American Bass Wm. Clay Thompson has been praised by Opera News for his “mahogany-timbred” voice. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, during his tenure as a Ryan Opera Center artist at Lyric Opera of Chicago he sang the roles of Zuniga in Carmen and the King in Aïda on the mainstage, as well as covering roles in Ernani, Le comte Ory, and others. He also appeared with Wolf Trap Opera the past two seasons, singing Méphistophélès in Faust in the summer of 2023, and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte and Father Palmer in Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s  Silent Night in 2024.  This coming season brings house débuts with Virginia Opera as Leporello in Don Giovanni and North Carolina Opera in the title role of Le nozze di Figaro, as well as Zuniga in Carmen with the Sioux City Symphony and Mozart’s Requiem with the Camerata Chicago Orchestra and Choir.

Known for his "...strong, rich, and warm color, [with] the ability to cross over into bass-baritone repertoire," the recent seasons saw him make his Metropolitan Opera début in the Octet in Brett Dean’s Hamlet. In addition, he covered the Master of Ceremonies in Cinderella with the Metropolitan Opera and sang Zuniga in Carmen with Arizona Opera. He also covered the role of Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream  with Santa Fe Opera as well as cancelled performances as Zuniga in Carmen with Arizona Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City.