Kirk Redmann
Encyclopedia
Kirk Redmann is an American opera
tic tenor
, and the son of Audrey Schuh
and Kerry P. Redmann.
Born in New Orleans, he graduated from Tulane University
, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. While there, he participated in productions of The Saint of Bleecker Street
(conducted by Thomas Fulton
), La rondine (conducted by Maurice Peress
), and the role of Camille in The Merry Widow
for Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre.
On December 24, 1983, three days before his twenty-second birthday, Redmann became the youngest tenor to debut with the Metropolitan Opera
, as the Sailor in the Christmas Eve broadcast of Tristan und Isolde
, conducted by James Levine
. Brought to the Met by Fulton, he joined the Metropolitan Opera's Young Artist Development Program, and was also seen in Manon Lescaut
(as Edmondo, with the alternating Manons being Teresa Zylis-Gara
, Carol Neblett
, Mirella Freni
, and Patricia Craig
), Khovanshchina
(as Kuzka, opposite Martti Talvela
and Natalia Rom
), La traviata
(as Gastone), Roméo et Juliette
(as Tybalt, later as Benvoglio, with Alfredo Kraus
), Samson et Dalila (the Philistine Messenger, with Jon Vickers
, conducted by Julius Rudel
), Lucia di Lammermoor (as Lord Arturo Bucklaw, with Edita Gruberova
and Francisco Araiza
), Rigoletto
(as Matteo Borsa, in John Dexter
's production), Turandot
(as Pong, opposite Dame Gwyneth Jones
and Aprile Millo
, in Franco Zeffirelli
's production), and finally (in 1990), Samson et Dalila (as a Philistine, with Shirley Verrett
).
Elsewhere, Redmann appeared at Opéra de Nice
(as Flamand in Capriccio
and Don José in Carmen
), Hong Kong (as Hoffmann in Les contes d'Hoffmann
), West Virginia Symphony (Faust), Lyric Opera of Kansas City (as Michele in The Saint of Bleecker Street and Roméo in Roméo et Juliette), Des Moines Metro Opera
, Dicapo Opera Theatre, Il Piccolo Teatro, Long Beach Opera
, Michigan Opera Theatre
, Mississippi Opera, New Jersey State Opera
, Opera Classics of New Jersey, New Orleans Opera
Association, Opera Omaha
, Palm Beach Opera
, San Diego Opera
(I Masnadieri, opposite Dame Joan Sutherland
), Shreveport Opera
, Treasure Coast Opera Society, and the Goldovsky Opera Institute.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, and the son of Audrey Schuh
Audrey Schuh
Audrey Schuh was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on , and studied both music and medical technology at Loyola University of the South, where she studied with Dorothy Hulse, who was also the pedagogue of Harry Theyard and Charles Anthony...
and Kerry P. Redmann.
Born in New Orleans, he graduated from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. While there, he participated in productions of The Saint of Bleecker Street
The Saint of Bleecker Street
The Saint of Bleecker Street is an opera in three acts by Gian Carlo Menotti to an original English libretto by the composer. It was first performed at The Broadway Theatre in New York City on December 27, 1954. David Poleri and Davis Cunningham alternated in the role of Michele, and Thomas...
(conducted by Thomas Fulton
Thomas Fulton
Thomas Fulton , was an American conductor.Noted primarily for his work in opera, Fulton debuted at the Metropolitan Opera of New York City in 1979 and remained with the company until his death. He conducted 192 performances at the Met of over 20 operas in the Italian, French and German repertoires...
), La rondine (conducted by Maurice Peress
Maurice Peress
Maurice Peress is an American orchestra conductor, educator and author. After serving as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein beginning in 1961, Peress went on to stand as leader of the orchestra in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1962. In 1970, he also became leader...
), and the role of Camille in The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
for Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre.
On December 24, 1983, three days before his twenty-second birthday, Redmann became the youngest tenor to debut with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, as the Sailor in the Christmas Eve broadcast of Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
, conducted by James Levine
James Levine
James Lawrence Levine is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Levine's first performance conducting the Metropolitan Opera was on June 5, 1971, and as of May 2011 he has...
. Brought to the Met by Fulton, he joined the Metropolitan Opera's Young Artist Development Program, and was also seen in Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
(as Edmondo, with the alternating Manons being Teresa Zylis-Gara
Teresa Zylis-Gara
Teresa Żylis-Gara is a Polish operatic soprano who had a major international career during the 1950s through the 1990s...
, Carol Neblett
Carol Neblett
Carol Neblett is an American operatic soprano.-Life and career:Neblett studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, and in 1969, made her operatic debut with the New York City Opera, playing the part of Musetta in Puccini's La bohème...
, Mirella Freni
Mirella Freni
Mirella Freni, birth name Mirella Fregni, is an Italian opera soprano whose repertoire includes Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Tchaikovsky...
, and Patricia Craig
Patricia Craig
Patricia Craig is an American operatic soprano and voice teacher.-Operatic career:Born Patricia Duncklee in Long Island, New York, she studied music education at Ithaca College, graduating in 1965. Craig gained her first critical vocal acclaim as a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council...
), Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina is an opera in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The composer wrote the libretto based on historical sources...
(as Kuzka, opposite Martti Talvela
Martti Talvela
Martti Talvela was a Finnish operatic bass.Born in Hiitola, Finland , he studied in Lahti and Stockholm, and made his operatic debut in Helsinki in 1960 as Sparafucile. At , he was the tallest singer of his century. He trained as a boxer in his youth and developed the stamina necessary for the...
and Natalia Rom
Natalia Rom
Natalia Rom, soprano, was born in Kazan, in the Soviet Union , and graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory. In late 1976, she emigrated to New Orleans, where she attended Loyola University's College of Music, where she studied voice with Patricia Havranek...
