JOSEPH KAISER

Growing up in Scarsdale, N.Y., Joseph Kaiser went through plenty of vocational ruminations. "I wanted to be a ninja," he says. "That went on for a year. I wanted to be a chef and an Olympic sprinter." Instead he settled on singing. "It was high school and I wasn't good at anything else."

If success wasn't on Kaiser's mind then, it should be now. As a third-year member of the Ryan Opera Center - the Lyric Opera's training wing - the Montreal native looks destined for big things, thanks to the clarion quality of his voice and hunky good looks. He's also just finished work on Kenneth Branagh's film version of Mozart's The Magic Flute, where he stars as Tamino. Given the success Branagh often enjoys at the box office, this could be Kaiser's breakout moment.

The film also tested a career gamble that saw Kaiser switch from baritone to tenor three years ago. The move stemmed from a 2002 Montreal competition Kaiser entered. "The jury was a who's who of opera: Marilyn Horne, Jon Vickers, Teresa Berganza - just an incredible collection of singers - -and they all told me that I should be a tenor," Kaiser recalls. "And I thought that if these great singers are telling me this, I should take it seriously."

SOURCE: Louis R. Carlozo and John Von Rhein, "Overture Achievers", Chicago Tribune, 17 November 2006

Multimedia

French website for Branagh's The Magic Flute - with film clips

Upcoming Performances

Kaiser is also scheduled to make his debut with the Atlanta Symphony during their 2007-2008 season, possibly in their "An Evening of Musical Shakespeare" concert, 22-24 May 2008

Film Roles

Tamino, Kenneth Branagh's The Magic Flute (2006)
Opera Singer/Bad Date, Orbiting Pluto (2002)

Operatic Roles Sung

Chevalier de la Force, Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites (Lyric Opera of Chicago, February 2007)
Narraboth, Strauss' Salome (Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2006)
Mark, Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage (Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2005)
Rodrigo, Verdi's Otello (Ravinia Festival, 2005)
First Prisoner, Beethoven's Fidelio (Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2004)
Messenger, Verdi's Aïda (Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2004)
Froh, Wagner's Das Rheingold (Salzburg Easter Festival, 31 March and 9 April 2007; Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2004)
Mosca, John Musto's Volpone (world premiere, Wolf Trap Opera, 2004)
Schaunard (swing), Puccini's La bohème (Baz Luhrmann's Broadway production)
Jean, Massenet's Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame (Central City Opera, 2004)
Boniface, Ibert's Angélique (San Francisco Opera/Merola Opera, 2003)
Fiorello, Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (New York City Opera, 2002)
Morales, Bizet's Carmen (New York City Opera, 2002)
Papageno, Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (Opera Festival of New Jersey, 2002)
Lefty McCarty /Jerry Smith, Sousa's The Glass Blowers (New York City Opera, 2002; Glimmerglass, 1999 and 2000)
Cowherd, Bright Sheng's The Silver River (Lincoln Center Festival, 2001)
Billy Budd, Britten's Billy Budd (Canadian Opera, 2001)
Chorus, Central Park trilogy (world premiere, Glimmerglass/PBS Great Performances, 2000)
Applebaum's & Moore's Erewhon (world premiere, Pacific Opera Victoria, 2000)
Registrar, Puccini's Madama Butterfly(Ashlawn Opera Festival, 1997)

"Joseph Kaiser sang the tricky role of Narraboth with a clarion, urgent tenor."
- John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, 23 October 2006

"Interesting to hear ex-baritone Joseph Kaiser, a frequent presence at New York Festival of Song, as the tenor Messenger; the transition is going very well indeed."
- David Shengold, Downtown Express, 26 Nov.-2 Dec. 2004

"Some may remember new-minted Canadian tenor Joseph Kaiser from Glimmerglass or New York Festival of Song as a fine lyric baritone. Kaiser's career profile is about to soar, as he is filming Tamino in Kenneth Branagh's Magic Flute; the voice isn't as fully projected as it should become, but he handles it very well and made an engaging study of the sensitive/macho hero, looking like the Boy Next Door, should the Boy Next Door happen to be adorable."
- David Shengold, Gay City News, 29 Dec. 2005

Other Important Concert, Oratorio, Musical Theatre Roles and Repertoire Sung

Tenor soloist, Britten's Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings (Chicago Museum of Contemporary Photography, January 2007)
Tenor soloist, Dvorák's Stabat Mater (Grant Park Music Festival, August 2006)
Tenor soloist, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (Ravinia Festival 2005, Philadelphia Orchestra, 2005)
Baritone soloist, Ned Rorem's Aftermath (14th Chicago Humanities Festival, November 2003)
Baritone soloist, Ernst Bloch's Sacred Service (Avodath Hakodesh) (First Presbyterian Churches, Freehold NJ and Red Bank NJ, November 2001)
Anthony, Sondheim's Sweeney Todd (Calgary Opera, 2004)
Tommy Djilas, Willson's The Music Man(Ashlawn Opera Festival, 1997)

Awards and Scholarships

CBC-Radio Canada Outstanding Young Vocalist of the Year, 2005
Operalia World Opera Competition: 2nd place, 2005
Elardo International Opera Competition: 1st prize overall, 2005
Metropolitan Opera National Council Awards: Grand Finalist, 2005
Jeunesses Musicales du Canada Montreal International Music Competition: 3rd prize (Prix Joseph Rouleau), 2002 (as baritone)
Julian Autrey Foundation Song Prize: Winner, 2002
Orlando Opera Heinz Rehfuss Singing Actor Award: 1st prize
George London Foundation for Singers Robert Jacobson Memorial Grant
McGill University: multiple scholarships

Joseph Kaiser on the Web

Joseph Kaiser Gallery

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