Below find critical acclaim for:

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Breaking the Waves• 2025

“The uniformly strong cast…all contributed vitally to profound impact of this opera. McKinny’s bass-baritone has warmth, resonance, and power, which underscored the strength and sensitivity of Bess’s husband, Jan Nyman, and made their initial love moving and his crippling accident poignant.”
— Houston Chronicle

“The production is marvelously sung. McKinny boomed out his passion and joy with chasms to spare. Built like a castle wall, he has immense stage presence and a naked ass that rivals Teddy Tahu Rhodes from The End of the Affair, seen at HGO in 2004. The sight was worth the wait.
— Houston Press

“HGO Butler Studio alumni Snouffer and McKinny led the stellar cast as Bess and Jan, the tragic lovers in this devastating yet ultimately transfigurative tour-de-force. The chemistry between them was palpable throughout. Their voices melded together in long, soaring lines in the duet “Your body is a map,” sung while making love with each other in liberating bliss. The sex scenes between the lovers never feel shocking or uncomfortable. McKinny’s charismatic bass-baritone rang true, even when confined to a hospital bed for a large part of the opera. He gave dimension to Jan’s character, with his plaintive pleading for Bess to sleep with other men, followed by his doubt and moral struggle.”
— EarRelevant

“McKinny contributed quiet passion and a stout bass-baritone.”
— Opera Magazine

“Although McKinny’s singing role is not as large as one might guess from his importance in the storyline, his voice is full and commanding. Before Jan commits Bess’ body wrapped in a white shroud to the waves of the sea, he holds her to him and sings. In the audience, you can hear a pin drop.”
— PaperCity Magazine

“Importantly for the opera’s emotional impact, Snouffer also had great chemistry with McKinny’s Jan. McKinny’s baritone was all honey for most of the happy first Act, later adding a rasping growl as Jan turned towards illness, self-loathing, and grief. By his final scene, both his voice and posture dripped with pain. His quiet closing phrases were more visceral and deeply affecting.”
— Parterre Box

“The heldenbaritone heft McKinny has brought to roles such as last season’s Amfortas in Wagner’s Parsifal enabled him to make impact galore—first as the brawny but affectionate bridegroom, then as the injured man issuing pleas and orders from his hospital bed. In the final scene, the tenderness McKinny gave Jan’s farewell to Bess—even a moment of falsetto as he recalled her voice—helped end the story on a note of consolation. And when the staging illustrated the sexual fireworks between the newlyweds, McKinny and Snouffer played out the scenes unabashedly but without raunchiness.”
— Texas Classical Review

LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA
Der Kaiser von Atlantis• 2025

“McKinny delivered reams of glorious sound in his dual roles of Death and the officiously amusing Loudspeaker. McKinny’s tone was ample and rounded throughout the scale and gained an invigorating buzz in the timebre as he plunged into the subterranean depths of the writing.”
— Opera Magazine

MUSIC OF REMEMBRANCE
Before It All Goes Dark • 2024

“Mac is vividly portrayed by Ryan McKinny. So riveting as the convicted murderer in Dead Man Walking at the Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, he was equally convincing as the troubled Mac. Tall, with the imposing biceps of a hair-trigger brawler, he managed to capture Mac as both a wary warrior and an unhappy soul searching for peace. In Heggie’s unsettled melodies, McKinny’s authoritative bass-baritone carried a plaintive hint of inconsolable, ages-old sadness.”
— Musical America

“Just off his star turn as Joseph De Rocher in Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at the Metropolitan Opera this season, Ryan McKinny lent his powerful bass-baritone to the similarly troubled role of Mac. His robust voice was impactful in the emotionally explosive scenes.”
— Chicago Classical Review

“McKinny did a superb job of characterizing the tattooed, burly, angry, and dying vet sparring with his neighbor Sally about why he must head off to Europe despite his condition with a great riff-leitmotiv written by Heggie, inspired by the imagined bass line of a heavy-metal band.”
— Aisle Seat Review

“McKinny is engaging as Mac... in rough Chicago vernacular laced with expletives, and expressed with muscular clarity.” 
— Buzz Center Stage

“The greatest contributions to the success of this premiere tour were the two soloists, both of whom gave their heart and soul to bring the story to life. Heggie wrote the role of Mac for McKinny, who had tremendous success as Joseph de Rocher in the Met production of Dead Man Walking and brought that same ferocious intensity to his role here, portraying Mac as a tough and proud down-on-his-luck guy. His voice sounded round and sonorous, and he enunciated the words clearly. Most importantly, McKinny treated the role with respect and dignity; he refused to turn it into caricature of self-pity and despair. McKinny’s reading also was full of nuances, from sweet and heartbreaking in the scene with Misha, to full-blown anger when he found out that he was being looted (again).”
— Parterre Box

“Ryan McKinny brought McDonald fully to life.”
— Chicago Reader

“Mac is sung with gusto and even guts by McKinny. Fleshed out in tattoos like the actual Mac, and bedecked in a t-shirt and a Chicago Bulls jacket for his journey to Prague, McKinny makes Mac look out of place in the grand streets of Prague or in the room where he first sees Emil’s art. We know that he’s an outsider and we peek into this past world with him.”
— Hyde Park Herald

“In a compelling lead performance, McKinny fully embodied ‘Mac,’ the burly but fragile vet saddled with diabetes, PTSD, and a bleak sense of isolation, made manifest in a tense, melodically angular exchange with a woman who may have been his only social contact. As projections of the paintings swam on the screen behind him, McKinny gave Mac’s damaged demeanor a sheen of wonder and delight.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice

“A towering performance by McKinny. He deftly shifted his resonant bass-baritone from heartrending rage down to a whispered awe as this dying, depressed ex-vet made contact with the transformative power of art and the revelations of his new-found heritage. It was an eloquently poignant performance with universal echoes, notwithstanding the chamber scale of this touching new opera.
— Opera Magazine

Album & Film • 2025

“McKinny is marvellous as Mac. In a moving and powerful performance, his strong, mellifluous bass-baritone conveys acute intimations of agony, foreboding and rapture.”
— Opera Magazine

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Don Giovanni • 2024

“With his chiseled good looks, McKinny (Leporello) might seem better cast as Don Giovanni (he played that part in the 2019 performances), but this time as the comic servant, he combined an adeptness at physical comedy — helped along with Leporello’s misshapen bowler hat, oversized coat and scruffy beard — with a vocal resonance that could almost be felt as well as heard.”
— Houston Chronicle

“Houston favorite McKinny has the crowd pleaser role. A highpoint is when he sings "Madamina, il catalogo è questo" to Donna Elvira tallying up the number of conquests Don Giovanni has made in several European countries. As Houston audiences have seen in other productions (Parsifal, Salome, Rigoletto), McKinny is a good actor on stage, and coupled with the ability to project his voice well, earned some of the biggest applause at curtain time.”
— Houston Press

“McKinny, who was Giovanni for HGO in 2019 and a resonantly tortured Amfortas in the company’s Parsifal earlier this season, was a vocally potent servant and displayed a flair for physical comedy worthy of a silent screen clown.”
— Opera Magazine

“Some of the evening’s most scintillating moments bubbled up when Pisaroni and McKinny plunged into the bantering recitatives that help drive the story. Their voices became verbal kaleidoscopes as they put over the humor, agitation, camaraderie and conflict of the master-and-servant repartee. McKinny could hardly have made a more complete transformation from when he portrayed the languishing Amfortas in Wagner’s Parsifal for HGO only three months ago. The same booming tones, as in the most majestic moments of the “Catalogue Aria,” Leporello’s tally of his master’s conquests. McKinny’s singing was nimble, colorful and full of life.”
— Texas Classical Review

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Parsifal • 2024

“McKinny is always a pleasure to watch. A consummate actor, his sonorous voice is but a noble extension. Like all the others in this opera, his suffering goes on and on, but with his unmatched stage presence he is always watchable, as his deep voice is immensely listenable. He turns anguish into pleasure.”
— Houston Press

“Splendidly cast…McKinny’s agreeably granular bass perfectly suits Amfortas.”
— Dallas Morning News

“McKinny as the King of the Grail Knights exuded just the right degree of passionate suffering without venturing into the realms of the maudlin.”  
— Sun News Austin

“Having hit the gym for his superb turn in the Met's Dead Man Walking, McKinny looked improbably fit and mobile for the agonized Amfortas. He's an excellent actor, well versed in this part's requirements after three acclaimed Bayreuth summers, and sang very capably.”
— Wagner Notes

