Baritone Patrick McNally is highly praised for bringing new works to life and invigorating great works of old. He prioritizes works important to our time that deeply impact audiences. Drawing from his extensive performance experience, he is equally at home on the opera, musical theatre, and recital stage.
Dr. McNally made his La Musica Lirica debut last season, portraying one of his most notoriously beloved characters, the title role in Don Giovanni. In the 2022-2023 season, he returned to St. Petersburg Opera to sing Taddeo in l’Italiana in Algeri and The Wolf in Pinocchio. He was also seen with the Quad Cities Symphony performing the role of Gad in Heggie's Two Remain (Out of Darkness). Recently, Dr. McNally recorded Tangling with the Epic, a CD of newly created English and Australian art songs to be released late in 2023 on the Cedille Records label. As an avid recitalist, this season he provided a recital for St. Petersburg Opera, and next season he will perform Argento’s Andrée Expedition at Augustana College.
Over the pandemic Dr. McNally premiered in his first Twitch Opera as well as multiple asynchronous productions for online audiences including the world premiere of the award-winning Verdi by Vegetables by Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi, receiving Opera America’s Digital Excellence in Opera Award. Dr. McNally has been known and glowingly reviewed throughout his career for his command of the bel canto repertoire, his stylish portrayal of Mozart, and his commitment to new works. He continues to delight audiences with a baritone described as "robust" and "standout" by the Denver Post, as having a "rich, expressive baritone," and with a "lively stage presence” as described by Opera News.
Dr. McNally is a regular guest master teacher at visiting programs both nationally and internationally. His most recent masterclass was at Carnegie Mellon University. He has had former students sing at opera houses from Landlocked opera to the Metropolitan Opera as well as internationally at houses such as the Bayerischer Staatsoper.
Dr. McNally has performed at houses across the United States as well as internationally. Recent career highlights include appearances at Nashville Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Central City Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, Sarasota Opera, Dayton Opera, Opera Louisiane, Bronx Opera, Opera Mississippi, City Lyric Opera, the Center for Contemporary Opera, the Boston Lyric Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, as one of the solisti of Lucca, and in Die Eutiner Festspiele. His recent oratorio highlights include the baritone solos in Fauré's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, and the Bach Mass in B minor. Mr. McNally has won many awards including the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, and he is a John Moriarty Presidential Scholar.
