Hailed by critics as a rising young star, Gregory Kunde made his European debut in Nice as Nadir Les Pecheurs des Perles. Since then, Mr. Kunde has appeared regularly and with great success in the world’s most notable venues, including New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Paris’ Opéra national Bastille, Théatre du Châtelet, Opéra Comique, Théatre des Champs Elysées and Salle Pleyel, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Sydney Opera House and many others.
In the 2009/10 season, Kunde appeared as Rinaldo in Haydn’s Armida at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as Pollione Norma with June Anderson at the Bellini Festival, the title roles of La clemenza di Tito in Naples and Idomeneo in Brussels. He sang Rodrigo in a new production of La Donna del Lago in Geneva, alongside Joyce DiDonato. Following an appearance in Kuala Lumpur for La Damnation de Faust, he concluded the season at the Chopin Festival in Warsaw as Pollione.
Highlights of the 2010/11 season have thus far included the title role of Donizetti’s Poliuto for the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo and Arnold Guillaume Tell in La Coruña. February brings Damnation de Faust with Maestro Dutoit in Amsterdam, a debut as Arrigo I Vespri Siciliani with Sondra Radvanowsky in Turin, Verdi’s Requiem in Lima, Peru and a return to the San Carlo in Naples for Henrí Les Vepres Siciliennes. He then travels to San Francisco for Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Michael Tilson-Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, finishing the season in Taormina, Sicily, as Pollione.
Mr. Kunde has earned widespread acclaim for his performances of the most notable tenor roles, including Arnold Guillaume Tell, Julian in Charpentier’s Louise, Des Grieux Manon, Elvino La Sonnambula, Fernando La Favorita, the title roles in Gounod’s Faust and Roméo et Juliette, Rodrigo La Donna del Lago, Arturo I Puritani, Pirro in Rossini’s Ermione and the title role of Rossini’s Otello. He has collaborated with many outstanding conductors and stage directors, including Sir Richard Bonynge, Roberto Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Michel Plasson, George Prêtre, Sir Simon Rattle, Charles Dutoit, Sir Graham Vick, John Nelson, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Sir Colin Davis, among many others.
His discography includes Bellini’s Bianca e Fernando (Nuova Era CD), Rossini’s Semiramide (Ricordi CD), Armida (Sony CD), Thomas’ Hamlet (EMI CD), a live recording featuring Rossini rarities entitled “Di Tanti Palpiti” (Ricordi CD), the much acclaimed EMI CD recording of Delibes’ Lakme, Strauss’ Capriccio (Forlane CD), a DVD of the Châtelet’s landmark production of Berlioz’ Les Troyens (Opus Arte) which was named Gramophone magazine’s DVD of the Year 2005, Berlioz’ Benvenuto Cellini (Virgin Classics CD) – winner of Gramophone’s prestigious Opera Recording of the Year 2005, a solo recording of Rossini arias entitled “In Love and War” (VAI CD), a live performance from the Edinburgh Festival of Rossini’s La Donna del Lago (Opera Rara), Busoni’s Doktor Faust (Arthaus DVD) recorded in 2006 alongside Thomas Hampson, another highly acclaimed Benvenuto Cellini (LSO Live CD) with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony and most recently, a DVD of the 2008 production of Rossini’s Ermione (Dynamic) and the just released 2009 production of Rossini’s Zelmira (Unitel DVD) alongside Juan Diego Florez, both from the Rossini Opera Festival.
More information at www.gregorykunde.com and www.gregorykundechorale.org.
Gregory Kunde is represented by Intermusica worldwide.
February 2011 / 584 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.