“Ryan McKinny was a resonant and dramatically strong Amfortas.”
— Opera Magazine

“Playing the opera’s other main figure of suffering, the physically and spiritually wounded knight Amfortas, bass-baritone Ryan McKinny let fly with much the same sonorous tone he wielded as John the Baptist in Strauss’ Salome for HGO. On his first entrance, McKinny offered a bit of gentleness. But at the end of Act 1, as Amfortas prepares to lead the grail ritual, McKinny’s voice welled up voluminously alongside his character’s agonies. McKinny’s cries of “Erbarmen”—have mercy—boomed out into the theater.”
— Texas Classical Review

“A first-choice cast…American baritone Ryan McKinny’s portrayal of Amfortas was moving and intelligent.”
— Musical America

FESTIVAL OF VOICES
Belshazzar’s Feast • 2023

“It was a treat to hear bass-baritone Ryan McKinny so soon after experiencing his commanding performance in the Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Dead Man Walking,’ and in such a vastly different context. He held a magnificent presence against the roar of the chorus, suffused with a humanity you don’t often get from this monolithic slab of music.”
— The Washington Post

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA
Dead Man Walking • 2023

“DiDonato’s diction is pristine, as is McKinny’s — and his warmly robust bass-baritone voice makes De Rocher’s humanity evident from the start.”
— The New York Times

“Ryan McKinny shines. As Joseph De Rocher, he delivered a tremendous performance, providing a perfect counterpoint to DiDonato. His voice has a thick and earthbound quality that suits the character. With his imposing stature and gait, a rigidness in his early appearances matched his unyielding stance on the truth. He sang with a dark, direct, and often jagged line, making him completely unapproachable. But then the opera allowed for moments of warmth, such as the second scene with Sister Helen after he finds out that he is to be executed. When he repeats, “The Truth will set me free,” his voice takes on a thread-like quality that matches DiDonato’s similar prayer-like phrasing. McKinny imbued Joe with greater vulnerability, particularly during the scenes with his mother and brothers, his confession, and the ending. The gruffness of his voice developed into a more delicate tone that coalesced with DiDonato’s. When he finally reveals the truth, McKinny’s De Rocher sits down, his legs close to his body in a child-like position, delivering the narrative of his crime with increased agitation. When he utters his last words, in that final moment, McKinny portrays a man full of fear with hushed utterances.
— OperaWire

“Joseph, whose growth as a human being is, more or less, at the opera’s center, is a star turn for Ryan McKinny, who delivers his lines with a broad, vibrant baritone and impeccable diction. It is clipped and arrogant at the start, more smooth as he starts to heed Sister Helen and his coatings of defensiveness and fury dissipate. He and DiDonato have wrenching monologues, beautifully written and performed.”
— Bachtrack

“A rugged Ryan McKinny [is] De Rocher, his bass-baritone edged in darkness.”
— The New Yorker

“As Joseph, McKinny enacts a profound transformation. When we meet him, he is prickly, defensive, and mean. McKinny embodies Joseph’s obstinance (the only thing the prison cannot take away from him) through his muscular baritone, a voice that threatens to leap into the audience and slap you around. But the real brilliance of McKinny’s performance is seeing that tough-guy veneer slowly crack over the course of three hours. The shell fully removed, we’re left with a human being, trembling and frightened before death.”
— Theater Mania

“McKinny was terrific as De Rocher, lyrical and powerful in what is, after all, the opera’s title role; it was a pleasure to see this fine artist finally getting his Met due.”
— Opera Canada

“[DiDonato and McKinny] are superb acting singers who reach out to the audience as they communicate with one another. While he’s been at the Met before, McKinny has never had a role like this—one that audiences are unlikely to forget. He seemed a powerhouse, both vocally and on screen. The scene between the two singers, as she finally gets him to admit his guilt—which he has adamantly denied for more than three quarters of the opera—is devastating.”
— Broadway World

“The singers were in fine voice and did well by their roles [including] the vocally and physically imposing Ryan McKinny as the murderer Joseph De Rocher.”
— New York Classical Review

“McKinny himself enters, physically terrifying and intolerable. Dressed in a tank vest with blue tracksuit bottoms, his immediate reaction to Sister Helen is distressingly believable as he pushes her away. His baritone voice is full-bodied, but not self-indulgent. De Rocher’s thirst for life was masterfully captured by McKinny’s tenderness and strength of tone, which became especially upsetting to witness. It is this that leads Sister Helen to fight for him.”
— Opera Now

“McKinny, from falsetto voice to near-shouting power, walks the balance of claiming his innocence while also needing Sister Helen’s spiritual guidance.”
— Financial Times

“McKinny was another standout, the vocal embodiment of De Rocher’s vigor and stubbornness. Through the evening, his stubborn denial of guilt crumbled slowly. His journey culminated in a primal cry of agony when Joseph confessed to Sister Helen. By his last words he had revealed the ‘child of God’ that Sister Helen insisted he was. His arc was fascinating, and we should see more of Ryan at the Met!”
— The Girl of the Golden Met

“The exceptional cast features bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as the death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher whose thirst and demand for life are skillfully captured by McKinny’s tenderness and strength of tone, which becomes unsettling to witness. It is his inner strength that leads Sister Helen to fight for him. At the centre of his rage is his humanity; he balances robust singing, undermined by a helplessness of frailty and mounting fear. His confession scene is perfection!”
— Stage Whispers

“The bass-baritone of chameleonic actor McKinny’s terrifying and terrified DeRocher was a complete portrait to match DiDonato’s in intensity.”
— Gay City News

“McKinny, also no stranger to the role, was exceptional as the convict Joe. Physically and vocally he is ideal and the final scenes were unforgettable. His aggression, cynicism and fears are so layered in text and music, but certainly also in his physical presence, that in the end it is even possible to feel compassion for the murderer.”
–Place de l’Opera

“Ryan McKinny is possessed as a death row inmate fueled by an inner rage that is difficult to calm.”
–Le Devoir 

“McKinny is a baritone with a full-bodied voice and an athletic physique who doesn't hesitate to perform around twenty push-ups on stage while singing! If he appears hostile and stubborn during his first meeting with Sister Helen, he ends up gradually dropping the mask until his heartbreaking confession and his request for forgiveness from the victims’ parents, just before his execution. A masterful interpretation of the contradictory feelings that torment this complex character served by a solid voice, capable of roaring his anger as well as emitting delicate halftones when he releases his conscience.”
— Forum Opéra

“As Joe, McKinny is [DiDonato’s] equal. Bluster and impotent rage dominate much of the role, and McKinny gives these full value. But in fleeting moments of tenderness, he also reveals the orphaned soul of Joe’s inner child, to heart-breaking effect.”
— Classical Voice North America

“McKinny’s best moment in the evening, exploding in terrified guilt [as he’s] taken away for his execution. De Rocher must be one of opera’s most despicable villains, his guilt never in question, but McKinny turns him into a volcano of anger, frustration, and pity. It’s rewarding to hear a voice with such strength in the role, sailing over Heggie’s orchestration with ease.”
— Parterre Box

“Ryan McKinny offered a star turn as the penitent killer in Dead Man Walking.”
— Opera Now Critics Choice

“An extraordinary production…not to be missed. DiDonato gives a magnificently generous and incisive performance, and McKinny’s embodiment of the convicted murderer Joseph De Rocher is no less formidable.”
— San Francisco Chronicle

“McKinny, buff and tattooed, poignantly captured some of the insecurity underlying De Rocher’s macho posturing and bravado.”
— The Wall Street Journal

“Ryan McKinny brought complexity to the role of De Rocher his torso manifestly pumped-up for the assignment. He used rough attacks and the darker colors in his bass-baritone to suggest the character’s barely contained brutality. But for his vulnerable moments he brought out a vein of poignant lyricism, and he delivered De Rocher’s last words – his plea to his victims’ families for forgiveness – with the voice of a child.”
— Musical America

“McKinny sang the role of De Rocher with figurative and literal muscular force, his crumbling stubbornness the source of a richly human performance. De Rocher is a fictionalized composite of two real prisoners counseled by Prejean, a bit of trivia that seems to authorize the schism at the heart of his character. In one of his most moving arias, he slides from bellowing reprisals of Sister Helen to a tremulous falsetto to sing the flimsy reassurance that “everything’s gonna be all right.” At the base of Prisoner 95281’s rage is a childlike humanity; and throughout, this precarious balancing act inspired revelatory singing, the surliness of his delivery undermined by a fissure of frailty and mounting fear.”
— The Washington Post

“The cast was first rate. Ryan McKinny made a powerful Joseph De Rocher, the titular dead man.”
— Opera Magazine

“As Joseph de Rocher, svelte-voiced baritone McKinny gave a powerful and moving performance, capturing a man who, in spite of his sins, wants to die well. McKinny was both the most intruded upon by van Hove’s cameras, and most able to act his way out of that particular corner. As Joseph’s rage gave way to fear and finally, to something like acceptance, McKinny imbued his character with dignity without smoothing over his contradictions.”
— The Observer

