member ofExtra Chorus ofSan Francisco Opera since 2002, performing in:
Messaien St. François de Asis, 2002
Verdi Otello, 2002
Leoncavallo I Pagliacci, 2003
Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana, 2003
Britten Billy Budd (including principal cover), 2004
Wagner Der Fliegender Holländer, 2004
Verdi La Forza del destino, 2005
Wagner Tannhäuser, Fall 2007
Verdi Aida, Fall 2010
Wagner Götterdämmerung, Spring 2011
Puccini Turandot, Fall 2011
Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire (performed with Lamplighters)
Pirates of Penzance Sergeant of Police, 1983
Pirate King, 1987, 1991, 1995
The Gondoliers Giuseppe, 1988
Luis, 1993
HMS Pinafore Captain Corcoran, 1989, 2004
Iolanthe Pvt. Willis, 1980
Lord Mountararat, 1984, 1988
Strephon, 1992
Patience Grosvenor, 1990, 1995
Princess Ida King Hildebrand, 1989, 1994, 1992
Ruddygore Sir Despard, 1987, 1991
Sir Roderic, 1982, 2000
The Sorcerer Sir Marmaduke, 1985
Dr. Daly, 1996
The Yeomen of the Guard Lt. Cholmondeley, 1981, 1986
Sgt. Meryll, 1992, 1995, 2005
Oratorio and Concert Work Baritone / Bass soloist
Handel Israel in Egypt, San Francisco Choral Society, Robert Geary, cond., 2012
Brahms Requiem (Stockton Chorale, Milton Williams, Cond.), 2000
Bernstein Mass (Cabrillo Festival, Marin Alsop, cond.), 1999
Clark Requiem for Lost Children (San Jose Symphonic Choir, Leroy Kromm), 2000
Bach St. Matthew Passion (Pilate) (San Francisco Bach Choir, David Babbitt, cond.), 1999
Haydn The Creation (both Raphael and Adam) (Valley Choral Society, Philip Manwel), 1994
Mozart Magic Flute excerpts (Midsummer Mozart Festival Orch., George Cleve), 1996
Mozart Requiem (Sonoma State Univ., Robert Worth) 2002
Pfitzner Palestrina (Berkeley symphony, Kent Nagano), 1982
Bach Mass in B minor (Bay Area Lutheran Chorale, David Babbitt) 1979
Guest soloist, Contra Costa Symphony Orchestra, 2001
American Operetta program with Lamplighters orchestra, Monroe Kanouse, cond., 2000
former Member ofSan Francisco Lyric Quartet (accompanied vocal quartet repertoire)
Duoconcerts on cruise ship S.S. Universe, 1991, 1993
Currently Baritone soloist, St. Luke’s Church, San Francisco, 1999-present
Baritone soloist, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, San Mateo, 1991-95
Outreach (School shows)
30-40 minute versions of operas performed in schools throughout the Bay Area from San Jose to Ukiah.
25 performances of Daughter of the RegimentSan Francisco Opera Guild à la Carte program, Fall 2001.
17 perfornances of Barab’s Chanticleer. Cinnabar Opera Theater, 2001.
30 plus perfornances of Elixir of Love. San Francisco Opera Guild à la Carte program, 2000.
34 performances of The Magic Flute. West Bay Opera'sOpera in the Schools, 1999-2000.
29 performances of La Bohème. San Francisco Opera Guild à la Carte program. 1999.
30 performances ofCarmen. San Francisco Opera Guild à la Carte program, 1996.
58 performances of Barber of Seville.West Bay Opera'sOpera in the Schools, 1997-98.
20 performances of The Brementown Musicians.Cinnabar Opera Theater, 1998.
(based on Grimms' tale by Doug Bowes and Marcy Telles.)
28 performances of original show The World of OperaWest Bay Opera'sOpera in the Schools, 1998-99.
Education and Academics
Faculty member (Instructor of Applied Voice and Classical Music Appreciation), Santa Rosa Junior College since 1999
Formerly faculty, Napa Valley College, 1998-2000
B Music: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, (emphasis in early music)
Special project: Monteverdi: Orfeo, partial performance and paper (Honors Thesis)
M Music: University of Colorado, Boulder (emphasis in performance)
Current study with Pamela Hicks
Former study with Donald Stenberg, Oren Brown, Rodney Gisick, John d’Armand, Susan Nance, James Nance
Oren Brown Voice Seminars, Amherst College, 1974; Holy Names College, 2003
Burton Coffin pedagogy classes, 1975-77
Susan Nance Voice Seminar
Boris Goldovsky Opera Workshop, 1983
Radio / Television / recordings
LamplightersGilbert and Sullivan: Trial by Jury, KQED Television production, 1981
Berkeley Symphony (Kent Nagano, cond.) Pfitzner: Palestrina, KKHI radio broadcast, 1982
Lamplighters CD“I Have a Song To Sing-O”, recorded at Skywalker Ranch, 1996
Lamplighters CD, “Princess Ida, ” 2013 (reviewed in Opera News)