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Fredrick Redd

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Operatic baritone and entrepreneur
Fredrick Redd
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSyracuse University
University of Texas at Austin
Rochester Institute of Technology
Occupation(s)Operatic baritone, and businessman
Years active1993-present
Websitehttps://www.fredredd.com/

Fredrick Redd is an operatic baritone and businessman. He is the currently Vice President of Operations at PACO Group and has held numerous positions prior, including President/CEO of Project Management Resource Group, PMO Director for the Port Authority of NY & NJ, Principal with North Highland among others. As an operatic baritone and performing artist, Mr. Redd has performed in concert, opera, musical theatre, recitals, radio, television and film. As a lead baritone singer, he has performed over 20 roles including the Metropolitan Opera Guild, New York City Opera, Opera North, Opera Carolina, Connecticut Grand Opera, Teatro Grattacielo, New York Grand Opera, Harrisburg Opera, Verismo Opera, Piedmont Opera, and Houston Opera Ebony, among others.

Redd served in a tenure track position as assistant professor of construction management from 1996 to 1999 at Utica College of Syracuse University (now Utica University). He served as an adjunct faculty member at the New York University' School of Continuing Education from 1993 to 1996 and at the University of Phoenix from 2014 to 2015.

Redd is also an active athlete and has completed over 20 triathlons, 4 marathons and become an Ironman finisher in 2017 and 2018. In 2012, Redd completed the 1.5 mile Sharkfest swim from Alcatraz to the shore in San Francisco.

Early life and education

Redd was born in Beaumont Texas, and six months later he moved with his family to Houston, Texas. He studied piano and trombone while attending the High School for Engineering Professions in Houston Texas. After graduating from high school, Redd went on to complete his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Redd continued his musical studies at the Juilliard School and in Italy at the Accademia Chigiana and the Spoleto Vocal Institute. He then returned to the United States, and worked on his graduate architecture coursework at Syracuse University. Redd decided not complete his master’s degree in architecture and ultimately completed Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Career

Redd started his engineering career in Austin Texas and he moved to Princeton, New Jersey, to continue his engineering career. While there, he joined the chorus with Princeton Pro Musica that led him to start voice lessons. Moving to New York City, to continue vocal studies at the Juilliard School, he met Vincent La Selva, conductor of New York Grand Opera, who became his mentor and started his professional singing career in opera. In 2002, he made his New York City Opera debut in Lincoln as the Undertaker in Porgy & Bess as a part of the PBS Great Performances Series. One year later, he made his Carnegie Hall mainstage debut as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with the New England Symphonic Ensemble in a Mid America Production. In 2005, Redd returned to Carnegie Hall with New York Grand Opera to perform Giacomo in Verdi’s Giovanna D’Arco and again in 2006 as the baritone soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

In 2003, Redd became founder and CEO of Project Management Resource Group. Between 2009 and 2013, he served as director of Project Management Office (PMO) at Port Authority of NY & NJ. He held appointment as a CEO and president for Assai Management Consulting in 2013. In 2019, he became the principal of North Highland Worldwide Consulting, where his work as an African-American in the arts was supported. He made Merkin Hall recital debut in 2012.

In 2019, Redd returned to Carnegie Hall as a soloist in Mark Hayes’ Te Deum In 2019, Redd returned to New York City Opera as featured artist in world premiere of Stonewall. In 2021, He portrayed the character of James in the world premiere of Martinsville 7 with Trilogy Opera in August 2021.

In 2022, Redd performed his first Wagner role as Wotan in Das Rheingold and debuted as Hark in the opera Nat Turner by Michael Raphael with the New Jersey Symphony. Redd returned to Carnegie Hall main stage performances on May 27, 28 and June 30 as soloist in Haydn's Creation, Mozart's Regina Coeli, and Hayes' Requiem. As invited, Redd sang in the 45th Annual Benefit Concert for the William Warfield Scholarship Fund and collaborated with Harold Danko, international jazz pianist and recording artist in singing "Ole Man River", one of Warfield's signature songs. In October 22, Redd starred as Dom Claude Frollo in the Hunchback of Notre Dame (Equity Off-Broadway) and performed excerpts as the title role in Rigoletto for the Metropolitan Opera Guild and their program series on The Verdi Baritone.  In this series, Fredrick also covered the roles of Germont (La Traviata), Rodrigo (Don Carlo) and Amonasro (Aida). And finally rounding out the year leading Masterclasses for vocal students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) School of Performing Arts in Rochester. This fall, Redd joined RIT's Advisory Board and also joined President David C. Munson's Roundtable of advisors.

In 2023, Fredrick was honored by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey during Black History month for creating and leading the Agency's first Project Management Office (PMO) and becoming the first Black PMO Director by receiving the "Trailblazer and Exemplar" award.