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony • 2023

“The piece really came to life with the entrance of bass-baritone Ryan McKinny. He introduced the words of the Schiller poem known as ‘Ode to Joy’ with prophetic bluster.”
— Washington Classical Review

“Finales don’t get much grander than this – the four soloists, including bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, all gave fine performances.”
— The Washington Post

MUSIC OF REMEMBRANCE
For a Look or a Touch • 2023

“McKinny’s deep bass-baritone voice tripled the effect of the pain and anguish expressed by Branom’s narrative. Here was the story identified by the pink triangle in Germany during the persecution of gays. McKinny sang with energy and gusto, ranging from a soft piano head voice to a large, voluminous sound that conveyed power, grief, and intensity. When he stood on the bed and declared his hope amid the despair, it seemed more than sung: it was declared and pronounced. Although a good part of McKinny’s portrayal sat firmly in the middle register, he transcended this when he sang out his belief in the powers of love and the love he and Gad shared.”
— OperaWire

“In the emotionally and theatrically vital For a Look or a Touch, the imposing bass-baritone Ryan McKinny sang the role of Manfred. ‘Remember,’ McKinny kept intoning, his burly voice rich with Wagnarian depth and heft.”
— Opera Magazine

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Salome • 2023

“It was no wonder that Salome found John the Baptist’s flights of oratory so arresting. Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny thundered them out in voluminous tones — not only secure and commanding at the top, but dark and sturdy below. His sheer, untiring stamina let John’s proclamations evoke a prophet’s resolve, not to say relentlessness. Yet McKinny’s voice grew softer and smoother when John briefly simmered down to tell Salome of the only one who could save her — implying, but not naming, Jesus.”
— Texas Classical Review

“McKinny, strong at both ends of his range, thundered richly as Jokanaan.”
— Opera Magazine

“Could there be a more visually attractive Jokanaan than bass-baritone Ryan McKinny? Here is a Prophet Salome could paw over. Solid and muscular, he's not the emaciated man of the desert who lives on wild honey and locusts in Mark's gospel, but who cares if there's a gym near the River Jordan, he's perfect in the role. And his voice is an instrument of awe and immense dignity. As if covered in ash and made to sit like a Buddha in a yoga class in his cistern prison, he commands indignant outrage as he booms out his pronouncements against the libidinous Herod family.”
— Houston Press

“Ryan McKinny delivered Jokanaan’s rants with a voluminous bass-baritone that was strong both high and low.”
— Opera Canada

“The cast provides plenty of savory moments along the way. Jokanaan’s booming voice — no problem whatsoever for HGO Studio alum and company regular Ryan McKinny’s commanding bass-baritone. [He] denounces the princess as forcefully as he did her mother before her, his humanity surfacing only in the fleeting moments temptation flickers across his heavily bearded face.”
— Houston Chronicle

BOSTON LYRIC OPERA
Bluebeard’s Castle • 2023

“None of this [theatrical] framing would mean much without the excellent vocal performances at the heart of the evening. The role of Bluebeard on Wednesday night was sung by Ryan McKinny with a rare blend of dramatic force and subtlety.”
— The Boston Globe

“But of course, the real meat and potatoes of the evening is Naomi Louisa O’Connell’s Judith and Ryan McKinny’s Bluebeard, both of whom were absolutely on fire. McKinny was every bit her match as Bluebeard: from the moment he pulled the covers off himself and revealed he had been there the whole time, he commanded the stage with a powerful bass-baritone, which fit perfectly with how his character holds dominion over all the women around him. He also acted his part exceptionally well, which is a tricky thing considering he played a man who genuinely loves Judith but also ends up suppressing her urge to ask questions as the show goes on.”
— Schmopera

“McKinny’s deep, easy bass-baritone and grave, sad manner make his Bluebeard a pleasure to hear and see.”
— Boston Musical Intelligencer

“Making his debut with the company, bass-baritone Ryan McKinny gave a superb, well-sung characterization of Bluebeard. His voice is sizable, with a rich, dark timbre. The reigning hunk on today's opera stage, the handsome singer was believable as the husband with whom Judith was so much in love. This production could have added an eighth door to Bluebeard's castle, one leading to a gym; and this Bluebeard was no stranger to one. In a love scene, Judith removes her husband's robe, which revealed McKinny's perfectly muscled body. He sang the remainder of the opera shirtless — in itself, worth the price of admission.”
— Edge Media Network

“The plot of Bluebeard is fairly straightforward with enough twists and surprises to keep viewers engaged [including] the commanding bass-baritone Ryan McKinny.”
— Theater Mirror

“Singing the title role, McKinny cut a remarkably sympathetic Bluebeard. His instrument is rich-toned and resonant. Not once did he struggle to be heard or to lucidly enunciate the text. Yet his physical presence was equally compelling: this is a man of mystery, alright, but maybe those aren’t so threatening as they appear.”
— Boston Classical Review

“Ryan McKinny as Bluebeard is a stunner from the beginning. His basso rips out of the gate and never lets up. He has a riveting sound [that is] resonant throughout.”
— Boston Arts Diary

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as Bluebeard and mezzo-soprano Naomi Louisa O’Connell’s otherworldly and ascending vocals bring vitality and urgency to each phrase and as a duet, their blended vocals are an ethereal experience.  Boasting a thick gray beard, McKinny’s stately, rugged and romantic Bluebeard is equally persistent at first.  It is fascinating to watch the duo in an impassioned verbal tug of war, their thrilling chemistry becoming more and more feverish with each request.  McKinny and O’Connell also have a believable playfulness that round out their relationship and temporarily ease that mounting tension.”
— The Sleepless Critic

“Stellar performances by Ryan McKinny and Naomi Louisa O’Connell as Bluebeard and Judith.”
— No Proscenium 

“Ryan McKinny’s easy, oaky bass-baritone not only created sympathy for his character, it introduced a note of sad resignation, of a man who knows he’s trapped in a nightmare of his own making. He was powerful without being overpowering and warm where others seemed cold.” 
— Bachtrack

“Ryan McKinny’s bass/baritone as Bela Bartok’s Bluebeard the King was nothing short of magnificent.”
— South Boston Online

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
Girls of the Golden West • 2023

“Act I opens with the booming voice of bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, who as narrator places us directly in their 1851 world. Mr. McKinny’s Clarence King anchors the production with his steady voice and presence on stage.”
— Stage and Cinema

“Paul Appleby and Ryan McKinny are the miners Joe Cannon and Clarence King, whose drunken anger transforms into terrifying mob violence.”
— Los Angeles Times

“With one key exception, the fine cast was the same as in 2017. Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny was Clarence, the narrator, ironically extolling the manly virtues of the miners at the beginning, before things turn sour.”
— Musical America

“The greatest advantage for this performance was having so many members of the original cast available. Their vocal stylings and familiarity with the roles provided bold intensity and heartfelt emotional resonance [including] Ryan McKinny as Clarence King, the drama’s narrator.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice

“The excellent cast from the original production repeated their performances — bass-baritone Ryan McKinny just as resonant in the role of Clarence King.”
— Classical Voice North America

“McKinny, personifies the smouldering, drunken anger that kindles the opera’s fatal culmination.”
— Gramophone

LOS ANGELES OPERA
Tosca • 2022

“Ryan McKinny — another L.A. native who has been impressive in modern opera — is here asked to be a suave, elegant monster, a Scarpia who like many sexual predators is not in it for the sex but the conquest. Puccini, however, was in it for the sex.”
— Los Angeles Times

“McKinny has all the right equipment for the role… Sporting an artfully graying beard with mustache he certainly had the aristocratic air down.”
— Parterre Box

“Vocally, Angel Blue’s Tosca, Michael Fabiano’s Cavaradossi, and Ryan McKinny’s Scarpia are well matched. Each has a powerful (if not always subtly shaded) voice. The climactic dance of death between Blue and McKinny was volatile, more rape than seduction.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice

“In his portrayal, McKinny revealed the psychological motivation of the sexual predator – illuminating not only our time, but also the depiction of lust and rape so predominant in the mythology of the Greeks and Romans from Homer to Ovid. He gave a chilling rendition of ‘Ella verà’, exulting in his philosophy of sexual conquest. Whether portraying the bullish Stanley Kowalski in Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire or Scarpia, the jaded aristocrat and chief of police, McKinny’s physical agility and expressive baritone make him a riveting performer.”
— Seen and Heard International

“Ryan McKinny deconstructed the role of Scarpia, looking inwards and delivering a portrait of the villain in miniature.”
— Opera Magazine

