Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

Mexican-American bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba, praised by The Washington Post for his “meltingly smooth bass-baritone” and for “evoking a young Ruggero Raimondi in looks and manner”, represented the USA in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, was a member of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago for three seasons, and a grand finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Season 2025/26 brought Ollarsaba to Opera Columbus as Dr. Rappaccini in Catán’s La Hija de Rappaccini, a house debut with The Florentine Opera in the title role in Don Giovanni, his role debut as Ping in Turandot in Concert with Detroit Music Hall, Escamillo in Carmen with Piedmont Opera, and as soloist in Carmina Burana with New Philharmonic, Verdi’s Requiem with Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Oratorio Society of Virginia, as soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and in presentations of his latest solo recital-project, Side Quest: Quixote, the men of La Mancha, a musical retrospective inspired by the 17th century Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes in collaboration with University of Wisconsin-Milwuakee, Arizona Opera, and Piedmont Opera.

Notable previous credits include the title role in Don Giovanni with Opera Hong Kong, Arizona Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago - stepping into the iconic role on hours’ notice, in The Marriage of Figaro as Figaro with New Zealand Opera, and as the Count with Portland Opera and Virginia Opera, Don Quixote/Cervantes in Man of La Mancha with Piedmont Opera, 15 productions as Escamillo in Carmen with the Glimmerglass Festival, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Nashville Opera among them. He has appeared with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in performances of Handel’s Messiah, and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. That concert was a gala celebration of the venerable festival’s birthday and was telecast nationally on PBS.

A native of Tempe, AZ, Ollarsaba received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Master of Music degree and post-graduate certificate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. In addition to the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, he trained at Minnesota Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, and Wolf Trap Opera.