Teacher

Baritone Elem Eley enjoys a remarkably varied career - from opera, recital, concert and recordings, to premières of contemporary vocal music. Christmas Day (released in 2019) is his third release on Affetto Records, following Forever Sing (2017) and Lenoriana (2015). In addition, he appears on eight other recordings, three of them released by Albany Records - including his début solo album (with pianist JJ Penna), Drifts and Shadows: American Song for the New Millennium. A review appearing in the Journal of Singing declares, "No matter what technical and expressive hurdles these songs present, Eley surmounts them with conviction and assurance...What they [Eley and Penna] achieve here is truly profound." The solo CD featuring Lieder of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf and Frank Martin, was released on Centaur Records, entitled Der Geist spricht/The Spirit Speaks. Critic Phil Muse (Audio Visual Club of Atlanta) praises it: "To put across a dire-foreboding program such as this requires the utmost in intelligence and interpretive insight. Elem Eley and JJ Penna possess both, plus the technical powers to do justice to awesome settings of awesome literary texts." Lenoriana (Affetto), was also reviewed in the Journal of Singing: "This generous disk is yet another memorable collaboration between baritone Elem Eley and pianist JJ Penna...[Eley's] essential tone remains exceptionally handsome and his artistry is as eloquent as ever. What is most impressive of all is the flawless sense of ensemble between these two musicians as they confront the plethora of challenges posed by these works."

Elem has enjoyed a prominent performing career in prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, as well as with regional orchestras and presenting groups throughout the country and in Europe. Among his opera roles are Don Giovanni, Marcello, Schaunard, Silvio, Sharpless, and Dr. Falke, with the opera companies of Cincinnati, Hawaii, Shreveport, Syracuse, Athena Grand Opera, the Sylvan Opera Festival, the Operafestival di Roma, Center for Contemporary Opera, Musica Europa 2001 (Spain and Portugal), and others. The works of Daron Hagen are prominent in Elem’s history, including his creation of Dumdum Devine in the Hagen/Muldoon Vera of Las Vegas, for its world stage première in the Thalia Theater of NYC’s Symphony Space.

In Vienna, he sang Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch (with soprano Faith Esham and Penna) in a 2011 recital at the Schubert Geburtshaus. He has coached extensively there with Norman Shetler and Walter Moore (also with Robert Holl and Carolyn Hague), and is Founder/Director of the summer vocal program, Vienna: Language of Lieder. Winner of the 1996 Joy in Singing award, Elem Eley studied with Margaret Harshaw during doctoral work at Indiana University, and currently serves as Professor Emeritus of Voice at Westminster Choir College of Rider University.