SEATTLE OPERA
Tristan und Isolde • 2022

“Ryan McKinny’s warm blanket of a baritone—comfort in sound—is ideal for Tristan’s stalwart sidekick Kurwenal.”
— Opera Wire

“Wagner’s Tristan ought to rest on the dramatic acumen of its musical interpreters. On opening night, the performances from Stefan Vinke’s Tristan and Ryan McKinny’s Kurwenal stand out…”
— Parterre Box

“Musical values are paramount and the supporting cast was remarkably good. Ryan McKinny’s loyal, resonant Kurwenal was a vital element throughout the production.”
— Seattle Times

“As a bass-baritone Kurwenal, Ryan McKinny’s timbre was darker than some, but he sounded as he looked—athletic and robust.”
— Opera News

“A generally excellent cast… [with] impressive performances from Ryan McKinny as a hearty Kurwenal.”
— Opera Magazine

“Baritone Ryan McKinny brings vivid shades of dynamics and color to Tristan’s stolid squire Kurwenal.”
— Opera Today

“Ryan McKinny as Kurwenal was strong, charismatic, with a voice to match.”
— Eclectic Arts

“This opera foregrounded Ryan McKinny’s burnished Kurwenal.”
— KDHX St. Louis

“As Kurwenal, baritone Ryan McKinny conveyed a fanatically devoted right-hand-man for Tristan.”
— Northwest Reverb

BOSTON SYMPHONY
Don Giovanni • 2022

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny seems tailor-made for the title role of Don Giovanni. He has an easygoing confidence well suited for the devil-may-care character. And McKinny’s voice sounded robust and unrepentant throughout the opera, which is exactly what you want when someone plays Giovanni.”
— The Republican

“Assertive, suave and confident … The Don is protean, often adopting different personae as circumstances demand. McKinny made such histrionics clear through the coloring and weight of his voice and his acting. He and Nelsons collaborated on a Champagne Aria that was not only insanely fast but clearly articulated, a vocal highlight of the evening.”
— Bachtrack

“It is no exaggeration to say that every single one of the soloists shone in this Tanglewood performance. Ryan McKinny and Will Liverman made a perfect pair as baritones Don Giovanni and his manservant Leporello.”
— Berkshire Eagle

“Don Giovanni was superbly performed by Ryan McKinny, an American bass-baritone possessed of a richly coloured and resonant voice and astute musicality. His was a smiling, suave and ruthless Don, a cold-eyed shark in a well-cut tuxedo.  Despite an excellent sound system, the acoustical challenges of the 5,100 seat, open-sided Shed can present difficulty for performers. McKinny overcame these problems, powerfully projecting his voice throughout the entire evening, without losing the ability to adjust the volume when called for. He delivered the famous serenade to Donna Elvira’s maid ‘Deh, vieni alla finestra’ (‘Look down from out your window’), accompanied by a delicately played mandolin, while sitting informally on the side of the stage – a particularly beautiful and intimate moment in an outstanding performance.”
— Seen and Heard International

SEATTLE OPERA
Le nozze di Figaro • 2022

“Ryan McKinny's much anticipated Seattle Opera debut as the cunning servant Figaro did not disappoint. Not only is he a consummate vocal artist with remarkable evenness throughout his entire range, he also is a gifted physical comedian with impeccable timing and his characterization was at once subtle and uproarious. With such impressive vocal splendor, one eagerly anticipates his appearance next season as Kurwenal in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde… McKinny and Mafi melded perfectly in their equally skillful depictions of the couple of the hour and in their vocal adeptness, each nimbly playing off the other in every scene, culminating in a final reckoning between Mars and Venus that was both pleasing and impressive in its execution.”
— Broadway World

“The comedic acting of the cast was exceptional. Standouts were…Ryan McKinny as Figaro, whose deep baritone and comic timing were outstanding.”
— Drama in the Hood

“This was a Figaro with a light, amiable touch that zeroes in on Mozart’s and Da Ponte’s impeccable comic pacing. The youthful cast exuded spontaneity and inhabited their roles with a remarkable physicality. Figaro and Susanna’s mutual attraction in particular was palpable and never seemed in doubt, despite the threats from all around. The focus, rather, was on Mozart as comic genius, and the cast sustained admirably buoyant ensemble energy throughout his virtuosic manipulation of opera buffa patterns. Ryan McKinny sang a charismatic Figaro, dispatching even his recitative with flair.”
— Bachtrack

“On opening night, the singers playing Susanna and Figaro were excellent vocally and dramatically. McKinny's Figaro was lithe and athletic…”
— Seattle Gay News

“[There was] remarkable chemistry between soprano Soraya Mafi and bass-baritone Ryan McKinny. This was an endearing team from start to finish. Together they had spark and sparkle, finishing each other’s thoughts, gestures, and phrases as close-knit couples do. From their clever opening duets to their sweet “Pace, pace mio dolce tesoro,” Mafi and McKinny were always in sync, a winning couple to truly root for. With his energetic yet easygoing physicality and the friendly twinkle in his eye, Ryan McKinny was an ideal Figaro for a production that emphasized charm and comedy. His smoothly produced voice had warmth and color – and how nice to hear the low notes of the role resonate so solidly, with no loss in the upper register. Every one of his arias, duets, and ensembles was played just right, not a single moment was over sung or under sung, overdone or underdone. McKinny hit the Figaro bullseye.“
— OperaWire

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA
Le nozze di Figaro • 2022

“This was a splendid performance with a first-rate cast. Figaro is deep with roles, and even the smallest named-character part is important. The Met cast for this production surpasses the challenge with bass-baritones Ryan McKinny and Adam Platchetka and sopranos Lucy Crowe and Golda Schulz paired, respectively, as the principal duos of Figaro and Susanna and the Count and Countess Almaviva. McKinny and Crowe were full of vitality with clear sound and articulation, springing off the opening of their lines like “Se a caso Madama”—there was not a bad note sung throughout the whole performance and they presented a delightful youthful spirit. The agility of McKinny’s expression throughout the opera was impressive. The performance rose to a remarkable feeling of naturalness, the artifice of the opera dissolving before the palpable feeling of the drama.”
— New York Classical Review

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinney is perhaps the most athletic Figaro on record: try and name another who can drop down and do push-ups during ‘Non più andrai’.”
— Seen and Heard International

“In the titular role, yan McKinny handled the vocal and physical demands with certainty and finesse. A notable example of his control came in his opening duettino with Susanna, where McKinny recited measurements while adopting numerous poses, including a plank; that is, using his body as a ruler. His cavatina “Se vuol ballare,” finely alternated between the contrasting moods of outrage and secrecy with bold, incensed tones. Through his countless antics, McKinny retained a rich and clear quality of voice.”
— OperaWire

“The fine cast was led by Ryan McKinny’s smooth, easy-going, self-assured Figaro. Measuring the length of the bed planks with his own size, teasing Cherubino without cruelty, never breaking character with the Count, and eventually snapping emotionally for a bitter “Aprite un’po quell’occhi,” here was a Figaro you could relate to.”
— Opera Gazet

“Lucy Crowe’s cheerfully understated presence as Susanna paired nicely with the bass-baritone Ryan McKinny’s easygoing Figaro.”
— The New York Times

“Returning to the Met, the strapping McKinny brought a warmer, rounder bass-baritone to his energetic Figaro [with] good-natured wiliness and palpable affection for his busy fiancée. His fleeting suspicions about her revealed themselves in a fiercely biting “Aprite un’po quegli occhi.” One was delighted to discover another side to his artistry beyond the Britten/Wagner repertoire he had previously sung at the Met. Crowe’s sexy, industrious Susanna paired with McKinny’s besotted Figaro made the pair instantly sympathetic.”
— Parterre Box

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA
Don Giovanni • 2020

“McKinny delivered a performance that spoke of lots of experience in the role, as recently as last spring with Houston Grand Opera. His tone was robust, his technique confident, his command of the stage appropriately rogue-ish.”
— Bachtrack

“As the Don, Ryan McKinny unspooled smooth, stylish sound, a forceful snarl lurking beneath a suave veneer.”
— Washington Post

“McKinny [brought a] soaring voice and excellent portrayal of Don Giovanni in gesture and facial expression…”
— Maryland Theatre Guide

“McKinny’s Giovanni offers a command of the stage... He is certainly dashing and sings with a pleasing baritone.”
— Metro Weekly

“As the title character, Ryan McKinny has the physical presence to make him believable in the role, which isn’t always a given, and a pleasingly clear voice.”
— A Beast in A Jungle

“McKinny was an excellent Giovanni, his actions and singing smooth, refined, and polished.”
— OperaGene

