Baritone Bruce Kelly’s extensive career has taken him to many of the important opera houses and concert halls of Europe, such as Nice, Strasbourg, Lieges, Avignon, Vienna, Paris, Brussels, and Moscow, as well as those of his native Canada. He has appeared in a variety of leading roles including Germont (LA TRAVIATA), Der Sprecher (DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE), Walton (I PURITANI), Capulet (ROMÉO ET JULIETTE) Marcello (LA BOHEME), Sharpless (MADAMA BUTTERFLY), Falstaff, Lescaut (MANON LESCAUT), Wolfram (TANNHÄUSER), Garibaldo (RODELINDA), Doctor Engels (THE STUDENT PRINCE), Achillas (GIULIO CESARE), Abimelech (SAMSON ET DALILA), and Ernesto (IL PIRATA). He has performed on Canadian stages from coast to coast, with companies such as Pacific Opera Victoria, Calgary Opera, Opera Ontario, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Opera in Concert, Toronto Operetta Theatre, and Opera du Quebec.
In Canada Mr. Kelly has appeared as a frequent guest soloist with all the major orchestras, and abroad with orchestras such as the Prague Radio Symphony and the Symphony of Kunming, China, in works such as ELIJAH, CARMINA BURANA, the Bach Passions, THE CREATION, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the Verdi, Brahms and other REQUIEM masses, and numerous Handel Oratorios including SAMSON and MESSIAH. He appeared in the first national CBC radio broadcast of the Mozart orchestration of Handel's MESSIAH, in the Canadian premiere of Paul McCartney's LIVERPOOL ORATORIO, and gave the Canadian Premiere of the staged version of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ EIGHT SONGS FOR A MAD KING. As a disciple of the Lieder tradition he has given uniquely dramatized performances of Schubert’s DIE WINTERREISE, Mahler’s LIEDER EINES FAHRENDEN GESELLEN, and dramatic readings of Ludwig Tieck’s DIE SCHÖNE MAGELONE and the accompanying Brahms cycle.
Recent and upcoming projects include the world premiere of John Burge's chamber opera THE AUCTION at the Westben Festival, Campbellford, and Pacific Opera Victoria’s TOSCA as the Sacristan.
Aldeburgh Connection Calgary Opera Calgary Philharmonic Canadian Opera Company De Vlaamse Opera, Belgium Edmonton Symphony Kingston Symphony Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa Newfoundland Symphony Opéra de Nice, France Opéra de Rhin, Strasbourg, France Opera in Concert, Toronto Opera Lyra, Ottawa Opera Ontario Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège, Belgium Orchestra London Pacific Opera Victoria Prague Radio Symphony St. Lawrence Choir, Montreal Symphony of Kunming, China Thunder Bay Symphony Toronto Operetta Theatre Vancouver Symphony Victoria Symphony
“The richly timbered baritone in this case was Bruce Kelly.”
Leader-Post – David Green
“But, the star turn of the evening was baritone Bruce Kelly’s Doctor Engel. Kelly acted so quietly and sang so well that he seemed to have been flown in from another higher budget and altogether superior production. (The Student Prince with Toronto Operetta Theatre)
The Globe and Mail – Ken Winters
“Of the minor characters, Bruce Kelly stood out for his assured stage presence and rich baritone.”
(MARRIAGE OF FIGARO with Pacific Opera Victoria)
Times Colonist – Susan Down
“Bruce Kelly as Sharpless was his usual class act, vocally sure and character sound.”
