Kyle Ketelsen
Biography

“Far and away the most commanding performance was that of bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello. He has a naturally beautiful, superbly trained voice, rich and clear at the low end, smooth and flexible in the middle range and effortless at the top. Good as his sound was, his acting was better. Ketelsen fully realized the role. He was rewarded at the curtain-call by an uninhibited outburst of cheering and a standing ovation."

Jess Anderson, OPERA NEWS

American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen is in regular demand by the world's leading opera companies and orchestras for his vibrant and handsome stage presence and his distinctive vocalism. Following his return to the Royal Opera, Covent Garden as Figaro under Sir Colin Davis, Kyle began the 2006/7 season with the opening night of the Los Angeles Philharmonic singing de Falla's El Retablo del Maese Pedro under Esa-Pekka Salonen. He sang under Sir Colin again in his debut with the Orchestre National de France in Berlioz's Romeo et Juliette.

Following a tour of Europe under Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra in a Mozart anniversary year program, Kyle made his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in Haydn's Harmoniemesse conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. Later in the season, he made his San Francisco Opera debut as Escamillo in Carmen and returned to the Royal Opera as Zoroastro in Handel's Orlando under Sir Charles Mackerras. Also in the 2006-07 season Kyle brought his renowned Figaro to Boston for his debut at Boston Lyric Opera under Stephen Lord, and made a return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Leporello, with Ivor Bolton at the helm.

The 2007-08 season brings debuts with Hamburg Staatsoper as the Four Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and with Los Angeles Opera and Opera Liceu, Barcelona, as Leporello. In addition, Kyle will return to Covent Garden for Escamillo. In concert he will perform Stravinsky’s Les Noces with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under maestro Salonen.

Kyle's recordings include a live performance of Haydn's 'The Creation' with the Music of the Baroque orchestra in Chicago, conducted by Jane Glover. This is released under the orchestra's own label.

Kyle Ketelsen has garnered great critical acclaim for his portrayals with the major American theaters. His Lyric Opera of Chicago debut was as Masetto in a new production of Don Giovanni conducted by Christoph Eschenbach and directed by Peter Stein with a cast including Bryn Terfel, Karita Mattila and Susan Graham. In recent seasons, he has sung Mozart’s Figaro for his New York City Opera debut and at Opera Pacific, Leporello with Glimmerglass Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, Escamillo in Carmen with Washington National Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Michigan Opera Theatre, the Teatro Real, Madrid and Orlando Opera and his debut performances of Gounod's Mephistopheles in Faust with Michigan Opera Theatre. Other roles in Washington include Oroveso in Norma , the Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte and the Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Abimelech in Samson et Dalila. He has also sung Colline in La Boheme with Opera Pacific, Michigan Opera Theatre and in St. Louis. Other repertoire includes Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Ferrando in Il Trovatore.

In concert, Kyle has collaborated with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony, Berlioz’s Lélio and Kaija Saariaho’s Cinq reflets au l’Amour de loin. Among others, he has performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Pasadena Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and numerous other organizations throughout the Midwest. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with Haydn's Creation with the Oratorio Society of New York and repeated this work with Music of the Baroque in Chicago. His concert repertoire also includes the Verdi Requiem, Brahms Deutsches Requiem, Handel Messiah, Fauré Requiem, Dvorák Te Deum, the Bach St. Matthew and St. John Passions and the Mozart C-Minor Mass, and Mahler's Eighth Symphony.

Kyle has won First Prize in several international vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation (Career Grant), the George London Foundation, the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation, the Sullivan Foundation, Opera Index, the MacAllister Awards, Fort Worth Opera, National Opera Association, Connecticut Opera and the Liederkranz Foundation.

Kyle is a native of Clinton, Iowa. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa where he studied with Albert Gammon and did his graduate studies at Indiana University where he studied with Giorgio Tozzi. He currently resides in Wisconsin with his wife and children.

Date Last Edited: 4th October 2007