Mexican-American bass-baritone, Richard Ollarsaba, praised by The Washington Post for his “meltingly smooth bass-baritone” and for “evoking a young Ruggero Raimondi in looks and manner”, represented the USA in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, was a member of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago for three seasons, and a grand finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

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Season 2025/2026 he appears with Opera Columbus as Dr. Rappaccini in Catán's La Hija de Rappaccini, in his company debut with The Florentine Opera in the title role in Don Giovanni, as Escamillo in Carmen with Piedmont Opera, as soloist in Carmina Burana with New Philharmonic and Verdi's Requiem with Greensboro Symphony, and in presentations of his latest solo recital-project, Side Quest: Quixote, the men of La Mancha a musical retrospective inspired by the 17th century Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes.

 

Last season he made company debuts with Nashville Opera, Hawai’i Opera Theatre, and Charlottesville Opera as Escamillo in Carmen, and role debuts as Riolobo in Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas with North Carolina Opera and as Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha with Piedmont Opera. He made returns to New Philharmonic for their New Year’s Eve concerts and the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera in the title role of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.

 

Previous credits include the title role in Don Giovanni with Opera Hong Kong, Arizona Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera Grand Rapids, and Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Pensacola Opera,  in Le nozze di Figaro as Count Almaviva with Portland Opera, Piedmont Opera, Knoxville Opera, and Virginia Opera, as Figaro with New Zealand Opera and Minnesota Opera, and as Escamillo in Carmen with the Glimmerglass Festival, Portland Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kentucky Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Columbus, North Carolina Opera, Tulsa Opera, Annapolis Opera, and the Barharbor Music Festival. Season 22/23, he debuted with Chicago Opera Theater as Fred Clayton and Judge Harrison in the world-premiere opera The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing by Justine Chen and David Simpatico and debuted his first solo recital-project, On the Border highlighting compositions from Mexico and the USA at his alma mater for the inaugural performance of the Fletcher Alumni Series at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. [Recital Info]

 

While at the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, his tenure included the title role in Don Giovanni – stepping into the iconic part with hours’ notice, and productions of La Traviata, Capriccio, Anna Bolena, Tosca, The Passenger, Otello, Madama Butterfly, and Parsifal. Other operatic engagements include Asdrubale in Rossini’s La pietra del paragone, Fallito in Gassmann’s L’opera seria, Angelotti in Tosca, and Luciano in Musto’s Bastianello with Wolf Trap Opera; Timur in Turandot and Rochefort in Anna Bolena with Minnesota Opera; Ferrando in Il trovatore with North Carolina Opera, Colline in La bohème and Reverend John Hale in Ward’s The Crucible with Piedmont Opera, Pistola in Falstaff with Opera Omaha, and Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Cleveland.

 

In addition to performances on the operatic stage, Mr. Ollarsaba appears regularly in concert and recital. He has been a repeat featured soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra notably in performances of Haydn’s Mass in Time of War and Handel’s Messiah. Other soloist credits include Verdi’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Master Chorale of South Florida, Messiah with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony, Dvorak’s Te Deum with Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Bach’s St. John’s Passion with the Madison Bach Musicians,  Bernstein’s Songfest at the Ravinia Festival, Stravinsky’s Les Noces under the baton of Charles Dutoit at the Tanglewood Music Center, and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood – that concert was telecast nationally on PBS as a gala celebration of the venerable festival’s 75th anniversary.

 

A native of Tempe, Arizona, Richard Ollarsaba received his Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Master of Music and post-graduate certificate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. In addition to the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, he trained at Minnesota Opera, Music Academy of the West, Chautauqua Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, and Wolf Trap Opera.