"Nicholas Kilkenny as Renato brings his fine bass-baritone voice to the role as well as some equally fine acting chops. Just as with higher voices, lower voices can sometimes have a problem projecting over the pit, but again, NOT HERE! Very impressive." - Peter Hall,听Buffalo Rising
Dr. Kilkenny is a passionate, versatile performer with an equal passion for education and pedagogy. His operatic roles range from the comedic (Dulcamara in听l鈥橢lisir d鈥檃more, Bartolo and Antonio in听Le nozze di Figaro, Elviro in听厂别谤蝉别,听Betto in听Gianni Schicchi), to the tragic (Renato in听Un ballo in maschera, Commendatore in听Don Giovanni, Lino in听Bastianello) to the villain (Mephistopheles in听Faust) and everything in between (Colline in听La boh猫me, Raimondo in听Lucia di Lammermoor, Peter in听H盲nsel und Gretel, King Balthazar in听Amahl, Guglielmo in听Cos矛 fan听tutte, Sagristano in听Tosca). Some companies Nicholas has had the pleasure of working with include Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Nickel City Opera, Geneva Light Opera, Opera Sacra, Hudson Opera Theater, Eastman Opera Theater, and Rochester Lyric Opera. In addition, Nicholas made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2014 singing the role of Jewel Scrooby in Howard Hanson鈥檚听Merry Mount听with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
As an advocate for performing and marketing new opera works, Dr. Kilkenny has had the privilege of premiering the roles of Dr. Mynter in Persis Vehar鈥檚听厂丑辞迟!听with Nickel City Opera, Captain in David Rosenbaum鈥檚 new adaptation of听Twelfth Night, and Judge in David Glen Nettles鈥櫶�The Fall of Stag Lee听with Buffalo Opera Unlimited. In 2014 he recorded the role of Katis for Cary Ratcliff鈥檚 opera听Eleni, in collaboration with soprano Kathryn Lewek.
In addition to his opera career, Nicholas is often heard performing the bass and baritone solos to iconic concert works, including Handel鈥檚听Messiah, Mendelssohn鈥檚听Elijah, Bach鈥檚听Weihnachtsoratorium,听St. Matthew Passion听补苍诲听Magnificat, Dvo艡谩k鈥檚听Te Deum, Haydn鈥檚听Creation,听Lord Nelson Mass听补苍诲听Missa in tempore belli, Vaughan Williams鈥櫶�Dona Nobis Pacem听补苍诲听Five Mystical Songs, and the听Requiem听set by Mozart, Brahms, Faur茅, and Durufl茅.
While his professional performance experience is clearly rooted in classical music, Dr. Kilkenny has found equal success as a freelance contemporary musician performing a variety of instruments, including acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, and keyboard, in a wide range of venues, such as musical theater pit orchestras, recording studio sessions, live music venues and festivals, and private events. Recent credits include playing guitar for Theatre444鈥檚 productions of听RENT!,听迟颈肠办鈥颈肠办鈥翱翱惭!, and听Alice by Heart.听听
Dr. Kilkenny鈥檚 passion for performance is matched only by his passion for teaching and pedagogy. His teaching philosophy is creating a specified curriculum for each student that is catered to help them grow as an artist and prepare for their chosen career path. This is achieved by employing practices acquired through years of education and experience in pedagogy, classical and contemporary music performance, music technology, and stagecraft.
Dr. Kilkenny holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from SUNY Buffalo State University, a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Literature with a minor in Pedagogy, also from Eastman. While at Eastman, he was a finalist in the Friends of Eastman Opera Theater Competition and was the 2014 recipient of the William McIver Award for Excellence in Teaching. Nicholas is currently on faculty at 杏吧原创鈥檚 School of Music where he teaches applied voice and voice related courses with previous positions at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, Houghton University, Finger Lakes Community College, and as a teaching assistant at the Eastman School of Music.
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