Adrian Kramer, Tenor

Biography

Canadian Tenor, Adrian Kramer, has been praised for his 'rich and robust tenor voice' (San Diego Tribune) and as a 'fine actor as well as a singer, painting pictures with the colors in his voice' (Opera West).  Recent appearances include a critically acclaimed debut with San Diego Opera, singing Don José in La Tragédie de Carmen and a celebrated return to Opera Omaha to sing Bill in Jonathan Dove’s Flight.  Adrian has appeared with many excellent theatres including Santa Fe Opera (Borsa in Rigoletto, Second Nazarene in Salome, Owen’s Son in the world premiere of Cold Mountain, 2nd Bodyguard in Dr. Sun Yet Sen), Opera Omaha (Bill in Flight, Joe in La Fanciulla del West), San Diego Opera (Don José in La Tragédie de Carmen), Toronto Operetta Theatre (Nanki-Poo in The Mikado), as well as appearances with Toronto’s Opera 5 (Loti in L'île du rêve, Fénihan in Bataclan) and Tapestry Opera (Tenor, Tap:Ex Revolutions).  An enthusiastic performer of symphonic repertoire, Adrian has appeared with the Kingston Symphony (Obadiah in Elijah), Canzona Chamber Players Orchestra (Tenor Soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony), Talisker Players (Tenor Soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Hodie), Sault Symphony (Tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah) and in concert with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra (Selections from Verdi’s Rigoletto and Puccini’s La Boheme), Off Centre Music Salon at the Glenn Gould Studio (Selections from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte), Toronto Concert Orchestra and in recital with Malcolm Martineau's Crear Institute (Schumann's Liederkreis, Op. 39).  Upcoming engagements include a debut with Edmonton Opera, singing Ralph in HMS Pinafore.  Adrian is a past grand prize winner of the Louis Quilico Competition, The Campbell Wachter Memorial Award for Singers from the Santa Fe Opera and The Juilliard Honors Recital Competition.  He has has also been the recipient of numerous grants, including a Chalmers Professional Development Grant from the Ontario Arts Council and support from the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation for Young Canadian Opera Singers.

Adrian began his career as a baritone and is happy to have moved 'up' in the world!  

Baritone credits include Chicago Opera Theater (Sasha in Moscow Cheryomushki), Canadian Opera Company (Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, The Jailer in Tosca, Marullo in Rigoletto, Perückenmacher in Ariadne auf Naxos), Castleton Festival (Sid in Albert Herring), Chautauqua Institution (Schaunard in La Boheme and Ottone in L’incoronazione di Poppea),  Cal Performances (Sid in Albert Herring), Brooklyn Academy of Music (3rd Japanese Envoy, Le Rossignol), Glimmerglass Festival (2nd Delivery Man in Kiss me Kate), Juilliard Opera Center (Harold S. in the world premiere of Miss Lonelyhearts), Curtis Opera Theater (Pelléas in Impressions of Pelléas, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Prince Robert in Iolanta, The Shoe Salesman in Postcard from Morocco, Prince Amida in L’Ormindo), Opera Company of Philadelphia in conjunction with Curtis Opera Theater (Zwei Handwerksbusch in Wozzeck), Saskatoon Opera (Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale) and Jeunesses Musicales Canada (Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte).  As a baritone, Adrian appeared at Carnegie Hall with Alan Gilbert and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra (Nielsen’s Sinfonia Espansiva), The Kennedy Center with Lorin Maazel (Selections from Albert Herring),  Toronto Chamber Choir (Duruflé Requiem), Regina Symphony Orchestra (Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen) and the Regina Philharmonic Chorus (Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs).  Adrian has been featured in recital with the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival, New York Festival of Song with Steven Blier in conjunction with the Glimmerglass Festival, the Canadian Opera Company’s Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and on tour throughout Europe with ‘Curtis on Tour’.