* En anglais uniquement
From roles in
Mozart and
Rossini operas to historically informed performances on the concert stage, American tenor
Kenneth Tarver has established himself as a leading bel canto singer. Born in Detroit, Michigan,
Tarver attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, Oberlin Conservatory, and Yale University's School of Music, where he earned his master's degree and received the Dean's Award for Most Outstanding Student in 1992. A winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions,
Tarver became a member of the Metropolitan Opera's Young Artist Development Program, in which he participated until 1994. He was a member of the Staatstheater Stuttgart ensemble from 1994 to 1997, where he sang the part of Don Ottavio in
Mozart's Don Giovanni. He also distinguished himself in performances as Lindoro in
Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri at Glimmerglass and the New York City Opera, and with the Berlin State Opera he reprised Don Ottavio and played Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia. From 2000 on, he has been in demand at opera houses in Paris, London, Lyons, and Milan, and achieved fame for leading roles, as Bénédict in
Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict and as Hylas in Les Troyens à Carthage.
Tarver has performed in many period interpretations of Classical operas by
Haydn, Gluck, and
Mozart, as well as concert performances of works by
Bach,
Handel,
Stravinsky,
Orff, and
Shchedrin. He was the tenor soloist in
Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts, released in 2018 on the
Seattle Symphony label. He has also recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, LSO Live, Decca, Naxos, Opera Rara, and Harmonia Mundi.