Meet the Artist
Countertenor Patrick Terry is a University of Minnesota Graduate and made his Minnesota Opera debut as a member of the chorus in our world premiere of Silent Night back in 2011. He went on to study at London’s Royal Academy of Music and subsequently joined the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He’s since made a name for himself performing across the UK. Now he’s returning to sing the title role in Minnesota Opera’s production of Handel’s Rinaldo. Recently, he sat down with us to talk about Rinaldo, the Twin Cities, and running!
Describe Rinaldo in 3 words:
Patrick Terry: Impulsive, passionate, heroic
What are some of the greatest joys and challenges of this role?
PT: Singing Rinaldo is an incredible pleasure. His music is some of the most beautiful and exciting in the canon, so it’s a privilege to prepare and present. I find the biggest challenge is pacing myself through the show. There is a lot of singing to do, and if I lose myself too much in the emotions of the first arias I won’t have enough gas in the tank to sing the entire role!
What’s one thing audiences should keep an eye out for in this new production of Rinaldo?
PT: This production is so confident and beautiful—I’m not sure how much guidance the eye will need! That said, I think I’d encourage audiences to ruminate on how power and money are portrayed in this production. The original story includes sorcery, and in this production Mo has uses money as a proxy for magic. It makes me think about how much influence and significance society gives the dollar, for better or worse.
You’re a graduate of the University of Minnesota and you made your Minnesota Opera debut in 2011 as a member of the chorus in the world premiere of Silent Night. What’s it like returning to your old stomping grounds?
PT: It is a real thrill to be back in the Twin Cities and working with Minnesota Opera. Running across the snowy stone arch bridge, eating Galactic Pizza, visiting the Weisman—there are so many things I love about being in the Twin Cities. Without a doubt the most incredible part is singing with Minnesota Opera. The Opera Center and the community in it was such an enormous part of my development as an artist. I’m so grateful for my experiences as a young singer here, and it is an actual dream come true to be back.
What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you during a performance?
PT: There was a man with chronic congestion who would regularly attend free student performances at my grad school. He would always bring a paper, and he’d futz with each section and clear his throat and scoff at the contents of the articles. It was always an impressive feat of you as a performer could pull the audience focus from the newspaper man.
What are some of the things you’re excited to see or do while you’re back in Minnesota?
PT: I love running, and the Cities have such great running trails. The greenway, around the lakes in uptown, through campus, along the river—all very dreamy and nostalgic for me. Also shout out to Mill City Running which is my favorite running store.