“Orson Van Gay II was an ardent Alfredo...his sound was fluent and his high notes golden.” - Broadway World
Operatic Tenor, Orson Van Gay II, possesses a unique voice that captivates the audience with his charisma and command of the stage for a singer of his generation. His performances showcase vocal talents that have brought him constant recognition in Southern California and across the United States.
Recent and Upcoming: In the 2019-20 season, he created the role of Raymond Santana in the world premié̀re of Anthony Davis’s Central Park Five (Pulitzer Winning Opera 2021) with Long Beach Opera and made his role debut as Rodolfo in La bohème with Pacific Opera Project. He was Nemorino with the Phoenicia Int. Festival of the Voice and sang the romantic lead of the Young Man in Last Romance with Kansas New Theater. Equally at home as a recitalist, Mr. Van Gay has appeared in the Portsmouth Community Concert, Inc. (VA), the Rio Hondo College and at Carnegie Hall in a recital with Wang Wei. This season included working with Maestro Conlon in a supporting role at LA Opera in their production of Il trovatore and with the LA Philharmonic in their preparation of Fidelio. He debuted as Danilo in Pocket Opera’s The Merry Widow, followed by his debut as The Athlete in the West Coast premiere of, I Can’t Breathe with Pacific Opera Project. He was Vitaliano in Long Beach Opera’s Guistino with James Darrah directing; and reprised his role in The Central Park Five with Long Beach Opera in 2022. He reprised the role of Alfredo in La traviata with Piedmont Opera. Mr. Van Gay is the proud recipient of 2022 inaugural Hurst Artist of the year award.
Mr. Van Gay has sung extensively with the Los Angeles Opera in many venues including their “Connects”, “City of Hope” “IAMLA, series. He debuted the role of Bernard Curson in the world premiè̀re of Figaro 90210 with the company and was Ramerrez in The Prospector in two different seasons. Other operatic roles include Alfredo (La traviata), Ben (The Night of the Living Dead) and the title roles of Candide and Orpheus.
He joined the Cal Philharmonic Orchestra in celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th anniversary and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 as tenor soloist at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Reviewed by George van Wagner he stated, “beautifully sung and strongly acted...audience members were visibly moved.” He has sung the haunting role of Orlando in The Industry’s nationally acclaimed production of Hopscotch. In addition to performing in the romantic and Germanic languages of opera, Mr. Van Gay was selected to perform in Mandarin last season making his debut with SINO U.S. Performing Arts Organization as tenor soloist for their concert series with performances in Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona.
He premiered Golden; a composition based on the life of Polish composer, Igancy Paderewski by Nathan Wang in Los Angeles and sang the role of Prince in the world première of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Vocal Performance from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and has been honored by the NATS organization in first place on several occasions.
As a native of southern California, Mr. Van Gay is also an actor in several nationally recognized television series. He has been featured in major television commercials and starred on a variety of shows for Netflix; including foreign film and television. He co-starred on the Disney series Coop & Cami Ask the World.
Colors of a Lyric by Orson Van Gay, II
Releases May 14, 2023
“After performing for nearly two decades, I was often asked, "do you have a record available?" I often referred fans to my website or YouTube where they could find highlights from operatic performances. The pandemic gave me the time to reflect and curate some of my favorite arias. I wanted to give the world a sneak peak into the pieces that have helped shape and inspire my journey, as an artist. As a budding musician, I remember listening to the iconic opera singers and thinking, 'this is how I want to connect to humanity!" This has been a labor of love brought to fruition through years of performances. I hope you enjoy.”