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, working with conductors and orchestras of the highest calibre. Kunde’s achievements have been recognised with a number of awards, most recently ‘Male Singer of the Year’ at the 2016 International Opera Awards.
Highlights of the 2021/22 season include Manrico Il Trovatore for LA Opera, Title Role Otello at the Wiener Staatsoper, Canio Pagliacci at the Semperoper Dresden, Calaf Turandot for Hamburg State Opera and Énée Les Troyens and Title Role Otello for the Bayerische Staatsoper.
Recent highlights include the title role Otello at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Calaf Turandot and title role Otello at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Jean de Leyden Le prophète at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the title role Don Carlos for Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, Samson Samson et Dalila at the Metropolitan Opera, title role Otello for Opéra national de Paris and Opéra de Monte-Carlo, title role Andrea Chénier and Radames Aida at the Wiener Staatsoper, Calaf Turandot at the Teatro Real, Madrid, Renato des Grieux Manon Lescaut in concert for Dallas Opera, Don Alvaro La forza del destino at the Semperoper Dresden, title role Peter Grimes at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia, Radames Aida at the Teatro Real, Madrid, and a return to the podium to conduct Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Teatro La Fenice.
On the concert platform, recent highlights include Title Role Ernani for the Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos, Verdi Requiem and Calaf Turandot with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta, Das Lied von der Erde at the BBC Proms, Verdi Requiem in Bilbao, the title role Verdi Otello at the Cincinnati May Festival, title role Peter Grimes with Sir Antonio Pappano at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Faust La damnation de 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 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 Otello and Verdi Otello in the same season (2014/15 and 2015/16).
Kunde’s discography includes his solo album Vincerò! (Universal Music Group), Verdi Il Trovatore at Royal Opera House London (Opus Arte DVD), Berlioz 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 Otello from the Palazzo Ducale in Venice (Unitel DVD).