American tenor Joshua Kohl was called a “tenor to watch” by The Boston Herald and was recently singled out for his “glorious, relaxed performance” by Opera News. The Salt Lake Tribune said of his performance in Macbeth that he “nearly steals the show with his impassioned portrayal of Macduff. The young tenor brings a jolt of urgency to every scene he's in, and the aria in which Macduff expresses his grief over his family's murder is arguably the emotional high point of the evening.”
During the 2012-13 season the tenor will be heard as Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Omaha, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Dayton Opera, Chevalier in Dialogues of the Carmelites with Hawaii Opera Theatre, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Southwest, and finally Nanki-Poo in The Mikado with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. On the concert stage he returns to the New Haven Symphony for performances of Carmina Burana.
Mr. Kohl began the 2011-12 season at Nashville Opera portraying Alfredo in their production of La Traviata, and followed that engagement portraying the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Sarasota Opera before returning to Opera Saratoga as the Duke in Rigoletto for which the Albany Times-Union said that his “singing revealed the fullest emotional range of the principals — joy, rapture, rage.” In addition, as tenor soloist in Carmina Burana in his debut with the Hartford Symphony, he “conveyed the roasting swan’s plight with poignancy and humor” (In the Spotlight), making the passage “otherworldly and nightmarish.” (Hartford Courant)
During the 2010-11 season Mr. Kohl sang Alfredo in La Traviata with Tulsa Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Sarasota Opera, West Side Story Suite in concert with the Lexington Philharmonic, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 with the New Jersey Symphony. During the previous season, he joined the Dallas Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for student matinee performances, Sarasota Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte which was “sung suavely” (Herald-Tribune), Lake George Opera as Don José in Carmen, Commonwealth Opera as Ferrando in Così fan Tutte, and Utah Opera as Macduff in Macbeth. On the concert stage he was an Artist-in-Residence with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and sang Handel’s Messiah with the New Haven Symphony.
During the 2008-09 season, the tenor sang Rodolfo in La Bohème with the Pittsburgh Opera in a student matinee performance, and made debuts with Opera Theatre of St. Louis as First Jew in Salome and with the Virginia Opera as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. His Nemorino was praised for his “sincere and touching performance. The young tenor displayed a bright voice of great size, yet capable of movement and nuance.” (Portfolio Weekly) On the concert stage he presented a recital under the auspices of the Upper Ohio Valley Opera Guild, joined Yale University for a performance of Stravinsky’s In Memoriam Dylan Thomas, and appeared with both Opera Providence and Connecticut Concert Opera.
During the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Kohl joined Opera North for performances of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, sang Al Joad in The Grapes of Wrath with Utah Opera, and covered the title roles in both Troilus and Cressida and The Tales of Hoffmann with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. While an Artist Diploma candidate in Opera at Yale University, he appeared as Torquemada in L’Heure Espagnole, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, and Dr. Ucitelli in Comedy on a Bridge. Concert engagements included Carmina Burana with the Yale Camerata, Les Noces with the Yale Symphony Orchestra, and Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass with the Connecticut Master Chorale, for which the Danbury News-Times said his rendition of the Sanctus was the “high point” of the afternoon. He represented the city of San Francisco at the Nakanoshima International Music Festival in Osaka, Japan, and offered a recital for the Albright College Concert Series for which The Reading Eagle praised him for his “ambitious program that showed his versatility, his acting ability and, above all, his glorious voice.”
Operatic highlights from recent seasons include performances as Al Joad in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Serano in La Donna del Lago, Nathaniël/Spalanzani in Les contes d’Hoffmann, and the cover role of Gérald in Lakmé – all at the Minnesota Opera while he was a Resident Artist. In addition, he has performed in principal and comprimario roles with Boston Lyric Opera, San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, The Ohio Light Opera, Boston University’s Opera Institute, and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. On the concert stage he has performed with composer Richard Wargo in “From the Bards of Ireland,” a concert of Irish-inspired music, in addition to appearances in Los Angeles with Operetta Foundation. He appears as the title character in Albany Records’ recently released album The Birdseller.
A National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2007, he also received Honorable Mention in the 2008 Irma Cooper International Vocal Competition, and placed 7th in the 40th Annual Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition in 2009. Mr. Kohl earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati, and a Master of Music degree from Boston University.
During the 2012-13 season the tenor will be heard as Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Omaha, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Dayton Opera, Chevalier in Dialogues of the Carmelites with Hawaii Opera Theatre, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Southwest, and finally Nanki-Poo in The Mikado with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. On the concert stage he returns to the New Haven Symphony for performances of Carmina Burana.
Mr. Kohl began the 2011-12 season at Nashville Opera portraying Alfredo in their production of La Traviata, and followed that engagement portraying the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Sarasota Opera before returning to Opera Saratoga as the Duke in Rigoletto for which the Albany Times-Union said that his “singing revealed the fullest emotional range of the principals — joy, rapture, rage.” In addition, as tenor soloist in Carmina Burana in his debut with the Hartford Symphony, he “conveyed the roasting swan’s plight with poignancy and humor” (In the Spotlight), making the passage “otherworldly and nightmarish.” (Hartford Courant)
During the 2010-11 season Mr. Kohl sang Alfredo in La Traviata with Tulsa Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Sarasota Opera, West Side Story Suite in concert with the Lexington Philharmonic, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 with the New Jersey Symphony. During the previous season, he joined the Dallas Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for student matinee performances, Sarasota Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte which was “sung suavely” (Herald-Tribune), Lake George Opera as Don José in Carmen, Commonwealth Opera as Ferrando in Così fan Tutte, and Utah Opera as Macduff in Macbeth. On the concert stage he was an Artist-in-Residence with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and sang Handel’s Messiah with the New Haven Symphony.
During the 2008-09 season, the tenor sang Rodolfo in La Bohème with the Pittsburgh Opera in a student matinee performance, and made debuts with Opera Theatre of St. Louis as First Jew in Salome and with the Virginia Opera as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. His Nemorino was praised for his “sincere and touching performance. The young tenor displayed a bright voice of great size, yet capable of movement and nuance.” (Portfolio Weekly) On the concert stage he presented a recital under the auspices of the Upper Ohio Valley Opera Guild, joined Yale University for a performance of Stravinsky’s In Memoriam Dylan Thomas, and appeared with both Opera Providence and Connecticut Concert Opera.
During the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Kohl joined Opera North for performances of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, sang Al Joad in The Grapes of Wrath with Utah Opera, and covered the title roles in both Troilus and Cressida and The Tales of Hoffmann with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. While an Artist Diploma candidate in Opera at Yale University, he appeared as Torquemada in L’Heure Espagnole, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, and Dr. Ucitelli in Comedy on a Bridge. Concert engagements included Carmina Burana with the Yale Camerata, Les Noces with the Yale Symphony Orchestra, and Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass with the Connecticut Master Chorale, for which the Danbury News-Times said his rendition of the Sanctus was the “high point” of the afternoon. He represented the city of San Francisco at the Nakanoshima International Music Festival in Osaka, Japan, and offered a recital for the Albright College Concert Series for which The Reading Eagle praised him for his “ambitious program that showed his versatility, his acting ability and, above all, his glorious voice.”
Operatic highlights from recent seasons include performances as Al Joad in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Serano in La Donna del Lago, Nathaniël/Spalanzani in Les contes d’Hoffmann, and the cover role of Gérald in Lakmé – all at the Minnesota Opera while he was a Resident Artist. In addition, he has performed in principal and comprimario roles with Boston Lyric Opera, San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, The Ohio Light Opera, Boston University’s Opera Institute, and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. On the concert stage he has performed with composer Richard Wargo in “From the Bards of Ireland,” a concert of Irish-inspired music, in addition to appearances in Los Angeles with Operetta Foundation. He appears as the title character in Albany Records’ recently released album The Birdseller.
A National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2007, he also received Honorable Mention in the 2008 Irma Cooper International Vocal Competition, and placed 7th in the 40th Annual Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition in 2009. Mr. Kohl earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati, and a Master of Music degree from Boston University.
