Grant, Clifford (Scantlebury)
Grant, Clifford (Scantlebury)
Grant, Clifford (Scantlebury), Australian bass; b. Randwick, Sept. 11, 1930. He studied at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music in Sydney and with Otakar Kraus in London. In 1951 he made his operatic debut with the New South Wales Opera as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor. After further appearances in Australia, he made his debut at the Sadler’s Wells Opera in London in 1966 as Silva in Ernani, where he later sang Pogner, Sarastro, Hunding, the Commendatore, and Hagen. He also made his U.S. debut in 1966 at the San Francisco Opera as Lord Walton in I Puritani, and returned there to sing such roles as the King in Aida, Monterone, and Oroveso. He first sang at the Glynde-bourne Festival as Nettuno in II Ritorno d’Ulisse in 1972. His Covent Garden debut followed in London in 1974 as Mozart’s Bartolo. On Nov. 19, 1976, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Phorcas in Esclarmonde. From 1976 to 1990 he pursued his operatic career in Australia. In 1993 he appeared as Alvise with England’s Opera North.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire