Ralph Thomas Williams

Ralph Thomas Williams is a British countertenor active in opera, concert and choral singing around the United Kingdom. He is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma after having finished his masters with first class honours at The Royal Northern College of Music under the esteemed tutelage of Andrew Watts and Roger Hamilton after having completed his undergraduate degree from Royal Holloway, University of London. Ralph has worked with eminent singers such as Iestyn Davies MBE, Tim Mead, Michael Chance CBE, James Bowman CBE, Emma Bell, Christopher Purves, Rodrick Williams OBE, Della Jones and Mary King MBE in both public and private masterclasses. His studies are generously supported by The James and Mary Glass Scholarship Award, The Jane Anthony Memorial Fund and The Maurice and Jean Buckley Award. 
​Ralph enjoyed a relationship with Opera North, shadowing the role of Tolomeo in their production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare as part of Opera North’s Mentoring partnership scheme 2019. To date, Ralph has performed the role of Angel 1/The Boy on George Benjamin’s Written on Skin, Refugee on Jonathan Dove's Flight and Fox on Dove's The Adventures of Pinocchio as part of the RNCM'S opera scenes performances and The Woodcutter's Boy on Vaughan Williams' The Pilgrim's Progress in the RNCM's spring term opera 2019, directed by Jonathan Cocker and conducted with orchestra by David Parry. Other engagements have included the role of Prince Orlofsky on J. Strauss Die Fledermaus with Leeds Youth Opera and the title role for Furness Bach Choir's performance of Handel's Solomon with conductor Marco Bellasi and The Michael Haydn Orchestra. This academic year Ralph was cast as Refugee in RNCM'S spring term production of Jonathan Dove's Flight to be directed by Jack Furness, however due to the corona virus pandemic Flight extracts were performed in a concert format instead with conductor Peter Robinson. Ralph looks forward to a summer in Italy, performing the role of Ruggiero in Saluzzo Opera Academy's production of Handel's Alcina.
Before his studies at The Northern Ralph had performed the roles of Hamor Handel’s Jephtha, Oberon Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Tolomeo Handel’s Giulio Cesare as part of scene performances at The City Lit Opera School in Covent Garden. Ralph has also worked with opera companies such as British Youth Opera and Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera both in workshops and opera performances including premiered operas. He is a winner of numerous competitions and prizes including The Bessie Cronshaw & Frost Brownson Song Cycle Prize 2019, The Manchester Welsh Society Prize 2019 and winning performance in The Rosamond Prize 2019 with winning composer Aaron Breeze at The Royal Northern College of Music, the Royal Holloway Concerto Competition two years running and won Third Prize in Essex Young Musician 2018. To date his concert engagements include singing as soloist in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana at The Stoller Hall, Cesare from Handel's Giulio Cesare with both The Pegasus Baroque Orchestra and also The Royal Holloway Chamber Orchestra as well as Haydn’s cantata Arianna a Naxos with the London Mozart Players. Ralph has also performed as soloist in Cantatas by Bach with The Liverpool Bach Collective, Chelmsford Cathedral and Eboracum Baroque, Handel’s Messiah with The Northern Chamber Orchestra and Vivaldi arias with the newly formed Manchester Baroque Chamber Ensemble.
Ralph also holds extensive experience in ensemble singing. Having been a choral scholar at both Blackburn and Chelmsford Cathedrals. He continues to enjoy performing with various choirs in The North, including The Exon Singers, Canzonetta Choir, Manchester Cathedral Choir and The Liverpool Bach Collective.