Kofi's Professional Bio
Kofi Hayford, Ghanaian-American bass, described as possessing an “impressive” (Brooklyn Discovery) “sonorous,” (Meet Me at the Opera) and “stentorian bass voice” (National Herald) also produces a distinct sound - easily identified for its unique timbre. With over 30 different operatic roles under his belt, he is swiftly building his reputation as an accomplished young bass by bringing an ‘exciting’ and ‘stunning’ sound to the stage. Kofi’s talents have taken him as far as the Artic Circle - performing a series of concerts in the Northwest Territories in Canada. Mr. Hayford has sung with many opera companies, orchestras and prestigious organizations across North America including: the Metropolitan Opera Guild, United Nations Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, NJ Verismo Opera, Gateway Classical Music Society, Connecticut Lyric Opera, and many others.
Kofi’s major opera roles have included: La Roche in Strauss’ Capriccio, Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Mephistopheles in Faust, Rodolfo in La Sonnambula, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, and Baldassare in La Favorita. Kofi sang the inaugural performance of the Greek Opera Olympic Flame singing the role of the titan Prometheus at Lincoln Center - later receiving an award from UNESCO for this performance. The 2018 1st Place Winner of the Tchaikovsky Music Competition in Albany, a 2007 Songfest Young Artist, and 2017 NJ State Opera Guild Competition Finalist, Kofi received his Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from SUNY Buffalo.
Other operatic roles and oratorio engagements include: The Monk and The Grand Inquisitor in Verdi’s Don Carlo; The Bonze in Madama Butterfly; Bass Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and Rossini's Stabat Mater; Count Monterone and from Verdi’s Rigoletto; Angelotti and Sacristan in Puccini’s Tosca; Masetto in Don Giovanni, the Doctor and Baron Douphol in Verdi's La Traviata; Balthazar in Amahl & The Night Visitors.
Details on future engagements are available on my Schedule page.
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