Clay Hilley

The heroic tenor Clay Hilley (Der Zwerg) is one of the most promising dramatic tenors of today. Hilley studied at the Georgia State University, the Manhattan School of Music and the Opera Institute at Boston University. The tenor performed, amongst many, the main role in Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Samson in Samson et Dalila at The Dallas Opera, Erik in Der fliegende Holländer at the Austin Lyric Opera and Radames in Aida at the Opera Southwest and Baltimore Concert Opera. After many successes in the United States of America, he starts to pave the way for a European career. He is praised for his clear sound, vocal gravity and stamina. Moreover, Hilley is a popular concert soloist. His concert experience consists of performences of Beethoven’s Fidelio, Mahler’s 8th symphony and Das lied von der Erde. In 2015, he was rewarded with the Robert Lauch Award by the Wagner Society of New York. In 2021 he makes his debut with the title role of Der Zwerg with Dutch National Opera.