“McKinny sang the title role with considerable finesse. His best moment came in the delicately spun ‘Deh, vieni alla finestra’…”
— Washington Classical Review

“Giovanni was sung with an assured but reptilian coolness by American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny. Once we are honest with ourselves about our secret fascination with evil, it’s all about overcoming it... This can be all the more difficult if we detect the longing behind the evil. Giovanni’s canzonetta, sung tenderly by McKinny, stirs pity with its dynamic mix of triumph and sadness.”
— DC Metro Theater Arts

LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO
Dead Man Walking • 2019

“An indelible performance... Ryan McKinny, making his Lyric debut, proves at once menacing and charismatic as De Rocher; the hard surface McKinny shows at first meeting Prejean slowly cracking over time, an acting tour de force buttressed by a warmly inviting voice.”
— Chicago Tribune

“An outstanding Lyric debut... This assignment requires a voice that is capable of delicate floated beauty in the upper register as well as dramatic power, and McKinny came through splendidly. His climactic moment of self-revelation was shattering.”
— Opera News

“McKinny’s De Rocher is equally multi-layered. Lean, muscular, and slouching, he moves with the big-shot swagger of a small-town bully. Drawling and snarling, he deploys his Southern accent like an impeccably precise weapon. His deep voice rattles the heavens in a chilling outburst of bone-shaking fear and towering outrage.”
— Musical America

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny brings many layers to De Rocher. He's full of menace and defiance from the start, but later starts to crumble when facing his own mortality.”
— Windy City Times

“Lyric’s splendid cast took exemplary care of words, drama and music on opening night. The admirable American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny delivered a vocal and dramatic tour de force as De Rocher, charting the convict’s evolution from rage, defiance and despair to exhausted acceptance of his fate with absolute conviction.”
— Opera Magazine

“McKinny is remarkable as Joseph De Rocher. He has a compelling and full bass-baritone, and he makes De Rocher's emotional turmoil as a result of life behind bars fully present. And though the character continues to deny that he committed any crime, McKinny makes the pain and regret that De Rocher may feel somewhere underneath quite clear.”
— Broadway World

“As De Rocher, McKinny made his character believable through his command of line and phrasing. In some of the more passionate moments—like the scene in the first act when he asks Sister Helen to be his spiritual advisor—McKinny’s clear diction at a piano level spoke more loudly than a histrionic plea, along with his full vocalizing of the fleeting arioso-like moments.”
— Seen and Heard International

“A knockout Lyric Opera debut... McKinny didn’t set a shackled foot wrong as the embittered, heavily tattooed convict. He is a first-rate actor, wholly inhabiting the hard-as-nails-convict. Vocally, McKinny was just as strong. His bass-baritone has a bit of grain in it—apt for the role—but his voice is surprisingly flexible and McKinny floated high soft notes with supple tenderness.”
— Chicago Classical Review

BAYREUTHER FESTSPIELE
Parsifal • 2019

“A startlingly beautiful scene of Act 1 is created where Amfortas (Ryan McKinny) expresses the eternal pain with both his movements and his sensitive singing.”
— Bachtrack

“McKinny brought satisfying vocal color and interpretative versatility to Amfortas. He knew how to deepen expression with careful style and accurate phrasing.”
— Platea Magazine

“McKinny, with his soft and strong voice, captured Amfortas' painful sensibility, in a production conceived as Christ.”
— Opera+

“It was a powerful and moving scene while the Christ-like figure of Amfortas was magnificently portrayed by the gifted and talented American bass-baritone, Ryan McKinny.”
— Planet Hugill

“Strong with a Hollywood physique, McKinny gave life to a grieving Christ … convincing from the very first bars through the strength of a full and heroic voice, richly ringing. "
— GBOpera

“We are as impressed by the voice as the duly exposed physique of bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, who possesses imposing scale and timbre.”
— ResMusica

“Ryan McKinny effectively embodies all the suffering of Amfortas.”
— TeatriOnline

“Nor did the vocal section weaken, where the highly applauded lower voices shone [including] the suffering, elegant and very movingly sung Amfortas of Ryan McKinny.”
— Beckmesser

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Don Giovanni • 2019

“McKinny makes his role debut as the title character, and he’s magnetic – tall, lithe, and dangerously charismatic. When he flashes his rakish smile, it’s lethal, and it certainly doesn’t take much imagination to see why all those women (2,065 in total) couldn’t resist him. At moments, we almost begin to root for him; it’s where the disturbing ambiguity of this opera lies, that his allure and his privilege allows him to do whatever he wants to do. One of the most gorgeous musical moments is his aria to Elvira’s maid, “Deh vieni alla finestra.” McKinny cuts a languid figure, lying beneath her window disguised as his servant Leporello, and his serenade is so meltingly beautiful, so luminous, that we forget how insincere the whole thing really is.”
— Houstonia Magazine

“McKinny looks the part, for sure. Handsome and lithe, he’s devilishly attractive. It’s easy to see how seduction is Giovanni’s second nature. He sings the role very well […] McKinny’s “Serenade” to Elvira’s maid, with its simple mandolin accompaniment, is sublime. Sly and relaxed, he sprawls against the wall and spins out Mozart’s effortless melody. It’s love in music. He could out-woo Orpheus.“
— Houston Press

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny was a layered, troubled Don Giovanni who could delicately croon, darkly menace or indignantly patter to suit the moment at hand.”
— Opera News

“California baritone Ryan McKinny is believable in this iconic role. A physical actor, McKinny demonstrated the vocal beauty and control needed to be a great Don Giovanni. That control was exhibited throughout his performance, particularly in a rousing Champagne aria and in sotto voce passages of the Serenade.”
— Opera Warhorses

“In the Champagne Aria and Giovanni’s final confrontation with fate, McKinny displayed the kind of sonorous darkness of tones he employed as the thunder-god Donner in Wagner’s Das Rheingold in 2014. More often, though, his singing was light, animated and even sardonic. Giovanni’s banter with Leporello–planning escapades and mocking his detractors–took on a mocking edge. But when the womanizer went into seduction mode, as in the duet with young Zerlina or the Serenade, McKinny’s singing turned as graceful and delicate as if Giovanni were innocence personified. Giovanni’s malaise came through, too in McKinny’s portrayal. When Giovanni told Leporello that women were as necessary to him as food, McKinny delivered the words in hollow half-tones that exuded weariness.”
— Texas Classical Review

“In his role debut, Ryan McKinny made a lithe and charismatic dissoluto, and his bass-baritone sound was handsome.”
— Opera Magazine

“McKinny plays the Don as a superhero gone to seed. This silver-tongued devil in disheveled designer threads could charm the rattle off a diamondback, but his ultra-slick manner is no match for his inner creep. He has that elegantly wasted look Johnny Depp used to pull off so well, and a voice to match — weathered and rugged, but charismatic enough to lend substance to his smugness. He’s truly convinced himself he’s doing all these women a ‘service,’ in both senses of the word.”
— Houston Chronicle

OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL
Das Rheingold • 2018

“Surrounded by a crowd of 24 extras, the charismatic bass-baritone Ryan McKinny takes on the formidable vocal path that must be reached in order to render the fullness of Wotan's pivotal character.”
— Sors-Tu

“Ryan McKinny’s vocals are impressively rich…”
— Notre Montréalité

SANTA FE OPERA
Doctor Atomic • 2018

“McKinny showed the audience the human side of the scientific genius and I doubt that operagoers who saw his portrayal will soon forget it… With golden baritonal sounds he sings… Although Adams’s music does not lend itself to a great deal of traditional opera singing, on this evening this soliloquy became a truly memorable aria.”
— Broadway World

“McKinny used his reticent stage demeanor to suggest a man quietly imbued with the spirit of scientific discovery and deeply conflicted after the result. His showpiece aria, “Batter my heart,” was beautifully sung and seemed to emanate from the core of Oppenheimer’s ambivalence.”
— Opera News

“As J. Robert and Kitty Oppenheimer, Ryan McKinny and Julia Bullock both sang flawlessly with a fine grasp of their characters’ inner struggles.”
— Opera Magazine

“Oppenheimer is a mercurial and charismatic Ryan McKinny who trades beauty lip to lip [with Kitty].”
— Santa Fe Reporter

“An excellent cast. McKinny…is a handsomely frustrated Oppie.”
— New York Times

“Mr. Adams’s turbulent score carried the opera’s emotional weight here, especially in moments of extreme doubt and terror. So did the excellent cast: Ryan McKinny was a youthful, edgy Oppenheimer…”
— Wall Street Journal

“The Robert Oppenheimer role proved a tour de force for McKinny. By far the largest part in the opera, McKinny used his rich, expressive baritone to convey a range of emotions – his fear of the test’s failure, his anxiety about keeping his men on point.”
— Opera Warhorses

