New Amsterdam Opera

Kevin Langan has earned a sterling reputation as a leading performer in opera and concert with international audiences. Mr. Langan was the last protégé of Walter Legge, the legendary operatic record producer and promoter, and husband to Elizabeth Schwarzkopf. Under their sponsorship, he began his extensive career with a critically acclaimed recital at The Wigmore Hall in London.  His “deep, toffee-smooth voice and convincing interpretive abilities” (New York Times) have made him a favorite in opera companies throughout the world.  His career currently spans 36 years and over 1300 performances covering a vast repertoire of over 80 roles from early Baroque through 21st Century works, with the majority of his work in Händel, Mozart, and Verdi operas. This season, Mr. Langan will be appearing as Orest’s Guardian/Old Servant in Elektra with Boston Symphony Orchestra; Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Eugene Opera; as well as Frère Laurent in an exciting new co-production of Roméo et Juliette at Opera Carolina, Virginia Opera, Toledo Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, and Lyric Opera Baltimore.

 

Mr. Langan has been a company favorite with San Francisco Opera for over 30 years. He recently became the first artist in the 88 year history of the company to reach the lofty level of 300 career performances in leading roles.  He appeared in 43 different productions in San Francisco, beginning with Samson et Dalila which was broadcast on PBS and distributed on DVD, through critically acclaimed performances of Timur in Turandot (available on DVD), Colline in La bohème, Ramfis in Aïda, Padre Guardiano in La forza del destino, Henry VIII in Anna Bolena, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Sobakin in The Tsar’s Bride, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte.  Mr. Langan’s “notable Sarastro” (The New Yorker) was also heard in Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Diego, Austin, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Omaha, West Palm Beach, Washington, and Santa Fe.  Mr. Langan is also a company favorite for several other eminent North American companies including 11 seasons with The Lyric Opera of Chicago giving over 125 performances of 13 different productions there, and 14 seasons with The Santa Fe Opera giving over 165 performances of 20 different productions.  

 

In recent seasons, Mr. Langan’s appearances included the roles of Fafner in Das Rheingold and Siegfried, Hunding in Die Walküre, and Hagen in Götterdämmerung in excerpts of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen with Minnesota Concert Opera, Hobson in Peter Grimes with The San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, Ezra Mannon in Marvin David Levy’s Mourning Becomes Electra with Florida Grand Opera, Timur in Turandot at Opera Carolina, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro with Dallas Opera, Rocco in Fidelio with The San Francisco Symphony, and Samuel in Un ballo in maschera with San Diego Opera.

 

Additional favorite engagements include Colline in La bohème and Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera; Parson/Badger in The Cunning Little Vixen with The Saito Kinen Festival in Japan and the Maggio Musicale in Florence, both with Maestro Seiji Ozawa (the latter available on DVD); Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro with Netherlands Opera under Nicklaus Harnoncourt; Wurm in Luisa Miller with Washington National Opera; Balthazar in La Favorite with San Francisco Opera; Swallow in Peter Grimes with Santa Fe Opera; The Capitán in Florencia en el Amazonas with Opera Colorado; Pimen in Boris Godunov with Seattle Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and Florida Grand Opera; Osmin in Entführung aus dem Serail with Opera Lyon, Santa Fe Opera, Boston Baroque Opera, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Dallas Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Florida Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Central City Opera, and Music of the Baroque-Chicago; and Phillip II in Don Carlos with Canadian Opera Company.  Mr. Langan also appeared in the highly-successful world première of Tobias Picker’s Emmeline as Henry Mosher at Santa Fe Opera, which was televised on PBS, and subsequently produced at New York City Opera.  

 

He has also performed the standard roles of Méphistophélès in Faust, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Timur in Turandot, Rocco in Fidelio, Daland in Der fliegende Holländer, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Alidoro in La Cenerentola, and Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with such companies as Atlanta Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Chicago Lyric Opera, Dallas Opera, Florida Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, Vancouver Opera, to name a few.

 

Mr. Langan’s orchestral appearances include the Cincinnati May Festival as Rocco in Fidelio under Music Director James Conlon; The Caramoor Festival as Rocco in Leonore under John Nelson; The Pittsburgh Symphony in Mahler’s Das klagende Lied, and the Chicago Symphony in Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass both under Michael Tilson Thomas; The Mostly Mozart Festival on Tour to Japan in Mozart’s Requiem and Leporello in Don Giovanni; as well as Verdi’s Requiem with the Symphonies of Richmond, Dallas, and Seattle. He also appeared in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Symphonies of Seattle, Oakland, and New Jersey.  His performances of Händel’s Messiah have been with Houston and Indianapolis, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the Buffalo Symphony. Other appearances have been the Mozart Requiem with The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Trulove in The Rake’s Progress with The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under Edo de Waart, and Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex with The National Symphony in Washington.

 

Mr. Langan’s video credits in addition to the DVD release of David Hockney’s Turandot, include DVD releases of Aïda with Luciano Pavarotti, Samson et Dalila with Plácido Domingo, Vivaldi’s Orlando Furioso with Marilyn Horne, Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen from Maggio Musicale in Florence, Italy, Tobias Picker’s first opera Emmeline seen on National PBS Television, and Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen under Seiji Ozawa, seen on National NHK Television throughout Japan, and RAI Television in Italy, and now on DVD through Arthaus Musik.   Mr. Langan's discography includes the Grammy-nominated Teldec recording of Le Nozze di Figaro under Nicklaus Harnoncourt, and Albany Records’ Emmeline under George Manahan and recorded live with The Santa Fe Opera.