Wm. Clay THOMPSON
Praised for his “mahogany-timbred” voice and “imposing presence” by Opera News, with The Washington Post acclaiming the “sinister undercurrent” of his sound and his lows “smoldering like magma,” Wm. Clay Thompson is anchoring himself as one of the most promising basses of his generation. During the 2025-2026 season, Mr. Thompson reprises Colline in La bohème with Madison Opera and debuts the roles of Mark Torrance / Forest Ranger in The Shining (Moravec / Campbell) with Nashville Opera and Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Charleston Opera Theater. He also returns to the role of Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Finger Lakes Opera, and sings as the bass soloist in Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezin with the Syracuse Orchestra. In the 2026-2027 season, Mr. Thompson will make house and role debuts as the title role in Don Giovanni and Escamillo in Carmen with Opera San Jose. He will also make a return to Madison Opera as Oroveso in Norma.
The 2024–2025 season saw Mr. Thompson making exciting debuts as Leporello in Virginia Opera’s Don Giovanni, Colline in Charleston Opera Theater’s La bohème, the title character in North Carolina Opera’s Le nozze di Figaro, and a return to Virginia Opera as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. Concert engagements include Zuniga in Carmen with the Sioux City Symphony conducted by Ryan Haskins, bass soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Camerata Chicago under Drostan Hall, and bass soloist in Mozart’s Solemn Vespers and Bach’s Magnificat with the New Choral Society led by Dr. John T. King.
Mr. Thompson is a recent alum of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he made notable debuts as the King in Aida, Zuniga in Carmen, and Chevalier Deux in Le Comte Ory. He also covered key roles including Rychtar in Jenůfa, Alidoro in La Cenerentola, Le Gouverneur in Le Comte Ory, Il Moine in Don Carlos, Jago in Ernani, and Arnie Duncan in the world premiere of Proximity. Mr. Thompson has performed with a wide range of esteemed opera companies and festivals, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota Opera, Arizona Opera, Madison Opera, Virginia Opera, North Carolina Opera, Nashville Opera, Charleston Opera Theater, Fort Worth Opera, Kentucky Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Château de Versailles Spectacles, and Seagle Music Festival.
Thompson’s extensive repertoire includes leading roles such as Méphistophélès (Faust), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Le Gouverneur (Le Comte Ory), Olin Blitch (Susannah), Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress), Noye (Noye’s Fludde), Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin), Alidoro (La Cenerentola), Collatinus (The Rape of Lucretia), Colline (La bohème), and Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen); as well as Il Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Don Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro), Zuniga (Carmen), Suleyman Pasha (The Ghosts of Versailles), the King of Egypt (Aida), Dottore Grenvil (La traviata), Crébillon (La rondine), Count Ceprano (Rigoletto), Palémon (Thaïs), Superintendent Budd (Albert Herring), Peter Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Jago (Ernani), Il Moine (Don Carlos), the Master of Ceremonies (Cendrillon), and the Octet Singer (Hamlet). He has also appeared in contemporary and world premiere roles such as Charles Comiskey (The Fix), Raymond Buck (JFK), and Arnie Duncan (Proximity).
A recipient of the prestigious Richard F. Gold Career Grant from The Shoshana Foundation, Thompson is an alum of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Resident Artist Program at Minnesota Opera. He studied voice at the University of Kentucky and the University of North Texas and currently resides in New York City.