In 2024, Fredrick returned to the main stage of Carnegie Hall as a soloist in the "Ballad of the Brown King" by Margaret Bonds with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. He also performed selections from the Porgy and Bess as Porgy, Sportin' Life, and Jake with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes and gave a masterclass to aspiring singers the day before the concert on May 10th. In April, Fredrick was a soloist with the Rochester Oratorio Society in the US Premier of "Freedom Songe - When Gospel Came to the Empire" at the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua. He reprised this performance in September in recording and filming session of the work at the Sklarski Glass Box Theatre in Rochester, NY with the Rochester Oratorio Society and he also hosted masterclass sessions in Rochester as well. In October, Fredrick was an adjudicator with the William Warfield Scholarship Fund Vocal Competition.

Reception

Redd’s concert work includes performances of over 20 classical oratorio works with orchestras. His television and film credits include Great Performances: Live from Lincoln Center: and New York City Opera’s production of Porgy and Bess.

His most recent review in 2022, as the menacing Dom Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Leslie Sattler wrote:"While Fredrick Redd is very plainly a singer first and an actor second, he is a fine Frollo. His first act’s solo was the highlight of my viewing experience."  

Redd performed as Baron Scarpia in "Tre sbirri una carozza" in Puccini's Tosca. Ray Harris praised his performance while stating "And what a consummate villain Scarpia was as sung by baritone Fredrick Redd! How he made you hate the character he played!" J. Noble, Jr. is of the view that "The villainous Scarpia was sung by baritone Fredrick Redd, whose full-bodied sound completed the triumvirate of principal vocal power."

In 2000, Redd starred in the titular role in Emperor Jones opera by Louis Gruenberg. His performance received positive reviews, with Eugene O'Neil writing that "Director Patrick Casey was fortunate in his choice of Fredrick Redd as the central figure." Opera Now wrote that "Fredrick Redd was a powerful Jones, metamorphosing from a strutting Idi Amin type to a disintegrating wreck. The parlando vocal writing didn't give him much of a chance to soar, but he was a compelling vocal actor."

Redd starred as Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera performed in 2006. The Italian Voice reviewed his performance, writing "Renato (Riccardo's secretary and murderer), was masterfully sung by Fredrick Redd. His strong yet mellow baritone negotiated the dramatic, vengeful and poignant passages of Verdi with many memorable moments, among them his soulful singing of "Eri tu", towards the end of Act 2. Redd's voice challenged to the limit by this aria and he met the challenge by making us feel Renato's heartbreak earning him an ovation as well."

Awards and honors

  • 2023- Trailblazer and Exemplar Award, by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey

Selected publications/discography

  • Estimating for Building Construction (1999)
  • Film credit - Porgy & Bess
  • CD credit - Contemporary Chamber Art-Fink: CD 0685 (BAR 0 89658 06852 5)Morning Sky RUSSO, Three Songs for baritone, clarinet, cello & piano My Star, Nightingails, The First Day sung by Fredrick Redd, baritone/John Russo, clarinet/Stephen Framil, cello/Mary Jo Pena.

References

  1. "Harwood Artist Management-Artist Fredrick Redd".
  2. "BroadwayWorld.com biography/credits for Fred Redd".
  3. "Operabase-International Opera Database".
  4. "Classical Singer Database".
  5. Gorce, Tammy La (2 April 2018). "Not the Same Old Song and Dance: Ironman, Opera and Obstetrics". The New York Times.
  6. "Utica College Undergraduate Catalog 1999-2000 (Redd listed on p.201" (PDF).
  7. "Utica College Newspaper Appointment Announcement Fall 1996".
  8. "IRONMAN COZUMEL".
  9. "2012 Results". Archived from the original on 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  10. "Supporting African Americans in the Arts with Fredrick Redd".
  11. "Fredrick L. Redd".
  12. "Porgy and Bess New York City Opera Cast (2002)".
  13. "Supporting African Americans in the Arts with Fredrick Redd".
  14. "Fredrick Redd".
  15. "New England Symphonic Ensemble".
  16. "Stonewall".
  17. "Redd as Wotan in Das Rheingold". 26 March 2022.
  18. "Fred as Hark with NJ Symphony".
  19. "Mid-America's 2022 Season".
  20. "Eastman School of Music Hosts 2022 Benefit Concert". 20 May 2022.
  21. "President's Roundtable at RIT".
  22. "Current Roundtable Members at RIT".
  23. "Fredrick Redd: Assai Management Consulting & Operatic Baritone".
  24. "REVIEW: "THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME: A DRAMATIC MUSICAL" BY JOHN TAYLOR THOMAS AT THE 30TH STREET THEATER".
  25. "Reviewed Work: THE EMPEROR JONES by Louis Gruenberg". JSTOR 29784694.
  26. "Great Dictator".
  27. Nino Panano (February 9, 2006). "Un Ballo In Maschera". p. 21.
  28. "Port Authority's Timeline of Historic Black Trailblazers".
  29. Estimating for Building Construction. ISBN 0137572794.
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