| Kyle Erdos-Knapp |
| Tenor |
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Though he is particularly at home in the florid lyric tenor roles of Mozart, Handel, and the bel canto composers, Kyle's versatility allows for a resume that ranges from the psychological complexity of Britten to the comic baritone roles of Gilbert and Sullivan, from the under-performed masterpieces of early opera to world premieres of new works. He moves between the disciplines of opera, operetta, chamber music, musical theater, dance, contemporary and experimental music, theater, and popular music with ease and boundless enthusiasm. He was Almaviva in Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ The Barber of Seville. He returned to Hawaii Opera Theatre to sing the role of Flute in Benjamin Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Kyle made his debut at Opera Colorado singing the role of John Wilson in the world premiere of Scarlett Letter by Laurie Laitman. This was recorded by Naxos. He performed as Jason in a new opera Jason and the Argonauts by Greg Spears. This was presented by Lyric Unlimited a division of Lyric Opera of Chicago. Kyle took on the roles of Doctor/Chuck/Andy Warhol in Kevin Newbeury’s The Perfect American with Long Beach Opera and Chicago Opera Theater. He made his Hawaii Opera Theatre debut as Tobias in Sweeney Todd. This was followed by Alan Kimbrough in Victor Herbert’s The Only Girl with LOONY in NYC and recorded the opera for Albany Records. He also was tenor soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the New Jersey Festival Orchestra. In the Summer of 2019 he performed Puccini’s Messa di Gloria in his debut with the Finger Lakes Festival. Following this is his debut as Tobias in Sweeney Todd with Mighigan Opera Theatre. Other career highlights include a debut engagement at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis where he covered the leading role of Tonio in Donizetti's La fille du régiment. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis quickly re-engaged him to sing Tobias in Sweeney Todd - to great critical acclaim. At Crested Butte Music Festival he was heard as Tebaldo in I Capuleti e I Montecchi, as well as Remendado in Carmen. Tobias (Sweeney Todd) was his debut role at Pensacola Opera. Mr. Knapp was a member of Palm Beach Opera’s Young Artist Program where he was heard as Peter Quint / the Prologue in The Turn of the Screw. He also returned to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to sing Father Confessor in Dialogue of the Carmelites and he appeared in numerous concerts.. His made his debut singing Ramiro in La Cenerentola for the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, conducted by David Wroe. A frequent and enthusiastic performer of recital and oratorio, he has been heard in the title role of Judas Maccabeus with the Octavo Singers in Schenectady, NY. In 2014 Kyle was tenor soloist in The Defense of Corinth with Cantata Profana in both New Haven and New York City. Also in New York he appeared with the Academy of Sacred Drama singing the part of Miles in Death of Saul and Jonathan by Charpentier. Kyle sang Das Lied von der Erde with conductor Elliott Moore’s newly formed orchestra Blue Period Ensemble in his Carnegie Hall debut in early 2015. He has also been a soloist in Mozart, Bach, Kodály, Monteverdi, Britten, and Mendelssohn with organizations such as The Choral Arts Society of Cleveland and Washington University’s German Festival. Kyle actively pursues a special passion for early music, having performed extensively with Grammy-winning lutenist Paul O'Dette, including the title role of Lully's Thésée and Testo in Monteverdi's Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. His training includes the prestigious Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan, after which he took part in the inaugural season of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio in 2007 before going on to play ten leading roles over three seasons with the Ohio Light Opera. Kyle is two-time prize winner at the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions and has won the University of Michigan Concerto Competition (singing Britten's Les Illuminations de Rimbaud). He has sung under the batons of Kenneth Kiesler, Martin Katz, Stephen Lord, Michael Borowitz, Benton Hess, Steven Byess, and many others. Among the directors he has worked with are Joshua Major, Steven Daigle, Michael Shell, Ted Christopher, and Robin Guarino. He can be heard in leading roles on the Albany Records label on recordings of Sousa's El Capitan and Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience and The Mikado. Outside of his performing, Kyle is an avid writer of both fiction and non-fiction, including essays and reviews on film and both classical and popular music, and is a follower and seeker-out of independent and underground music and film. He has written several of his own compositions in the genres of art song, popular, choral, and instrumental music. An accomplished pianist, Kyle also moonlights as an accompanist for other singers and instrumentalists. 7/21 |