American
bass Kevin Burdette has impressed audiences on both sides of the
Atlantic with his mellifluous voice and strongly dramatic characterizations.
The San Francisco Chronicle called his Leporello "a tour de force
of vocal splendor and comic timing," and the New York Times dubbed
him "the Robin Williams of opera." He was featured as Stefano
in Adès The Tempest with the Metropolitan Opera,
the DVD of which, on Deutsche Grammophon, won the 2014 Grammy Award
for Best Opera Recording and was awarded a French Diapason
dOr.
An exciting 2022-2023
season begins with Kevins debut at Milans Teatro alla Scala,
reprising the role of Stefano in Adès The Tempest. Elsewhere
in the season, he makes his role debut as Sondheims
Sweeney Todd with Austin Opera, which he also sings during the summer
at Chautauqua Opera, and returns to Atlanta Opera as Voltaire/Pangloss
in Bernsteins Candide.
During the 2021-2022
season, Mr. Burdette made returns to the Metropolitan Opera as the Police
Officer in Boris Godunov, to Seattle Opera as Bartolo in Le nozze di
Figaro, and Santa Fe Opera for Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia and
Manuel Toulon/The Judge in the world premiere of M. Butterfly. He also
performed Benoit and Alcindoro in CultureArt of Puerto Ricos production
of La bohème. In concert, he appeared with the Fort Worth Symphony
to premiere a setting of Shakespeares Sonnet 66 by Veronika Ágnes
Fáncsik, and joined the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra for
Handels Messiah.
In 2020-2021,
Mr. Burdette joined the inaugural season of the Atlanta Opera Company
Players, as his hometown company looked to reimagine performances for
their community during the COVID-19 pandemic. There he performed the
roles of Death in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and Peachum in The
Threepenny Opera. Additionally, Mr. Burdette joined Opera Parallèle
for their filmed graphic novel presentation of Everest, reprising
his role of Beck Wethers. His additional scheduled engagements included
the role of Howard in the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli & Royce
Vavreks The Listeners with Den Norske Opera (postponed), Bartolo
in Le nozze di Figaro with Dallas Opera (postponed), and a return to
Santa Fe Opera as Quince in A Midsummer Nights Dream and
the Correspondent in the world premiere of Lord of Cries.
Mr. Burdettes
engagements for the COVID-19 shortened 2019/2020 season include being
seen as General Polkan in Golden Cockerel with Dallas Opera,
and as Beck Wethers in Austin Operas production of Everest.
He was scheduled to appear with San Diego Opera in Il barbiere di
Siviglia as Don Basilio (cancelled). He was also slated to sing
the role of Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Utah Opera
(cancelled) and Santa Fe Opera (postponed), where was also to perform
the dual roles of Manuel Toulon and The Judge in Huang Ruos new
opera M. Butterfly (postponed).
The previous
season, Kevin Burdette returned to the roster of the Metropolitan Opera
as Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi. He also returned to Atlanta
Opera as George Benton in Dead Man Walking, Opera Philadelphia
as Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohème, Cincinnati Opera as
Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, and he debuted the role of Claggart
in Billy Budd with Central City Opera. He also performed Pangloss/Martin/Cacambo
in Candide with Gran Teatre del Liceu.
In 2017, Mr.
Burdette appeared with The Metropolitan Opera as Señor Russell
in Adèss The Exterminating Angel, Philadelphia Orchestra
as the Sacristan in Tosca, and Seattle Opera as Don Alfonso in
Così fan tutte as well as Somarone in Beatrice &
Benedict. During the summer, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as Voltaire/Pangloss/Martin/Cacambo
in Candide, and as the Major Domo in Ariadne auf Naxos.
Mr. Burdettes
2016-17 season engagements included the role of Sulpice in La fille
du régiment with Washington National Opera; General Polkan
in The Golden Cockerel and Frosch in Die Fledermaus with
Santa Fe Opera; Beck Weathers in Everest with Dallas Opera; Nick
Shadow in The Rakes Progress with Boston Lyric Opera; Osmin
in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Atlanta Opera; the
Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance with Lyric Opera of Kansas
City; and soloist in Messiah with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
and at Duke University .
