Kyle Ketelsen
BIOGRAPHY
An American bass-baritone sought after by prestigious opera houses and orchestras worldwide
for his vibrant and handsome stage presence, and distinctive vocalism.
In the upcoming 2023/24 season, Mr. Ketelsen will make his long-awaited debut at Paris Opera as the title role in Don Giovanni, followed by his role debut of Jochanaan in a new production of Salome, from Dmitri Tcherniakov, in Hamburg. This is followed by a return to the Metropolitan Opera for Escamillo in their new production of Carmen, which will be broadcast live in cinemas, and his reprisal of Richard in Kevin Puts' groundbreaking The Hours.
In the 2022/23 season, Mr. Ketelsen returned to The Metropolitan Opera as Richard in the world premiere of The Hours opposite Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and Joyce DiDonato, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, which was broadcast live in HD. He also returned to Wiener Staatsoper in the title role in Don Giovanni, and to Los Angeles Opera as Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande, conducted by James Conlin, and directed by Sir David McVicar.
His concert engagements include the Beethoven Missa Solemnis with Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mozart's Requiem with Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the Vail Festival, and his debut of Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Utah Symphony under the baton of Thierry Fischer.
In the 2021/22 season, Mr. Ketelsen made his house debuts at Wiener Staatsoper in the title role of Don Giovanni and at Teatro de la Maestranza as Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande. He returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago to make his role debut as Dulcamara in L’elisir d’Amore, and to Canadian Opera Company for his role debut in the title role in Bluebeard’s Castle. He reprised the role of Escamillo in Carmen with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra in Madrid.
In the 2020/21 season, Mr. Ketelsen returned to Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich for his role debut as Kaspar in Der Freischütz in a new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov, and to Dutch National Opera for his role debut as Adahm in Rudi Stephan’s Die Ersten Menschen. He was also scheduled to return to the Metropolitan Opera as Escamillo in Carmen, and to Dallas Opera as the title role in Le nozze di Figaro, while in concert, he was scheduled to sing Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra and Choirs.
In the 2019/20 season, Mr. Ketelsen sang Leporello in Don Giovanni at both Washington National Opera and Staatsoper Hamburg, and returned to Opernhaus Zürich for his role debut as Selim Il Turco in Italia. He was also scheduled to sing the Four Villains Les Contes d’Hoffmann at New National Theatre Tokyo, and to make his role debut in the title role of Saint François d’Assise at Grand Théâtre de Genève, in a new production by multimedia artist Adel Abdessemed. In concert, he reprised Leporello with Music Aeterna under the baton of Teodor Currentzis.
Kyle Ketelsen: A Tour de Force in the Operatic World
These performances showcase versatility and talent as an opera singer, taking on various roles across different operas and venues.
- Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande at the Metropolitan Opera and Opernhaus Zürich
- Escamillo in Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera
- Leporello in Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera, Dallas Opera and Opéra National de Lyon
- Mr. Flint in Billy Budd at the Metropolitan Opera
- Conte Rodolfo in La Sonnambula at Opernhaus Zürich
- Méphistophélès in Faust at Opernhaus Zürich, Lyric Opera of Chicago and La Damnation de Faust with Les Siècles
- King of Scotland in Ariodante at Lyric Opera of Chicago
- Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Staatsoper Berlin and Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Dutch National Opera and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence
- Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
- Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Bayerische Staatsoper
- Enrico VIII in Anna Bolena at Minnesota Opera
- Cadmus in Semele and Alidoro in La Cenerentola at the Canadian Opera Company
Other career highlights
Mr. Ketelsen made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Oratorio Society of New York in Haydn’s Creation and reprised this work with Music of the Baroque in Chicago. Other career highlights on the concert stage include appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Berlioz’s Lélio, de Falla’s El Retablo del Maese Pedro, and Kaija Saariaho’s Cinq reflets au l’Amour de loin, under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen; with the Philharmonia Orchestra in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex; with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella under the baton of Pierre Boulez, for a Grammy-nominated recording; with the Seattle Symphony in Mozart’s Requiem under Itzhak Perlman; with the Cleveland Orchestra in Haydn’s Harmoniemesse under Franz Welser-Möst; and with the Orchestre National de France, Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Mr. Ketelsen has won First Prize in several international vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Richard Tucker Music Foundation (Career Grant), the George London Foundation, Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation, Sullivan Foundation, Opera Index, MacAllister Awards, Fort Worth Opera, National Opera Association, Connecticut Opera, and Liederkranz Foundation. He is an alumnus of the University of Iowa and Indiana University.
Recent concert highlights include the following performances:
- Handel’s Orlando with Harry Bicket and The English Concert
- Handel’s Messiah with the St. Louis Symphony and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bernard Labadie
- Rossini’s Stabat Mater with Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
- Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas
- Beethoven’s Fidelio with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach
- Mozart’s Requiem with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pinchas Zukerman
- Mozart’s Mass in C minor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki
- De Falla’s Master Peter’s Puppet Show with The Knights at the Tanglewood Festival
- Rossini’s Moïse et Pharaon with the Collegiate Chorale at Carnegie Hall.
