Captivating audiences with exquisite musicality, commanding stage presence and a voice of arresting beauty, American tenor Michael Kelly is quickly establishing himself as one of his generation's finest artists.
A consummate recitalist and art song specialist, Mr. Kelly's profoundly insightful interpretations and mastery of the intricacies of language have earned him comparison to such icons of song repertoire as Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Gérard Souzay.
Michael was most recently heard in performances of Schubert's Winterreise in Houston. Upcoming performances include the role of Count Almaviva in John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versaille, a recital at Trinity Church NY, a recital in Houston, TX, Aeneas/Sailor in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas Festival de Musica Barocca de San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, and performances of Bach's St. John Passion with Ars Lyrica. The 2009/10 season brought him to the prestigious Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival where his performances encompassed the varied styles of composers ranging from Beethoven to Musto. He won second prize in the Liederkranz Foundation Lieder/Art Song Competition and was a semi-finalist in the Wigmore Hall Song Competition. Subsequent 2009/10 engagements include Britten's Canticle I on the 3rd annual Concert for Peace in Houston, Texas, tenor soloist in Purcell's Ode to St. Cecilia on the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space concert series in NY, the role of Stevie in a reading of Michael Dellaira's new opera The Secret Agent with the Center for Contemporary Opera, and guest artist with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for their lecture series with Bruce Adolphe.
Equally at home on the operatic and concert stages, Mr. Kelly's 2008/09 season included his debut with Mercury Baroque as Artémidore in Lully's Armide, and performances as tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah throughout Switzerland with 90 Stimmen.
In 2007/08 Mr. Kelly was a member of the renowned Internationales Opernstudio at Opernhaus Zürich, where he sang Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte and Aeneas in Cavalli's La Didone. He was also featured in several recitals including Liederabends on the stage of Opernhaus Zürich and at the Wagner Museum in Lucerne. He made his European debut in July of 2008 with Opernhaus Zürich as Heraldo in Handel's Rinaldo under the baton of William Christie. Following his debut, Mr. Kelly was presented in recital with celebrated pianist Pietro De Maria at the Ernen Musikdorff festival.
While earning his master's degree at The Juilliard School Mr. Kelly was heard in Bach Cantata no.4 and The Shostakovich Yiddish Folk poems, both in Alice Tully Hall, as well as numerous art song recitals. His appearances with the Juilliard Opera Theater include Idamante in Idomeneo and Sattirino in Cavalli's La Calisto. He created the dual roles of Bartender and Radio Singer in the world premier of Lowell Liebermann's Miss Lonelyhearts with the Juilliard Opera Center.
Other past performances include his Chicago Opera Theater debut in 2007 as Anfinomo in Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria under the baton of Jane Glover, recitals with Festival d'Aix en Provence, a concert of Mozart arias in Bastia, Corsica, and a recital at the Museum of Modern Art, NY, as part of the Redon exhibition.
Mr. Kelly was also a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center where he sang the role of Don Ottavio in a concert staging of Don Giovanni with James Levine.
Mr. Kelly was a prize winner in the Oratorio Society of New York's Lyndon Woodside Solo Competition in 2009. He won first place in the Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition in 2004.
