Adam Klein (tenor)

Last updated

Adam Charles Josef Klein (born January 22, 1960) is an American opera singer who has sung leading tenor roles with many North American opera companies including, the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Edmonton Opera, and New York City Opera.

Contents

Biography

Klein was born in Port Jefferson, New York, the son of pianist Howard Klein, a music critic at The New York Times in the 1960s, and Director for Arts at the Rockefeller Foundation in the 1970s and 1980s and Patricia Windrow, a realist painter. [1] Klein entered the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus at age ten, and in 1972 sang two solo parts, Yniold in Pelleas et Melisande and Zweiter Knabe in The Magic Flute , before his voice changed. [2] [3] A graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he went on to receive a master's degree in vocal performance from Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. [4] Until he returned to opera in his twenties, he had built a career making and playing folk instruments such as banjo, dulcimer, autoharp and bones, a pursuit that he has never completely abandoned.

In the late 1990s, he began performing on the opera stage as a tenor, singing Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly , [5] Rodolfo in La bohème , [6] and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor [7] for Edmonton Opera. He made his New York City Opera debut in 1995 as Don José in Carmen , [2] a role he has also sung at Atlanta Opera, Virginia Opera, Toledo Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Portland Opera Repertory Theatre, [8] as well as in Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia and several other American cities. Klein returned to the Metropolitan Opera in 2001 when he made his house debut as a tenor on 26 November, singing Count Elemer in Arabella . In the succeeding nine years he has performed 62 times with the company in 10 different operas. Although most of his performances there have been in comprimario roles such as Yaryshkinin in The Nose , Chevalier Delaforce in Dialogues of the Carmelites , and Fyodor in War and Peace , he also sang Steva in Jenůfa (2002) and The Witch in Hansel and Gretel (2008). [9]

In 2007, Klein sang the role of Sly in the American premiere of Pascal Dusapin's opera Faustus, the Last Night at the Spoleto Festival USA. [10] Three years later, he made his house debut with Seattle Opera, as Tristan in Tristan und Isolde when he substituted for an indisposed Clifton Forbis. [11] Klein's previous Wagnerian roles had been Erik, Loge, and Siegmund. With other opera companies, Klein's Puccini roles have included Cavaradossi, Luigi, and Des Grieux. In the Verdi repertoire, he has sung Alfredo, the Duke of Mantua, Manrico, Cassio and Otello, while his Mozart roles include Tamino and Belmonte. Among his other roles are Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos , Herod in Salome , Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw , the title role in Peter Grimes , Judge Danforth in The Crucible , Polo in Marco Polo , Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor , and Canio in Pagliacci .

Klein is married to Tami Swartz, a singer, actress, and director. [1] His brother Moondi Klein [12] is a bluegrass singer, arranger, guitarist who performs with Jimmy Gaudreau in the duo, Jimmy and Moondi. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lucia di Lammermoor</i> Opera by Gaetano Donizetti

Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Alagna</span> French tenor

Roberto Alagna is a French operatic tenor. He obtained French citizenship in 1981, while also retaining his previous Italian citizenship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)</span> Italian tenor

Carlo Bergonzi was an Italian operatic tenor. Although he performed and recorded some bel canto and verismo roles, he was above all associated with the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, including many of the composer's lesser known works he helped revive. He sang more than forty other roles throughout his career.

Neil Shicoff is an American opera singer and cantor and known for his lyric tenor singing and his dramatic, emotional acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orville Harrold</span> American opera singer

Orville Harrold was an American operatic tenor and musical theatre actor. He began his career in 1906 as a performer in operettas in New York City, and was also seen during his early career in cabaret, musical theatre, and vaudeville performances. With the aid of Oscar Hammerstein I, he branched out into opera in 1910 as a leading tenor with Hammerstein's opera houses in New York City and Philadelphia. While his career from this point on primarily consisted of opera performances, he periodically returned to operetta and musical theatre throughout his career. He notably created the role of Captain Dick Warrington in the world premiere of Victor Herbert's operetta Naughty Marietta in November 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Alexander (tenor)</span> American operatic singer

John Alexander was an American operatic tenor who had a substantial career during the 1950s through the 1980s. He had a longstanding relationship with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, singing with that company every year between 1961 and 1987 for a total of 379 performances. He also periodically performed at the New York City Opera during his career and was a frequent presence at the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company during the late 1950s and 1960s. Although he spent most of his career in New York City, Alexander occasionally traveled to perform as a guest artist with many of the world's leading opera houses, both in the United States and Europe. He was also an active concert singer throughout his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italo Campanini</span> Italian opera singer 1845-96

Italo Campanini was a leading Italian operatic tenor, whose career reached its height in London in the 1870s and in New York City in the 1880s and 1890s. He had a repertoire of 80 operas and was the brother of the orchestral conductor Cleofonte Campanini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Jagel</span> American opera singer

Frederick Jagel was an American tenor, primarily active at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1930s and 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renato Cioni</span> Italian opera singer

Renato Cioni was an Italian operatic lyric tenor, particularly associated with the Italian repertory.

