Praised for his beautiful lyric baritone voice and outstanding acting ability, Raymond Feener’s performing career has taken him throughout the United States and Europe. He has performed with opera companies such as Opera Theater of Lucca, Italy, Opera Columbus, Columbus Light Opera, Sarasota Opera, Lake George Opera, Dorian Opera, Springfield Opera, Wichita Grand Opera, Kansas Concert Opera, Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City, The Lancaster Festival and Theater Lancaster (Ohio). Raymond Feener has performed a wide range of operatic roles, including Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Baron Duphole in La Traviata, Escamillo in Carmen, Marcello in La bohème, Guglielmo in Così fan tutti, the title role in Gianni Schicchi, Silvio in I Pagliacci, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, the Man with a Shoe Sample Kit in Postcard from Morodco and Strephon in Iolanthe. “Raymond Feener as Strephon…simply outstanding in every way, vocally and in (his) natural yet convincing character portrayal.” Barbara Zook, Columbus Dispatch (Ohio). Raymond Feener has also performed the role of Lord Byron in the world premiere of John Mueter’s opera, The Everlasting Universe, as well as premiering the role of Benedict Arnold in Julian Livingston’s Twist of Treason.
His solo, concert, and recital works include: Da Si Ming (world premiere) by Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Zhou Long, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Helzberg Hall (Kansas City), Carlyle Sharpe’s Proud Music of the Storm (world premiere) with the Springfield-Drury Orchestra (Missouri), An Evening of Bach Cantatas with the Idaho State University Baroque Festival, The Faure Requiem & Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the Lancaster Chorale (Ohio), Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the UMKC Signature Series, (conducted by Andrew Megill), Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the St. Joseph Symphony (Missouri), Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the UMKC combined choirs under the direction of world-renowned conductor, Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt, An Evening of Classical Broadway Concerts with Sarasota Opera, Concert of Opera and Broadway Selections with the Huntington Symphony Orchestra (West Virginia), and A Night in Old Vienna & Salute to Broadway with the Ocean City Pop’s Orchestra (New Jersey). In addition to performing art song recitals in Austria and Luxembourg, Raymond Feener was also featured as a guest artist in recital for the 40th Anniversary of N.A.T.O. in Brunssum, The Netherlands.
Raymond Feener’s lecture recital, The Evolution of Everyman, is his own multi-media semi-staged production of Frank Martin’s work, Sechs Monologue aus Jedermann, which he has performed throughout the United States.
Dr. Feener has served on the voice faculties of the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, the Bay View Summer Music Festival in Michigan, and the Vianden International Summer Music Festival in Luxembourg. From 2001–2005 he served as Assistant Professor of Voice at Ohio University Glidden School of Music and has since served on the voice faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance as Associate Professor of Voice and is the current Chair of the Vocal Studies Division.
Raymond Feener will be performing the title role in Mozart’s opera, Don Giovanni with the Varna International Summer Music Festival in Bulgaria, summer 2017.
