Kyle Ketelsen (born ) is an American

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

Early life and training

Kyle Ketelsen was born in

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt Cl ...

, and graduated from Clinton High School in 1989, after which, for a brief time, he took general education courses at Mount St. Clare College in Clinton. With the intention of becoming a helicopter pilot, he joined the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

, in which he served from 1990 to 1996. In 1991 he transferred to the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. Having been musical since a young age, he sang for the vocal faculty, and they encouraged him to become a music

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

.Winona Whitaker
"Helicopter dream gives way to opera career"
''

Clinton Herald The ''Clinton Herald'' is a six-day (Monday through Saturday) daily newspaper published in Clinton, Iowa, and covering Clinton and Jackson counties in Iowa, and Carroll and Whiteside counties in Illinois. Overview It is owned by Community Newsp ...

'', March 7, 2019. He studied singing with Albert Gammon at the university, where he received a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

degree in 1995, and then, on Gammon's recommendation, with

Giorgio Tozzi Giorgio Tozzi (January 8, 1923 – May 30, 2011) was an American operatic bass. He was a mainstay for many years with the Metropolitan Opera, and sang principal bass roles in nearly every major opera house worldwide. Career Tozzi was born Geor ...

Indiana University, Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest campu ...

, where he graduated in 1999 with a Master of Music. Since 2008, he has studied with Scott McCoy.

Career

Ketelsen has performed leading roles at the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

, the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

in New York, the

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

, the

Gran Teatre del Liceu Gran may refer to: People *Grandmother, affectionately known as "gran" * Gran (name) Places * Gran, the historical German name for Esztergom, a city and the primatial metropolitan see of Hungary * Gran, Norway, a municipality in Innlandet coun ...

in Barcelona, and the

Festival d'Aix-en-Provence The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumental ...

. His repertoire includes Don Giovanni and Leporello (''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

''), Figaro (''

Le nozze di Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

''), Escamillo (''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

''), Golaud ('' Pelléas et Mélisande''), and Angelotti (''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'').

Personal life

Ketelsen lives in

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin Sun Prairie is a city in Dane County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. A suburb of Madison, it is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 35,967 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is the second-most populous city in Da ...

, with his wife Rebecca, daughter Melanie, and son Benjamin.

Video recordings

*2008: Mozart's ''

'' (

Simon Keenlyside Sir Simon Keenlyside (born 3 August 1959) is a British baritone who has performed in operas and concerts since the mid-1980s. Biography Early life and education Keenlyside was born in London, the son of Raymond and Ann Keenlyside. Raymond play ...

as Don Giovanni, Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello,

Eric Halfvarson Eric Halfvarson (born December 1, 1951 in Aurora, Illinois) is an American operatic bass. He made his professional debut in 1973 with the Lake George Opera (now the Opera Saratoga) as Don Basilio in Rossini's ''The Barber of Seville''. Since then ...

as the Commendatore,

Marina Poplavskaya Marina Poplavskaya (russian: Марина Поплавская, links=no; born September 1977) is a Russian operatic soprano. Her repertoire includes leading roles in operas of the Romantic era; she is particularly known for her performances in ...

as Donna Anna,

Joyce DiDonato Joyce DiDonato (née Flaherty; born February 13, 1969) is an American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano. She is notable for her interpretations of operas and concert works in the 19th-century romantic era in addition to works by Handel and Mozart. ...

as Donna Elvira,

Ramón Vargas Ramón Vargas (born 11 September 1960) is a Mexican operatic tenor. Since his debut in the early '90s, he has developed to become one of the most acclaimed tenors of the 21st century. Known for his most expressive and agile lyric tenor voice, he ...

as Don Ottavio,

Miah Persson Miah Persson (born 27 May 1969 in Örnsköldsvik) is a Swedish soprano, active internationally and in recordings. Career Miah Persson grew up in Hudiksvall, singing in choirs and taking part in amateur drama productions. After studying social sci ...

as Zerlina, Robert Gleadow as Masetto), conducted by

Charles Mackerras Mackerras in 2005 Sir Alan Charles MacLaurin Mackerras (; 1925 2010) was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. He was long associated with the Eng ...