“Ryan McKinny’s Oppenheimer has a wry, wiry, brittle brilliance. The storm had begun to die down for his ferocious aria, “Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God,” which ends the first act, but its fury remained inside McKinny, to be released all over again.”
— Los Angeles Times

“The cast was first-rate throughout, featuring long stretches of compelling ensemble work but also anchored by the in-depth portrayals of Ryan McKinny as Oppenheimer and Julia Bullock as Kitty. Both of them uncovered resonant depths as they coped with their respective crises…And they developed a tangible chemistry of longing and unfulfilled hopes in their pivotal bedroom scene (“Am I in your light?”), its aching, sustained lines in brilliant contrast to the pointillist, pinpoint diffusions of rhythmic energy that tauten the countdown.”
— Musical America

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
Bernstein Mass • 2018

“The superb bass-baritone Ryan McKinny elicits pathos with his combination of strength and vulnerability, in both posture and voice.”
— Stage and Cinema

“The Celebrant [was] here sung with enviable stamina by Ryan McKinny. It was a testimony to the dedication of all the performers involved that they managed to convey this score's vigor and power so effectively, without a trace of condescension.”
— Bachtrack

“Bernstein’s setting of the traditional Roman Catholic Mass is outrageous and whiplash-inducing … Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny proved an able officiant, both physically and vocally.”
— Fjord Review

“The center of it all is baritone Ryan McKinny’s Celebrant. Rather than a naive, young, folk-singing cleric who struggles with the demands of institutionalized religion and the contemporary world, McKinny proved a more mature, more authentically troubling cross between Moses, the cult leader Jim Jones, and 1960s countercultural spiritualist Alan Watts. In a brilliant performance, his breakdown was Shakespearean, the madness of Lear.”
— Los Angeles Times

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Götterdämmerung • 2017

“Goerke is every bit the star that this production deserves. But Ryan McKinny's Gunther and Heidi Melton's Gutrune match her virtuosic spirit with their own give-it-their-all showcase. Both singer and designer realize that the conclusion to the "Ring," about the folly of humankind and the end of the natural order, rarely has room for delicacy.”
— Houston Chronicle

“HGO has assembled the best of the best for the cast [including] Ryan McKinny as hapless Gunther.”
— Houston Press

“As his blood-brother and backstabber Gunther, Ryan McKinny served up a poignantly conflicted rendering.”
— Houstonia Magazine

“McKinny’s baritone, which has both lyrical and dramatic qualities, contributed to his strong, psychologically-driven performance in the role of Gunther.”
— Opera Warhorses

“Can a healthy, red-blooded voice be too much of a good thing? Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny’s Gunther sounded almost too masculine for a character who’s mocked as a coward.”
— Texas Classical Review

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny sings with such appealing nuance and smokily sustained tones that we empathized with the character in spite of his worldly ambitions.“
— Opera News

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
Girls of the Golden West • 2017

“The cast was young and uniformly strong, sporting excellent diction. Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny was especially clear in diction as Clarence.”
— Classical Voice North America

“The excellent cast sold all this without reservation… Ryan McKinny navigated the odd transition of Clarence from a narrator into the leader of the lynch mob.”
— Wall Street Journal

“Ryan McKinny showed an attractive voice and intensity of character impersonation.”
— Bachtrack

“Ryan McKinny gave an energetic performance, setting the opera’s rugged atmosphere from the opening prologue with a passage from Mark Twain’s Roughing It.”
— Parterre Box

“The soul of the opera was found in the performance of bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as Joe’s friend Clarence, forever transforming the lives of the opera’s victims, and in the end, perhaps, embodying the opera’s spiritual redemption (if there was one). These unique artists responded perfectly to the John Adams musical world.”
— Opera Today

“The opera opens with Clarence, a hearty miner (the exuberant bass-baritone Ryan McKinny), who sets up the story… Mr. McKinny sings lustily over skittish, pointillist music in the orchestra.”
— New York Times

“Ryan McKinny’s energetic Clarence made a strong contribution.”
— Opera News

“Ryan McKinny, a fast-rising Wagnerian bass-baritone, created a dynamic portrait of Clarence, who begins with masculine swagger, becomes a monster by degrees, and ends up a guilt-ridden shell.”
— The New Yorker

“The whole cast — including bass-baritone Ryan McKinny (Clarence) — is simply the future of opera, on one stage.”
— Los Angeles Times

“The remaining singing cast members all made strong contributions: bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as Clarence expressed the vigor and ambition of the youthful miners who dominated the camps with his rich, big voice.”
— SF Examiner

“The bass-baritone Ryan McKinny made an impressive debut as Clarence, a character who participates in the action but is also something of a Greek chorus. He delivered Macbeth’s soliloquy with chilling power.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice

“Clarence (Ryan McKinny) is a potent narrating figure throughout the piece…”
— Opera Canada

“The sinister, exciting opening features the wonderful Ryan McKinney as Clarence performing a scene for the miners from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and it sets up the darkness to come.”
— SF Civic Center

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA
Le nozze di Figaro • 2016

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny brings charm and virility to the role of Figaro. McKinny shows off his comic chops and his shining voice as the Count’s wily valet. McKinny’s “Se vuol ballare” and “Non piu andrai” were just about perfect. His aria in the latter part of the opera, when Figaro is convinced his Susanna has cuckolded him with the Count, “Aprite un po’quegli occhi,” was magnificent.”
— Broadway World

“McKinny livens up his manservant with a fair bit of silliness and jumping about and also gives him some leading-man gravitas with his luxuriant bass-baritone.”
— Metro Weekly

“Ryan McKinny had the strongest vocal outing, matched by the best comic timing.“
— Washington Classical Review

“Ryan McKinny’s Figaro navigates quick thinking in comically compromising situations, duets with his love Susanna, and his rage-filled aria about unfaithful women, his resonant bass-baritone carrying us through Mozart’s timeless work.”
— DC Metro Theater Arts

“McKinny has an impressive stage presence, agile voice and even more agility and dexterity as he pounces around the stage like someone who’s still mad about not making the U.S. gymnastics team.”
— The Georgetowner

“McKinny and Oropesa are well-matched as Figaro and Susanna, the charming valet and maid to the Count and Countess of Almaviva. Their comedic timing is impeccable. McKinny’s Figaro is athletic. His signature move is leaping over furniture. A formidable bass-baritone…”
— Maryland Theatre Guide

“Mr. McKinny’s appealingly airy approach to Mozart’s comic hero eventually prevailed and won out, primarily due to his supple vocal approach and effortless comic chops.”
— Communities Digital News

“Youthful voices of exceptional promise can help any Figaro rise above the usual doldrums, and Washington benefited from some excellent rising talent. Above all, Ryan McKinny proved a solid Figaro, darting about the stage with energy and passion to the sound of his well-practiced baritone.”
— ConcertoNet

“Ryan McKinney made Mozart look and feel like a gambol in the park. McKinney proved his technical and interpretive ability to scale back and create something light and delightful. His confidence in the role put me at ease instantly and, when he drew Susanna on his lap in their first duet for some pre-nuptial necking, he convinced me this was a modern love story.”
— DC Theatre Scene

“Ryan McKinny as Figaro managed to wield both a beautiful voice and a relaxed, conversational style.”
— Huffington Post

BAYREUTHER FESTSPIELE
Parsifal • 2016 & 2017

“Also at the pinnacle was Ryan McKinny’s Amfortas…readily thundering and sonorous, he has the scope the role requires.”
— ResMusica

“Ryan McKinny gave another fine performance as Amfortas, keenly aware of the transformation of the character – staging aside – between first and third acts.”
— Boulezian

“It was a powerful and moving scene while the Christ-like figure of Amfortas was magnificently portrayed by the gifted and talented American bass-baritone, Ryan McKinny.”
— Planet Hugill

“In his Bayreuth debut, American Ryan McKinny was a handsome Amfortas who inhabited the role in a heartrending manner physically, emotionally and vocally.”
— Opera News

“Ryan McKinny sang with great musical intelligence and Amfortas’s great cry of ‘Erbarmen!’ was every bit as anguished as it must be as he elicited compassion for his character’s suffering.”
— Seen and Heard International

“The cast is led by experienced Wagnerians [including] Ryan McKinny’s hunky Amfortas.”
— The Times

“Ryan McKinny [was] a noble and agonised Amfortas… This was a cast of distinction, helping Bayreuth to recover its reputation for musical and artistic supremacy.”
— The Telegraph

“In a daring performance by the American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, this Amfortas is a handsome man in his 30s who appears during the ritual ceremony of Act I as a stand-in for Christ on the cross, wearing a loincloth and a crown of thorns, dripping blood from the wound on his side that will not heal.”
— New York Times