Luigi Infantino was an Italian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the lyric Italian and French repertories.

Kenneth (Ken) Neate was an Australian operatic and concert tenor, opera producer and singing teacher, composer and author. He appeared at the Bayreuth Festival in 1963 as Loge in Rheingold and he was noted as a dramatic tenor in German, French, and Italian repertoire in opera houses in England, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Australia. His operatic career lasted 38 years, followed by ten years as lecturer in Voice and Opera Studies at the Richard Strauss Conservatorium in Munich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcello Giordani</span> Italian operatic tenor (1963–2019)

Marcello Giordani was an Italian operatic tenor who sang leading roles of the Italian and French repertoire in opera houses throughout Europe and the United States. He had a distinguished association with the New York Metropolitan Opera, where he sang in over 240 performances from the time of his debut there in 1993. He founded the Marcello Giordani Foundation to help young opera singers.

Taro Ichihara is a Japanese opera singer, who sings as a tenor, primarily in Verdi roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Fabiano</span> American operatic tenor

Michael Fabiano is an American operatic tenor. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, he has performed in leading opera houses throughout the world, including the San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Sydney Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Canadian Opera Company, The Royal Opera, and Teatro Real de Madrid among many others. Fabiano is the 2014 Richard Tucker Award winner and the 2014 Beverly Sills Artist Award winner, making him the first singer to win both awards in the same year.

Barry McCauley was an American operatic tenor. He sang leading roles with major opera companies throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera and the Paris Opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Burden (tenor)</span> American opera singer

William Burden is an American opera singer (tenor). Since his professional debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1992, he has performed in lead roles in North America and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Pomeroy</span> Canadian operatic tenor (born 1973)

David Pomeroy is a Canadian operatic tenor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javier Camarena</span> Mexican operatic tenor

Javier Camarena is a Mexican operatic tenor.

Tonio di Paolo is an American opera singer. He began his career in the 1970s as a baritone but since the late 1970s has portrayed roles as a leading tenor. His performance credits include appearances with the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Francisco Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Hamburg State Opera among other companies. He has created roles in the world premieres of operas by composers Samuel Adler, David Carlson, John Harbison, and Augusta Read Thomas. He retired from the stage in 2010.

Lawrence Parker "Moondi" Klein is an American singer and guitarist. He is known for his work with Chesapeake, The Seldom Scene, and Jimmy Gaudreau.

References

  1. 1 2 The New York Times , "Weddings: Tami Swartz, Adam Klein", September 17, 2006
  2. 1 2 Tommasini, Anthony, "Young Voices in City Opera's Carmen", The New York Times , September 26, 1995
  3. ↑ Metropolitan Opera Archives, Performance record: Klein, Adam (Child, Male), MetOpera Database
  4. ↑ "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Tami Swartz, Adam Klein". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  5. ↑ Charles, John, "World report: Review of opera from around the world: Edmonton", Opera Canada, June 22, 1997 (subscription access)
  6. ↑ Charles, John, "World report: Review of opera from around the world: Edmonton", Opera Canada, June 22, 1999 (subscription access)
  7. ↑ Charles, John, "Lucia di Lammermoor by Edmonton Opera", Opera Canada, June 22, 1996 (subscription access)
  8. ↑ Schlotterbeck, Mark, "Carmen Launching Portland Opera Repertory Theatre", Sun Journal , July 20, 1995, p. 2 (Encore! section)
  9. ↑ Metropolitan Opera Archives, Performance record: Klein, Adam (Tenor), MetOpera Database
  10. ↑ New York Times, "The Questions Are Big, but the Devil’s in the Details", June 5, 2007
  11. ↑ Seattle Opera Official Blog, "Clifton Forbis Indisposed; Aadam Klein To Sing Tonight's Performance", August 7, 2010
  12. ↑ The Indianapolis Star , "Tenor returns to play cad in Butterfly", May 12, 1996, p. I.3
  13. ↑ The Daily Progress , "Gaudreau, Klein open in style", June 19, 2008
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.