In the summer
of 2015 Kevin Burdette returned to Santa Fe Opera as Sulpice in La
fille du régiment and Stobrod/Blind Man in the world premiere
of Jennifer Higdons Cold Mountain. His performance as Stobrod/Blind
Man can be heard on the 2016 Grammy nominated CD released by PENTATONE
records. His 2015-16 season performances include creating the roles
of Eric Gold and the Ghost of Vittorio Bazzetti in Heggies Great
Scott and Ob in the world premiere of Mark Adamos Becoming
Santa Claus in returns to Dallas Opera. His performance of Ob can
be seen on the 2017 DVD release. Other season performances include Dulcamara
in Lelisir damore, reprising his roles in Cold
Mountain in returns to Opera Philadelphia, making his Atlanta Opera
debut as The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, and returning
to Portland Opera as Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd.
In the 2014-15
season he sang Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera
Philadelphia, Beck Weathers in Talbots Everest with Dallas
Opera (world premiere), reprised his role as the Ogre in Montsalvatges
El gato con botas with Gotham Chamber Opera, sang T.J. Rigg in
Elmer Gantry with Florentine Opera, and returned to Boston Lyric
Opera as Leporello in Don Giovanni.
In the summer
of 2014, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as Herr Puff in Mozarts
The Impresario and Chamberlain in Stravinskys Le Rossignol.
His 2013-14 engagements included his return to the Metropolitan Opera
to perform in Shostakovichs The Nose; his return to San
Diego Opera as Dulcamara in L'elisir d'amore; performances as
soloist in Messiah with Seattle Symphony and with the Duke Chapel
Choir and as soloist in Mozart's Requiem with Grand Rapids Symphony;
Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance with Portland Opera;
Ko-Ko in The Mikado with Opera Memphis; Osmin in Die Entführung
aus dem Serail with Opera Grand Rapids; and Rodrigo in HK Gruber's
Gloria -- A Pig Tale, conducted by Alan Gilbert for the inaugural
New York Philharmonic Bienniel.
In summer 2013,
he returned to Santa Fe Opera as Général Boum in La
grande duchesse de Gérolstein, and as Justice Wills and Henry
B. Isaacson in the world premiere of Morrisons Oscar. In
the 2012-13 season he reprised the role of Stefano in Adès
The Tempest with the Metropolitan Opera; sang as the Doktor in
Wozzeck with the Philharmonia Orchestra, under Esa-Pekka Salonen;
as Sulpice in La fille du régiment with San Diego Opera;
as the Viceroy (Don Andres de Ribeira) in Offenbachs La Périchole
with New York City Opera; and was bass soloist in Messiah with
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
His 2011-12 season
included Leporello in Don Giovanni with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
under Gustavo Dudamel; the leading role of Prophet/King in the world
premiere of Nico Muhlys Dark Sisters with Gotham Chamber
Opera, with subsequent performances with Opera Company of Philadelphia;
Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Lyric Opera of Kansas
City; Ko-Ko in The Mikado with Virginia Opera; as soloist in
Messiah with Les Violons du Roy, under Bernard Labadie, with
Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and with the United States Naval Academy
Orchestra; and as Papageno in a return to Opera Grand Rapids. In summer
2012 he returned to LOpéra de Québec
to sing Stefano in The Tempest.
In the 2010-11
season Mr. Burdette made his debut with Santa Fe Opera as Mr. Scattergood
in Menotti's The Last Savage, returned to the Metropolitan Opera
for its production of Wozzeck, sang Death and the Loudspeaker
in The Emperor of Atlantis and the Photograph of the Father in
Richard Beaudoin's The After-Image with Boston Lyric Opera, Nick
Shadow in The Rake's Progress with The Princeton Festival, Papageno
in Die Zauberflöte with Phoenix Opera, and Ogro in Montsalvatge's
El gato con botas with Gotham Chamber Opera, and, on the concert
stage, was Rabbi Akiva in Haggadah shel Pesach at Carnegie Hall
with the American Symphony Orchestra and the bass soloist in Händel's
Messiah with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Burdette also
continued this season to be involved in the development of the new work
Jump, by Nora York and David Greenspan, being developed by the
Public Theater.