“Of the singers, especially striking was the wonderful full luster of Ryan McKinny as Amfortas.”
— Die Welt

“Ryan McKinny is a discovery as Amfortas. His intensity and vocal luminosity are superb.”
— Hessiche Niedersächsische Allgemein

“Ryan McKinny, who sings Amfortas with a supple baritone, is likewise magnificent.”
— Ruhr Nachrichten

“Ryan McKinny gives a powerful and expressive vocal stature to the Grail King, Amfortas, who suffers endlessly under the sacrament ceremony.”
— Nachtrkritik

“Very impressive as well was the acting achievement of the half naked as if crucified Ryan McKinny as Amfortas. He was also especially thrilling musically with a nobly guided voice between a long held, no vibrato, powerful “Erbarmen” cry and a restrained piano legato arc through the low C of “heliges Werk.””
— Der neue Merker

“Ryan McKinny is ideally cast as Grail King Amfortas – only towards the end did he unfold the full force of his voice, which fit brilliantly with the nature of the role.”
— Nordbayerische-Kurier

“Laufenberg’s production had some powerful moments and was at its most convincing at the points of highest drama in the outer acts, with the suffering of Ryan McKinny’s Christ-like Amfortas, sung with powerful, gnarly and nutty tone, especially memorable, the letting of his blood forming the climax of Act 1’s ritual.”
— Opera Magazine

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA
Götterdämmerung • 2016

“The singer’s comfort in the role’s music was absolute, and McKinny traversed the full range of his part without an iota of stress not required by the drama. … Brenna and McKinny sang ‘Treue trink’ ich dem Freund!’ thrillingly, their voices combining like lightning and thunder. Providing soaring accounts, McKinny confirmed how markedly a superlative Gunther can increase enjoyment of a performance of Götterdämmerung… The invigorating masculinity that McKinny brought to ‘O Schmach! O Schande! Wehe mir, dem jammervollsten Manne!’ transcended the self-pity that renders many Gunthers spineless snivelers, further refining the baritone’s interpretation of the much-maligned role.”
— Voix des Arts

“He showed off an expressive, musical baritone, and clearly delineated Gunther’s transition from proud, spineless cad to a man consumed by self-loathing and in far over his head.”
— Parterre Box

“Ryan McKinny’s steady baritone enlivened the part of Gunther.”
— ConcertoNet

“Ryan McKinny made a sympathetic, warm-toned Gunther.”
— Opera Magazine

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny returned as Hagen’s legitimately born half-brother Gunther, portraying him as a weak, oily sort of fellow who’s more than happy to cooperate with Hagen... Mr. McKinny approached his role keeping Gunther’s character traits in mind, portraying his character with a halting, vocal tentativeness.”
— Communities Digital News

“McKinny’s Gunther had considerable tonal refinement and communicative depth.”
— Opera News

TEATRO COLÓN
Parsifal • 2015

“Ryan McKinny’s Amfortas was simply irresistible in his heartbreaking plea as the human Grail at the heart of this insightful and moving production.”
— Opera News

““Ryan McKinny was a formidable Amfortas who had his best moments in the Act 3 finale. He portrayed the character's suffering extremely convincingly and had an expressive baritone. "
— Der neue Merker

“McKinny’s Amfortas was overwhelming and vocally solid…”
— La Nación

“Ryan McKinny is an Amfortas tortured by his pain and sin, a character extremely weakened by the wound that does not heal and who awaits death as relief. McKinny hits on every nuance of this role, and expresses very well the character’s failing imprint. He vocally supports Amforta’s despair with an immense quality of tortured desolation that overwhelms him at all times. It is an excellent delivery of this iconic Wagnerian role."
— Toda La Cultura

SANTA FE OPERA
Salome • 2015

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, in his house debut, infused Jochanaan with sonorous resonance, the gravitas of his delivery confirming his character’s sense of self-certainty.”
— Santa Fe New Mexican

“Ryan McKinny has all the goods for a first-tier Jochanaan, namely a meaty, forceful bass-baritone that has powerful point and burnished quality in every register and volume. Mr. McKinny found all the heft necessary for the big statements, and other times sang with sensitivity, understanding, and ever-present beauty of tone. He brought an oversize presence to the role and true star power to the evening.”
— Opera Today

“McKinny possessed a rich voice well-suited to the declamation of prophecies… He was able to summon a considerable vocal authority.”
— Mundo Clásico

“As Jochanaan, Ryan McKinny makes an imposing, stentorian debut.”
— Santa Fe Reporter

“Ryan McKinny’s Jochanaan was believably sexy in a crazed way, and the seduction scene with Penda found him melting to the floor in the face of her lust, still a heterosexual man in spite of his zealotry.”
— Bachtrack

“Ryan McKinny thundered to good effect as Jochanaan…”
— The Classical Review

“The cast was strong. Ryan McKinny was an arresting Jokanaan, especially powerful in his fulminations.”
— Opera Magazine

“Ryan McKinny’s secure Jochanaan was, refreshingly, a wild-eyed student, fresh from the pages of Dostoyevsky.”
— Opera News

“A great and welcome surprise is bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, who lends his powerfully expressive voice to this production as a thunderingly effective Jochanaan. Mr. McKinny does it all with his sweeping, imperious mannerisms and his frighteningly authoritative voice, giving us some sense of what power and majesty must have been present in the moral pronouncements of the ancient prophets.”
— Communities Digital News

LOS ANGELES OPERA
Le nozze di Figaro • 2015

“McKinny’s Count Almaviva evokes the type of buff, bare-chested swagger and imperious self-importance associated with Vladimir Putin. And with his strong voice and robust authority, that’s just how McKinny plays him. He is a man that sees himself in total control of his world with little regard for those that he hurts, including his wife. His defeat at the hands of his servants, and his wife, is a sweet victory.”
— Los Angeles Daily News

“Ryan McKinny never falls short in the acting department. He is all the arrogant, entitled count – handsome, sensual, and duplicitous – which made his comic sequences all the funnier. Nor did his singing disappoint with his pleasing, lyrical baritone.”
— International Review of Music

“As the Count, Ryan McKinny was a strict taskmaster who…sang with dark, vigorous sounds.”
— Opera Today

“Upstairs at Downton we had Ryan McKinny as a Count Almaviva who, after playing Act I like a louche playboy out for a stroll, brought a real imposing menace to his confrontation with the Countess in her bed chamber. He was particularly fine in his Act III showcase with an elegant line and clear articulation in the passagework at the end of the aria which always seems to take so many baritones by surprise. I can’t fail to mention his final “Contessa perdono” was delivered with such shattering simplicity it could have moved a stone to tears.”
— Parterre Box

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Carmen • 2014

“Houston favorite Ryan McKinny is astounding as the confident, handsome, and altogether glamorous toreador Escamillo. His polished and luxurious bass-baritone voice perfectly commands our attention during the Toreador Song. With an appealing but conceited air, he delivers a sterling performance."
— Broadway World

“Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny was a sonorous Escamillo, bringing to Bizet much the same vocal heft he contributed to Das Rheingold as Donner, the god of thunder.”
— Houston Chronicle

“Ryan McKinny spanned Escamillo’s daunting range with fat-toned aplomb.”
— Opera Magazine

“A theater professor once complained to me that in opera none of the characters look the way they should because singing trumps appearance when it comes to casting. Not so in this production…the equally arresting bass-baritone Ryan McKinny sings Escamillo with the vocal chops to match his appropriately good looks.”
— Houstonia Magazine

LOS ANGELES OPERA
A Streetcar Named Desire • 2014

“The complete cast was excellent. Ryan McKinny made the role of Stanley Kowalski his own so that we did not compare him to Marlon Brando in the film. Whether an acting Stanley or a singing Stanley, McKinny was as good a Stanley as Stanleys get, and I rate him among the best. He displayed an animalistic, macho, virile physique coupled with a desperate organic need for his wife, Stella. He was able to mesh the music with the words so that all we saw was Stanley. His voice was almost incidental except that the sound was plush and interconnected with his being so that the sound and the being became one... McKinny carried the drama.”
— Opera Theater Ink

“L.A. Opera has found a believable cast with McKinny’s unquestionably virile … often shirtless Stanley Kowalski, in Marlon Brando-esque undress.”
— Los Angeles Times

“Ryan McKinny as Stanley not only looks the part but also conveys the twin qualities of menace and neediness so central to the role. McKinny sings with enough power and conviction to make his character soar as the perpetrator of disaster. Even when conveying rage, McKinny’s voice is never strident, but remains fluid and rich.”
— Seen and Heard International

“A terrific cast included Ryan McKinny, shirt-less to show off his washboard abs and otherwise a convincing tough-guy as Stanley.”
— LA Observed

