Kevin Thompson, acclaimed by the New York Times as a “stentorian bass”, “possesses a voice with extraordinary range, depth, color combined with a commanding stage presence…a mountain of a voice, with resonance from the Escorial of Philip II, to the throne of Boris Godunov, and the majestic court of Sarastro…” (San Francisco Classical Voice).
The 2022/2023 season includes debuts for Mr. Thompson with Washington Opera in Elektra as both Der Pfleger des Orest and Ein Alter Diener, and with Fort Worth Opera in Aida as Il Re. Return engagements include with Opera Omaha for an Opera Outdoors Concert where he will perform scenes from Boito’s Mefistofele as Mefistofele; with Roanoke Opera for their Opera Gems Gala Concert; with Odyssey Opera to sing the Old Gyspy in Aleko; and with Boston Opera for The Ghost of Virgil in Francesca di Rimini and as Ivan in The Miserly Knight.
During the 2021/2022 season Mr. Thompson performed the role of Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with San Antonio Opera; the Old Hebrew in Samson et Daliah with Bob Jones Opera; Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Nashville Opera; the First Nazarene in Salome with Tulsa Opera; Oroveso in Norma with Festival Opera; and in the world premiere of Southern Crossings by Zaid Jabri at Barnard in New York. Concert engagements included with Johnson City Symphony Orchestra in the Verdi Requiem, with Roanoke Opera, and in Beethoven’s Ninth with The Florida Orchestra.
In the pandemic season of 2020/ 2021, Mr. Thompson made his debut in Bulgaria with Ruse State Opera singing the role of Polonius in the world premiere of Hamlet by Joseph Summer. He returned to Tulsa Opera to perform Monterone in Rigoletto and to Shreveport Opera for Sparafucile also in Rigoletto. He performed in concert with Tulsa Opera’s Greenwood Overcomes honoring the centennial of the Tulsa Massacre. Additional concert performances included with Pocono Mountains Music Festival and Opera Omaha
Singing under the batons of a roster of distinguished conductors, since 2009, Mr. Thompson has performed in opera houses and concert venues throughout the world: US, Austria, Bulgaria, China, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, South America and Switzerland. He has sung Ramfis and Il Re (Aida); Osmin (Die Entführung as dem Serail); Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte); Mephistophélès (Faust); Oroveso (Norma); Sparafucile and Monterone (Rigoletto); Grand Inquisitor (Don Carlos); Banco (Macbeth); Lodovico (Otello); Il Commendatore (Don Giovanni); Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor); Don Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia); The Old Gypsy (Aleko); Colline (La Boheme); Judge Turpin (Sweeney Todd); Ned (Treemonisha); El Captain (Florencia en el Amazonas); Hans Schwartz (Die Meistersinger); Stefano Colona (Rienzi); the Verdi Requiem; Mozart Requiem; Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Missa Solemnis, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater; Haydn’s The Creation and the Lord Nelson Mass; and, Stravinsky’s Les Noces. He has made debuts with New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Carolina, Bard Opera, National Philharmonic, The Florida Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, Odyessy Opera, Hannover Staatsoper, Fundacion Teatro Nacional Sucre in Ecuador, Teatro Verdi Trieste, Hong Kong Opera, Teatro Regio Parma, Ruse State Opera, Theater Kiel, the Gasteig in Munich and the Wexford Opera.
Mr. Thompson was born in Washington, D.C. He is an alumnus of The Juilliard School in New York, San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Program, and the Santa Fe Opera Program. Recordings include Verdi Requiem with Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, Haggadah shel Pesach by Dessau with the American Symphony Orchestra, Thy will be done by Rice with the National Choral Society, Polonius in Joseph Summer’s Hamlet and as King Soliman in Gounod’s La Reine de Saba with Odyssey Opera. Visit www.KevinThompsonBass.com for additional information.