In 2009-2010,
Mr. Burdette sang in Strauss' Elektra and in Shostakovich's The
Nose with the Metropolitan Opera, performed Osmin in Die Entführung
aus dem Serail and Colline in La Bohème with Teatro
Colon in Buenos Aires, il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Boston
Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia
with Knoxville Opera. On the concert stage he was the bass soloist in
Verdi's Requiem with New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
Kevin Burdette's
other recent successes include the role of Le Notaire in L'Île
de Merlin at the Spoleto Festival USA, as well as his debut with
Boston Baroque as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. He also
appeared as the bass soloist in Bach's B Minor Mass with the
American Symphony Orchestra and in Händel's Messiah with
the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra for the United States Naval Academy.
Other recent highlights include his debut with Seattle Opera as Mustafà
in L'italiana in Algeri and as Masetto in Don Giovanni.
He performed "Time" in Gerald Barry's The Triumph of Beauty
and Deceit for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and returned to New
York City Opera as The Sergeant in a production of The Pirates of
Penzance that originated at Glimmerglass Opera. Mr. Burdette's numerous
other roles at New York City Opera have included Leporello in Don
Giovanni, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Archibald Grosvenor
in Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience, Siroco in L'Étoile,
Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Masetto in Don Giovanni, Pallante
in Agrippina, Angelotti in Tosca, and Mago in Rinaldo.
Mr. Burdette's
further operatic highlights include his debut with L'Opéra de
Montréal singing Claudius in the company premiere of Agrippina,
his debut with the Chicago Opera Theater as Bottom in A Midsummer
Night's Dream, Sergeant Sulpice in La fille du régiment
with Knoxville Opera, a return to Gotham Chamber Opera as Minos in the
American premiere of Händel's
Arianna in Creta, his first performances of Osmin in Die Entführung
aus dem Serail with Opéra de Québec, his first performances
of Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Toledo Opera, the
title role in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Grand Rapids, Marquis
in La forza del destino with the Collegiate Chorale, and his
return to Glimmerglass Opera as Popolani in Offenbach's Bluebeard.
Other credits to the accomplished bass' name include Siroco in Chabrier's
L'Étoile and Archibald
Grosvenor in Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience with Glimmerglass
Opera, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Lyric Opera of San
Antonio, Mustafà in L'italiana in Algeri, the title
role in Don Pasquale, Elviro in Händel's
Xerxes, and Masetto in Don Giovanni with Wolf Trap Opera,
the Priest in Die schwarze Spinne with Gotham Chamber Opera,
and Fafner in a chamber version of Das Rheingold with the Eos
Orchestra.
On the concert
stage, Kevin Burdette debuted with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as
the bass soloist in Messiah and performed Wim in the American
premiere of Philippe Manoury's 60ème parallèle
with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and Kent Nagano. Other highlights
include an appearance at Alice Tully Hall as the bass soloist in Brahms'
Liebeslieder Wälzer, an appearance with the Collegiate Chorale
at Carnegie Hall as Sam in Un ballo in maschera, and his return
to Avery Fisher Hall as soloist in Liszt's Missa Solemnis with
the American Symphony Orchestra. He performed Beethoven's Choral
Fantasy and Verdi's Macbeth with the Collegiate Chorale at
Carnegie Hall, was the bass soloist in Messiah at the American
Cathedral in Paris and at the Midland Center for the Arts, Jesus in
St. Matthew Passion with the Knoxville Civic Orchestra, the bass
soloist in Mozart's Mass in C with the Eos Orchestra, and appeared
as soloist in concerts with the Vienna Festival. He also has sung Stravinsky's
Renard with both the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
and the Utah Symphony.
An alumnus of
the Juilliard Opera Theater and the University of Tennessee, Kevin Burdette
is a former member of the Opéra National de Paris Young Artists'
Program and San Francisco's Merola Opera Program. He is also the recipient
of the prestigious Richard F. Gold Career Grant Award awarded by the
Shoshana Foundation and of the 2006 Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Award, presented
by New York City Opera to an artist who demonstrates outstanding dramatic
ability.
(current as of November
2021)