“Ryan McKinny was virile, vigorous and sonorous as Stanley Kowalski.”
— Opera Magazine

“Ryan McKinny is a volatile, animalistic Stanley, whose cry of “Stella!” shakes the rafters. There is also the indication that his Stanley, a decorated World War II veteran, is suffering from an undiagnosed case of post-traumatic stress disorder, which partially explains his need for binge drinking and explosive bursts of violence. Watching him with Fleming is like watching a leopard stalk a gazelle.”
— Pasadena Star-News

“The role of Stanley Kowalski has long labored under the shadow of Marlon Brando’s electrifyingly original brand of ham. McKinny plays the part entirely differently, less hulking (and more buff), as a brute man of limited vision.”
— The Hollywood Reporter

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Rigoletto • 2014

“Ryan McKinny, who played Rigoletto, is one of the finest singers of his generation. The dark but burnished resonance of his bass-baritone made each iteration of the curse motif something to savor, and the high-ranging parts added an intensity and crucial vulnerability to the role.”
— Opera News

“McKinny’s deep, resonant tones and bursts of power made Rigoletto’s inner darkness hit home without theatrical gimmicks. Despite being a bass-baritone, McKinny reinforced Rigoletto’s fury by singing the notes, unwritten by Verdi, that high baritones usually add; their punch got the message across. When Rigoletto faced tormenting courtiers, McKinny’s acid-tinged delivery demonstrated how words were Rigoletto’s weapon of choice. But when Rigoletto was with Gilda, McKinny sang with a breadth and sonorousness that revealed the loving side Rigoletto kept hidden from the world.”
— Houston Chronicle

“Ryan McKinny’s handsome features were skewed into a physically emaciated, lopsided Rigoletto. His voice, however, was healthy and eased through the role’s demands.”
— ConcertoNet

“Ryan McKinny was singing his first jester, but his large-bore bass-baritone and intense acting certainly made an impact.”
— Opera Magazine

“McKinny fully inhabits his take on the character that he creates and is he believable every second. Even at this nascent place in his career, his resonant voice and nuanced expression gives us a fully formed and unique interpretation of the role. How he will sing it 10 years from now is eagerly anticipated. As an actor, he does the some of the best work of anyone working within the static staging.”
— Theater Jones

“McKinny’s beautifully crafted, often understated, performance was one that emphasized Rigoletto’s humanity and the lyricism of the vocal line that Verdi created for him. He delivered Rigoletto’s great arias with true feelings for the pathos that underlies each. His Pari siamo rang true as an introspective self-denunciation of his own employment as a purveyor of slanderous “humor”. Even more arresting was McKinny’s delivery of the aria Cortigiani.”
— Opera Warhorses

“Taking on the role of Rigoletto for the first time, Ryan McKinny is the absolute best part of this production. He deftly uses his powerful and deeply resonating bass-baritone instrument to sing with fervor and unrestrained emotionality. Every note released from his body held the attention of the audience and his rendition of “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” in Act II left the audience breathless. Moreover, his performance was nuanced, allowing the audience to see how deeply he cares for his daughter, how others perceive her, and his desire to right every wrongdoing she suffers.”
— Broadway World

GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL
Der fliegende Holländer • 2013

“ Ms. Zambello’s resourceful, riveting conception still illuminates fresh depths and currents in this Wagner seafaring tale. Credit the casting with at least part of the effect. In Ryan McKinny, a lithe, handsome bass-baritone outfitted in a leather jacket worn open to expose a full-chest tattoo, Ms. Zambello offered a Dutchman who seemed unusually close in age and bearing to Senta, the virtuous young woman whose love could provide his salvation. [Senta] matched Mr. McKinny’s brooding intensity, their interactions suffusing the goings-on with an unmistakable erotic charge.”
— New York Times

“Not only were McKinny’s singing and characterization beautiful and nuanced, but his stage presence was electric. His duet with Senta was spellbinding, and one could feel the pain when he believes Senta has betrayed him. And what a bit of bad-boy eye candy he is in costume!”
— Huffington Post

“The production boasted an excellent Dutchman, Ryan McKinny, whose rich bass-baritone and imposing presence brought unusually human, sexy and even pitiable depths to this cursed ship’s captain who is endlessly seeking a woman to redeem him.”
— Wall Street Journal

“Only age 32, McKinny displayed a large, mellifluous voice, suggesting an important future career in the dramatic baritone roles of Wagner and Verdi… Zambello’s direction permitted him to develop, instead of a remote ghost figure, a more human character, who connects empathetically with Senta.”
— Opera Warhorses

“Ryan McKinny took easy and quiet command of the stage. His characterization had the confidence that conveys despair. He was frightening, yet you longed to help him. His pursuit of the captain’s daughter—the woman he hopes will save him from his otherwise endless torment—effectively mixed desperation with aggressiveness.”
— MetroLand

“It doesn’t hurt that McKinny’s rich and resonant voice is matched by a powerful physique and his bare chest is covered with a huge tattoo of the Dutchman’s mystical vessel… When McKinny and Moore clash, vocal and sexual sparks fly.”
— TheaterLife

“McKinny spun out "Wie aus der Ferne" in long, beautifully shaped bel canto lines; you could feel the growing intensity of the Dutchman's ardor. Both [Moore and McKinny] brought fresh insights.”
— Opera News

“Ryan McKinny’s rich baritone conveys every nuance of the Dutchman’s lost, lonely, plagued soul.”
— The Post-Standard

“Both the Dutchman and Senta were excellent. As the Dutchman, Ryan McKinny’s rich-voiced singing arrestingly projected the seafarer’s gloomy essence.”
— Opera Magazine

“Ryan McKinny’s Dutchman in particular seemed to burn like a lonely lighthouse with pained internal conflict (just as he should)… his presence was riveting; I doubt I’ll see a more compelling take on the part.”
— The Hub Review

“‘World-class’ is an encomium often used indiscriminately but in light of Glimmerglass Festival’s triumphant Holländer, the press office has my full encouragement to use the phrase loud and often. The cause for celebration begins with an uncommonly fine cast, surely among the top tier of today’s Dutchman interpreters. As the title character, Ryan McKinny has served notice that he is poised to be the Heldenbariton of choice for the punishing requirements of the demanding role. Mr. McKinny boasts a solid, even instrument that rolls forth with a hint of darkness and substantial weight. The inherent gravitas in the tone did not keep him from hurling out important dramatic declamations with a bright laser beam intensity and welcome purity of line. But, Ryan could also reel in the volume and ravish us with sotto voce phrasing that was warm, lyrical, and bewitching. His traversal of “Die Frist ist um” was a mini drama-within-a-drama, varied, well-shaped, empathetic and undeniably moving. I have never been quite so involved with the doomed man’s plight, or more involved with his journey. The handsome Mr. McKinny is also blessed with a personal charisma and stage magnetism that characterize the greatest performers.”
— Opera Today

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Tristan und Isolde • 2013

“The strong supporting cast includes…Ryan McKinny, an affecting Kurwenal.”
— Wall Street Journal

“Ryan McKinny’s bass-baritone instrument is put to marvelous use as Kurwenal. His efficacious and potent instrument showcases Kurwenal’s bravery and admirable loyalty. Alluring in the first and second acts, Ryan McKinny’s characterization and vocal performance as Kurwenal is ingeniously dexterous in the third act. His command of his instrument, the power he can put behind his voice, and his perceptive faithfulness to both Tristan and Isolde thoroughly engages the audience and serves to make Kurwenal’s death the most tragic in the production.”
— Broadway World

“McKinny sang with a dynamism that enabled him to add his own impact to the story. The bite of McKinny’s voice especially suited Loy’s staging, which has Kurwenal treating Isolde as if Tristan were worthier than she – intensifying Isolde’s fury.”
— Houston Chronicle

“Baritone Ryan McKinny could not have sung Kurwenal any better. As Tristan’s trusted aide-de-camp with unbounded loyalty, McKinny, with handsome stage presence to spare and voice to die for, was positively riveting.”
— Houston Press

“The surprise of the evening was Ryan McKinny’s Kurwenal. He has certainly graduated from his bit part in 2009’s Lohengrin, developing a voice much better suited for Wagner than for Britten. It is a joy to see such growth in his singing and acting and to hear him in larger roles.”
— ContertoNet

“The rest of the cast is top-notch…Ryan McKinny is a movie star-like Kurwenal with a commanding technique…”
— CultureMap

“Ryan McKinny’s dusky, vibrant bass-baritone captured each of the diverse phases of Kurwenal’s trajectory as Tristan’s comrade-in-arms, from swaggering to conflicted and finally to grieving.”
— Opera News