Biography
Hamilton-based Tenor Bud Roach performs music from the Baroque to the contemporary. His self-accompanied recordings with theorbo and baroque guitar for the Musica Omnia label have been recognized internationally as ground-breaking achievements in historically informed performance practice. “Roach is marvellous throughout…. Five stars” (Early Music Today, UK). He founded the vocal quartet Capella Intima in 2009, and their three world premiere recordings have met with critical acclaim in Canada, the US, and Europe.
He has been a featured soloist with ensembles across Canada, from Les Violons du Roy at Carnegie Hall to Northern Ontario tours with the first opera in the Cree language (Pimooteewin, Hui/Highway). Recent seasons include appearances with the London Symphonia (Beethoven 9), the Toronto Consort, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, National Academy Orchestra, and the K-W Symphony Orchestra; solo recitals in New York, Boston, and Toronto; a recital tour and research residency in Venice, Bologna, and Orvieto; residencies with Pacific Opera Victoria and the Canadian Music Centre, and on tour in Berlin and London, UK with Soundstreams Canada.
The 2025-26 season also includes guest appearances with Choral Connection, the Spiritus Ensemble, the Bach Elgar Choir, and Melos Early Music in Kingston; the premiere of Jeffrey Ryan’s “Songs from a Former Criminal” for tenor and hurdy gurdy at the Vancouver Queer Arts Festival, concerts in Dublin, Toronto, and Quebec with Soundstreams, and directing two original programmes with Capella Intima.
Bud is committed to the cultural enrichment of Hamilton, volunteering as the Founder and Artistic Director of HAMMER BAROQUE, a monthly, pay-what-you-can concert series for Early Music specialists from across North America. Prior to singing tenor, Bud enjoyed a successful career as an oboist, performing frequently with the orchestras of the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company, and holding positions with the Toledo Symphony and the Buffalo Philharmonic between 1997 and 2004. He holds graduate degrees from Yale, McMaster, and, most recently, a Doctorate in Historical Performance from the University of Toronto.