Bryce McClendon (they/them/theirs) is a multi-disciplinary performing artist, writer, and creative consultant based in Manhattan. Their work encourages artists and audience members to forge deep connections, question normalized forms of harm, and engage in radical, liberatory thinking. In March 2023, their play with opera (or plopera, if you prefer) The Smallest Sound, in the Smallest Space premiered at Nancy Manocherian's the cell theatre. Their podcast Beyond Travesti, an interview series with transgender and gender-expansive opera and music theater professionals, is available for download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other streaming platforms.
As a countertenor, Bryce was a Regional Finalist in the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a 2019 Eva & Marc Stern Fellow at SongFest in Los Angeles. They hold an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Recently, they had the distinct honor of singing for the memorial service of legendary playwright and activist, Larry Kramer, with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo. In Fall 2023, they will perform with the Mosaic Composer's Collective at National Sawdust, and as part of the New York City AIDS Memorial's annual observance of World AIDS Day.
As a creative consultant, Bryce works with artists across a number of performing arts disciplines to achieve their visions through strategy, reflection, dialogue, and practice. Primarily, they work with vocal and dramatic artists interested in the music of the Baroque and Rennaisance eras. Bryce has consulted for singers who have performed with prestigious organizations like Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Glyndebourne, Chateau de Versailles, Opéra national de Montpellier, American Bach Soloists, Boston Baroque, Michigan Opera Theater, Florida Grand Opera, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and the Handel Choir of Baltimore. Their collaborators have taken home prizes from the Handel Aria Competition, the Gerda Lissner Vocal Competion, and the Camille Coloratura Competition.
