From: Kankakee, Illinois. LA Opera: Manrico in Il Trovatore (2021, debut). Upcoming: Cavaradossi in Tosca (2022).
Regarded as one of the most accomplished singers on the international opera stage today, the American tenor Gregory Kunde appears regularly at the most prestigious opera houses around the world. His appearances for the 2021/22 season include the title role of Otello at the Vienna State Opera.
Highlights in the 2019/20 season include the title role in Otello at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Calaf in Turandot at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Jean de Leyden in Le Prophète at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the title role in Don Carlos for Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège and Manrico in Il Trovatore at the Wiener Staatsoper. In concert, he will perform Verdi's Requiem with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Alan Gilbert.
Recent highlights include Samson in Samson et Dalila at the Metropolitan Opera, title role in Otello for Opéra national de Paris and Opéra de Monte-Carlo, title role in Andrea Chénier and Radames in Aida at the Wiener Staatsoper, Calaf in Turandot at the Teatro Real, Madrid, Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut in concert for Dallas Opera, Don Alvaro in La Forza del Destino at the Semperoper Dresden, title role in Peter Grimes at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia, Radames in Aida at the Teatro Real, Madrid, and a return to the podium to conduct The Barber of Seville at the Teatro La Fenice.
On the concert platform, recent highlights include Verdi's Requiem and Calaf in Turandot with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta, Das Lied von der Erde at the BBC Proms, Verdi's Requiem in Bilbao, the title role in Otello at the Cincinnati May Festival, title role in Peter Grimes with Sir Antonio Pappano at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Faust in The Damnation of Faust in concert at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with Charles Dutoit.
Acclaimed throughout his earlier career for his performances in French and Italian bel canto roles, Kunde has now established himself as a leading exponent of many of the Verdi roles and other such dramatic repertoire. Since his critically acclaimed debut as Verdi's Otello at La Fenice in 2012, he has performed this signature role in Valencia, Genoa, Salerno, Florence, Turin, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Seoul, and São Paulo. Since moving into this repertoire, Kunde earned the unique distinction of being the only tenor in recorded history to perform both Rossini's Otello and Verdi's Otello in the same season (2014/15 and 2015/16).
Kunde’s discography includes his solo album Vincerò! (Universal Music Group), Il Trovatore at Royal Opera House London (Opus Arte DVD), Les Troyens at the Théâtre du Châtelet (Opus Arte DVD, Gramophone magazine’s ‘DVD of the Year’), Benvenuto Cellini (Virgin Classics CD, Gramophone’s ‘Opera Recording of the Year’), Benvenuto Cellini with Sir Colin Davis (LSO Live CD), and Verdi's Otello from the Palazzo Ducale in Venice (Unitel DVD).
Learn more at GregoryKunde.com.
