KURT LEHMANN
TENOR

Tenor Kurt Lehmann has been hailed as “…one of Canada’s most dependable tenors. He has the money notes and clear, clean, romantic delivery.” His international career has taken him to Carnegie Hall for Verdi’s Requiem as well as engagements in Toronto, Montreal, Dallas, Calgary, Vancouver, Naples, Pittsburgh, Victoria, and Detroit in repertoire ranging from Lenski in EUGENE ONEGIN to Barinkay in DER ZIGEUNERBARON. Puccini and Verdi have dominated Mr. Lehmann’s 2007-2008 season with performances of Pinkerton in MADAMA BUTTERFLY with Pacific Opera Victoria and Orchestra London and Alfredo in LA TRAVIATA for both Opera Lyra Ottawa and Manitoba Opera.  He was also heard with the Calgary Philharmonic in Beethoven’s 9th, with the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir in Rachmaninoff’s THE BELLS sung in Russian and a recital performance for Opera Saskatchewan.

Highlights of Mr. Lehmann’s 2008-2009 season include an “Opera Stars Under the Stars” concert, a New Year’s Eve Gala and Rodolfo in LA BOHEME for Opera Naples, a return to Manitoba Opera as Pinkerton in MADAMA BUTTERFLY, a special Valentine’s Day concert with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and performances of Beethoven’s SYMPHONY NO. 9 with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. Further engagements include a concert version of Bernstein’s CANDIDE for Manitoba Opera, Alfredo in LA TRAVIATA for Orlando Opera, Flamand in Strauss’ CAPRICCIO for Pacific Opera Victoria and a Spanish Christmas Concert with the Winnipeg Singers.

Of particular note in the summer of 2007 was his debut engagement at Glimmerglass Opera as the violin-playing Orpheus in Offenbach’s ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD. Mr. Lehmann was selected for this role after a continent-wide search for lyric tenors who were also virtuoso violinists. Cassio in OTELLO returned to his repertoire for productions with Opera Lyra Ottawa, Manitoba Opera and Opéra de Québec. He was then back in British Columbia for Pacific Opera Victoria’s DAPHNE as Leukippos. Engagements on the concert stage included Beethoven’s 9th for the Calgary Philharmonic, Mozart’s MASS IN C MINOR in Winnipeg and Ruggiero in LA RONDINE for Toronto’s Opera in Concert. In a lighter vein, he was in Detroit and Hamilton for the New Year’s “Salute to Vienna” concerts, with the Hamilton Philharmonic in “Fest Italia” and with Orchestra London in a concert devoted to Viennese hits.

Other highlights include The Male Chorus in Britten’s THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA for L’Opéra de Montréal, Mozart’s KRÖNUNGSMESSE with the Edmonton Symphony, Lenski in EUGENE ONEGIN for Pacific Opera Victoria, Tybalt in ROMEO ÉT JULIETTE for Calgary Opera. For Dallas Opera he appeared as Pong in TURANDOT, Gastone in LA TRAVIATA and Pylade in ERMIONE. Further credits include Tassilo in GRÄFIN MARIZA for Toronto Operetta Theatre, Carlson in Floyd’s OF MICE AND MEN for Vancouver Opera as well as Chevalier de la Force in DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES and Boucher in the Canadian Premiere of DEAD MAN WALKING for Calgary Opera.

Past seasons include Tamino in Mozart’s DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE for Opera Lyra Ottawa, Alfred in DIE FLEDERMAUS, Prince Edwin in Kalman’s DIE CZARDASFÜRSTIN for Toronto Operetta Theatre, Rodolfo in LA BOHEME with the Newfoundland Symphony and for Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra Strauss’ DER ZIGEUNERBARON with Franz Paul Decker on the podium. For l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, he was tenor soloist in ELIJAH and sang the part of John in Victor Davies’ REVELATION.