, and recorded live at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

on 8 and 12 September 2008 *2010: Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'' (

Bo Skovhus Bo Skovhus (born May 22, 1962 in Ikast, Denmark) is a Danish opera singer (baritone). Skovhus studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, at the Royal Academy for Opera of Copenhagen and in New York with Oren Brown. While studying voic ...

as Don Giovanni, Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello, Anatoli Kotscherga as the Commendatore,

Marlis Petersen Marlis Petersen (born 3 February 1968)Heinrich (2018) is a German operatic coloratura soprano. Career Born in Sindelfingen, Baden-Württemberg, Marlis Petersen won six important piano competitions before eventually going to the Stuttgart Conser ...

as Donna Anna,

Kristine Opolais Kristīne Opolais (born 12 November 1979) is a Latvian operatic soprano. Biography Opolais was born in Rēzekne, Latvia, and studied at the Latvian Academy of Music. Opolais started her career as a member of the chorus with Latvian National Oper ...

as Donna Elvira, Colin Balzer as Don Ottavio,

Kerstin Avemo Kerstin Avemo (born October 27, 1973) is a Swedish opera singer with an active international career as a coloratura soprano. Early life and education Born in Stockholm, the young Avemo attended Adolf Fredrik's Music School (Swedish: Adolf Fredrik ...

as Zerlina, David Bižić as Massetto),

Freiburg Baroque Orchestra Freiburger Barockorchester (Freiburg Baroque Orchestra) is a German Baroque orchestra founded in 1987, with the mission statement: "to enliven the world of Baroque music with new sounds". History The orchestra is based in Freiburg im Breisgau. ...

conducted by

Louis Langrée Louis Langrée (born 11 January 1961) is a French conductor. He is the son of organist and theorist Alain Langrée. One of his sisters is an amateur cellist. Biography Early years Langrée studied at the Strasbourg Conservatory, but had no fo ...

, produced by

Dmitri Tcherniakov Dmitri Tcherniakov (russian: Дмитрий Черняков) (born May 11, 1970) is a Russian theatre director, and winner of numerous national Golden Mask theatre awards, who works with many European opera houses. Biography Tcherniakov was bor ...

and the

, recorded live at the

Théâtre de l'Archevêché The Théâtre de l'Archevêché is a theatre in Aix-en-Provence in southern France and the home of the annual summer Aix-en-Provence Festival of opera. See also *List of opera festivals This is an inclusive list of opera festivals and summer op ...

in July 2010 *2016: Debussy's '' Pelléas et Mélisande'' (Jacques Imbrailo as Pelléas, Corinne Winters as Mélisande, Kyle Ketelsen as Golaud, Brindley Sherratt as Arkel),

Philharmonia Zurich Philharmonia Zurich is the orchestra of Zurich Opera. As an independent body of 116 contract players, it has existed since 1985 under the name of Zurich Opera Orchestra. It was renamed in 2012 with the appointment of director Andreas Homoki and ge ...

conducted by

Alain Altinoglu Alain Altinoglu (born 9 October 1975) is a French conductor of Armenian descent. Biography Born in Paris, into an Armenian family who were originally from Istanbul, Altinoglu studied music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et ...

, produced by Dmitri Tcherniakov, and recorded live at the

Zürich Opera Zürich Opera (Oper Zürich) is a Swiss opera company based in Zürich. The company gives performances in the Zürich Opera House. History The first performance at the current theatre occurred on 30 September 1891, with a production of Wagner's '' ...

in May 2016 *2022: Kevin Puts's '' The Hours'' (

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 1 ...

as Clarissa Vaughan,

Kelli O'Hara Kelli Christine O'Hara (born April 16, 1976) is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her per ...

as Laura Brown, Joyce Di Donato as Virginia Woolf,

William Burden William Burden may refer to: * William Burden (tenor), American tenor * William Fletcher Burden (1830–1867), American industrialist * William A. M. Burden Sr. (1877–1909), American football player and stock broker * William Douglas Burden (189 ...

as Louis,

Sean Panikkar Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

as Leonard Woolf, Kyle Ketelsen as Richard, Brandon Cedel as Dan Brown),

Orchestra, Chorus, and Ballet, conducted by

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Yannick Nézet-Séguin, CC (; born Yannick Séguin;David Patrick Stearns, "Nezet-Seguin signs Philadelphia Orchestra contract". ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', 19 June 2010. 6 March 1975) is a Canadian ( Québécois) conductor and pianist. He ...

, produced by

Phelim McDermott Phelim McDermott (born 21 August 1963) is an English actor and stage director. He has directed plays and operas in Britain, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Australia. McDermott was a co-founder of the Improbable theatre in 1996. Career McD ...

, and recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera House on 10 December 2022''The Hours'', 10 December 2022, Met Opera on Demand website
Met Opera Archive: Performance of ''The Hours'', 10 December 2022
CID:357772

References

External links

Kyle Ketelsen home page

Kyle Ketelsen
at

Operabase Operabase is an online database of opera performances, opera houses and companies, and performers themselves as well as their agents. Found at operabase.com, it was created in 1996 by English software engineer and opera lover Mike Gibb.Edward Sch ...

Kyle Ketelsen Agency Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kettelsen, Kyle American operatic bass-baritones Living people 1971 births University of Iowa alumni Singers from Iowa Classical musicians from Iowa 21st-century American male opera singers Winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions