At a Glance
Randall has become a sought-after artist by some of the world’s most esteemed opera houses. In December of 2019 he made a spectacular debut at London’s Royal Opera House as Apollo in Britten’s Death in Venice, singing to sold-out audiences at Covent Garden in David McVicar’s acclaimed production. Randall then joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera to cover performances of Handel’s Agrippina and returned to the Met in 2022 for performances of Eurydice by Matthew Aucoin. In the spring of 2022 he made another impressive debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper singing the role of Michael in a new production of Haas’ micro-tonal opera Thomas. Randall’s debut solo album with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, was released by Signum Classics in September 2022, entitled The Crown: Heroic Arias for Senesino. The recording earned high praise from many reviewers; “Scotting lets loose a ravishing vocalism, deep colours, muscular core…Scotting’s messa da voce is mesmerising in music about love and despair alike” **** BBC Music Magazine.
A dramatically persuasive and intensely musical interpreter, Randall is recognised for winning over audiences with his stunning vocal beauty, stylish singing, and charismatic stage presence. Randall’s second album on the Signum label, LOVESICK, also received broad acclaim and was recorded in collaboration with Grammy award winning lutenist Stephen Stubbs. Randall returned to Germany in early 2023 to debut the role of Adone at Staatsoper Hamburg in the world premiere of Sciarrino’s Venere e Adone. Upon receiving rave reviews for his singing and acting as the Refugee in Flight at Seattle Opera, Randall performed again at Seattle Opera in late 2023 singing Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina.
“stunningly performed by Randall Scotting… his second aria reaffirmed the initial impact of an exceptionally powerful countertenor voice”
– Tony Ryan, TheatreReview
About Randall
Standing 6’3” (191 cm) with a muscular build, he breaks the typical countertenor mold. His warm, full, and resonant sound defies stereotypes and sets a new standard in the voice part.
Raised in Colorado, he also played the cello for 14 years while growing up. His roots are English, Welsh and Scottish… so, yeah, he can rock the bagpipes when the occasion calls.
Studied vocal performance at Juilliard and the University of Colorado; he also lived in London for 8 years and was awarded a PhD from the Royal College of Music for his thesis on forgotten 18th century Italian operas.
A former vocal fellow at Ravinia’s Steans Institute in Chicago, the Britten-Pears Programme in Aldeburgh, UK, and the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall in New York.
As a previous Fulbright Scholar researching and performing Bartók and Ligeti, he spent 3 years living in Budapest… and will happily teach you how to swear in Hungarian.
Passionate about health and fitness, any day that’s not spent performing or rehearsing, he can usually be found lifting heavy things at the gym or trekking up the nearest mountain.
Career Highlights
Debut solo album, The Crown, heroic arias for Senesino with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment led by Laurence Cummings, released in September 2022 on Signum Classics
Role and house debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in May 2022 as Michael in Georg Friedrich Haas’ opera Thomas
Role and house debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Apollo in Britten’s Death in Venice, in November 2019
Joined the Metropolitan Opera roster in January 2020 to cover performances of Handel’s Agrippina and returned in November 2021 for Aucoin’s Eurydice
Upcoming lute and folk song album with Grammy award winning lutenist Stephen Stubbs to be released in February 2023 on Signum Classics
Widely acclaimed role debut in 2021 as the Refugee in Dove’s opera Flight at Seattle Opera, after past performances there in Handel’s Semele
Featured in 2016 on the BBC documentary Mozart’s London Odyssey singing JC Bach and discussing the star castrato, Manzuoli
European stage debut at Italy’s Spoleto Festival dei due mondi in Vivaldi’s Ercole su’l Termodonte
Randall’s past engagements have linked him to major US and EU opera houses and orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera, London’s Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, the New York Philharmonic, Michigan Opera Theatre, Italy’s Spoleto Festival, the Göttingen Handel Festival, and others. In concert, he has sung at diverse venues including Carnegie Hall, Boston Baroque, National Sawdust, Edinburgh’s Saint Cecilia’s Hall, Hobart Baroque, the Christchurch Intl Arts Festival, and London’s National Gallery. Additional roles for which he has received acclaim include the leads in Handel’s Rinaldo, Orlando, and Giulio Cesare; Britten’s A Midsummer Nights Dream, and Gluck’s Orfeo.
Alongside more traditional repertoire, Randall plunges headfirst into all manner of musical genre, regularly singing art song, new commissions, modern cantatas, and even cabaret. He has performed in staged versions of Xenakis’ The Oresteia, Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, and Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King. He has improvised with Bobby McFerrin at Carnegie Hall and performed with the provocative burlesque troupe Company XIV in a virtuosic spectacle singing opera, folk, and pop standards, while strip-teasing in stiletto platform boots.
“Scotting has a luscious countertenor sound with all of the depth and clarity most lack while singing in the stratospheric ranges of the male voice.”
– Evan McCormack, Opera Pulse
Randall trained at the Royal College of Music in London, the Juilliard School in New York, and as a Fulbright Scholar at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. In 2018 he was awarded a PhD in 18th century Italian operas by under-represented composers. He made his leading operatic debut at Spoleto’s Festival dei due mondi as Teseo in Vivaldi’s Ercole su’l Termodonte (available on DVD) with the ensemble Il Complesso Barocco. In addition to his forthcoming album releases, Randall’s discography includes the title role in Antonio Caldara’s oratorio Santo Stefano primo re dell’Ungheria and as the soloist in a modern cantata for chorus and countertenor entitled Dive: A Water Music.