), La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
(as Gastone), Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette is an opéra in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique , Paris on 27 April 1867...
(as Tybalt, later as Benvoglio, with Alfredo Kraus
Alfredo Kraus
Alfredo Kraus Trujillo was a distinguished Spanish tenor of partly Austrian descent, particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles...
), Samson et Dalila (the Philistine Messenger, with Jon Vickers
Jon Vickers
Jonathan Stewart Vickers, CC , known professionally as Jon Vickers, is a retired Canadian heldentenor.Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, he was the sixth in a family of eight children. In 1950, he was awarded a scholarship to study opera at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto...
, conducted by Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel is an American opera and orchestra conductor who emigrated to the United States from Austria at the age of 17 and studied conducting at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. He then forged a 35-year career with the New York City Opera, from 1944 to 1979, and was the Music...
), Lucia di Lammermoor (as Lord Arturo Bucklaw, with Edita Gruberova
Edita Gruberová
Edita Gruberová , is a Slovak soprano who is one of the most acclaimed coloraturas of recent decades. She is noted for her great tonal clarity, agility, dramatic interpretation, and ability to sing high notes with great power, which made her an ideal Queen of the Night in her early years...
and Francisco Araiza
Francisco Araiza
Francisco Araiza , is a Mexican operatic tenor. As one of the leading tenors of his generation he was named Kammersänger of the Wiener Staatsoper in 1988 and has been a permanent member of the Opernhaus Zürich since 1977....
), Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
(as Matteo Borsa, in John Dexter
John Dexter
John Dexter was an English theatre, opera, and film director.- Theatre :Born in Derby, England, Dexter left school at the age of fourteen to serve in the British army during World War II. Following the war, he began working as a stage actor before turning to producing and directing shows for...
's production), Turandot
Turandot
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...
(as Pong, opposite Dame Gwyneth Jones
Gwyneth Jones
Gwyneth Jones may refer to:* Gwyneth Jones , Welsh soprano* Gwyneth Jones , British science fiction novelist...
and Aprile Millo
Aprile Millo
Aprile Millo is an American operatic soprano of Italian and Irish ancestry who is particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Giuseppe Verdi. Possessing a spinto voice of power, warmth and temperament, Millo became one of the most celebrated opera singers of the late twentieth...
, in Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
's production), and finally (in 1990), Samson et Dalila (as a Philistine, with Shirley Verrett
Shirley Verrett
Shirley Verrett was an African-American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles i.e. soprano sfogato...
).
Elsewhere, Redmann appeared at Opéra de Nice
Opéra de Nice
The Opéra de Nice is the principal opera venue in Nice, France.The théâtre municipal of Nice was inaugurated 7 February 1885 with a performance of Verdi's Aida. In 1902 the théâtre municipal became the Opéra de Nice.-References:...
(as Flamand in Capriccio
Capriccio
Capriccio may refer to:* A capriccio, a tempo marking* Capriccio , a chamber music composition* Capriccio , a piece of music which is fairly free in form* Capriccio , a 1942 German-language opera by Richard Strauss...
and Don José in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
), Hong Kong (as Hoffmann in Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann is an opéra by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on short stories by E. T. A...
), West Virginia Symphony (Faust), Lyric Opera of Kansas City (as Michele in The Saint of Bleecker Street and Roméo in Roméo et Juliette), Des Moines Metro Opera
Des Moines Metro Opera
The Des Moines Metro Opera is based in Indianola, Iowa, a town of approximately 14,000 located 12 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa. DMMO was founded by Dr. Robert L. Larsen and Douglas Duncan in 1973. A summer opera festival, the company usually performs three operas in rolling repertory during...
, Dicapo Opera Theatre, Il Piccolo Teatro, Long Beach Opera
Long Beach Opera
Long Beach Opera is a Southern California opera company serving the greater Los Angeles and Orange County metroplex. Founded in 1979, it is the oldest established professional opera company in the L.A. area...
, Michigan Opera Theatre
Michigan Opera Theatre
Michigan Opera Theatre is Michigan's principal opera company. The company is based in Detroit, where it performs in the Detroit Opera House. Each year it presents an opera and dance season. The company usually presents five operas in their original language with English supertitles and hosts five...
, Mississippi Opera, New Jersey State Opera
New Jersey State Opera
The New Jersey State Opera is an opera company based in Newark, New Jersey. It was established in 1964 as the Opera Theater of Westfield, and shortly after opening Alfredo Silipigni was hired as Artistic Director. The name was changed to the Opera Theatre of New Jersey in 1965, and in 1968 the...
, Opera Classics of New Jersey, New Orleans Opera
New Orleans Opera
Opera has long been part of the musical culture of New Orleans, Louisiana. Operas have regularly been performed in the city since the 1790s, and for the majority of the city's history since the early 19th century, New Orleans has had a resident company regularly performing opera in addition to...
Association, Opera Omaha
Opera Omaha
Opera Omaha is an opera company in Omaha, Nebraska. It is well known for premiering Wakonda's Dream, a contemporary opera about Native Americans set in the Niobrara....
, Palm Beach Opera
Palm Beach Opera
Palm Beach Opera, a professional opera company in West Palm Beach, Florida resident at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, was founded in 1961 as "Civic Opera of the Palm Beaches." Over its history, the company has presented a season of fully staged operas ranging from a single production...
, San Diego Opera
San Diego Opera
The San Diego Opera Association is a professional opera company located in the city of San Diego, California and is a member of OPERA America. It was founded in 1950 to present productions by San Francisco Opera in the San Diego area...
(I Masnadieri, opposite Dame Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
), Shreveport Opera
Shreveport Opera
-External links:*...
, Treasure Coast Opera Society, and the Goldovsky Opera Institute.