Bruce Kelly, Baritone

Pacific Opera Victoria
The Sacristan in Tosca
April / May, 2013

Baritone Bruce Kelly first appeared with Pacific Opera Victoria as Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew (2001). He has returned regularly since, presenting performances as Achillas (Julius Caesar, 2002), Dr. Bartolo (The Marriage of Figaro, 2003), Antonio (The Tempest, 2004), Sacristan (Tosca, 2005), Geronte di Ravoir (Manon Lescaut, 2006), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly, 2008), the High Priest (Der Sprecher) in The Magic Flute, 2009), and Germont in La traviata, 2009. In November 2010 he returned as Garibaldo in Handel's Rodelinda. He plays the Sacristan in POV's 2013 production of Tosca.

Bruce Kelly's career has taken him to many of the important opera houses and concert halls of Europe and his native Canada. He has appeared in Nice, Strasbourg, Liège, Avignon, and Moscow in a variety of leading roles including Silvio (Pagliacci), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Marcello (La Bohème) and Sharpless (Madama Butterfly). Roles such as Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette), Lescaut (Manon Lescaut), Manuel (La Vida Breve), Paquino (Goyesdas), Biterolf (Tannhäuser), Abimelech (Samson et Dalila), Ottokar (Der Freischütz), Ernesto (Il Pirata), and Der Sprecher (Die Zauberflöte) are evidence of the wide range of roles at his command.

In Canada Mr. Kelly has appeared as guest soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Vancouver Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony, Kingston Symphony, Newfoundland Symphony and Niagara Symphony.

In 2009-2010, Mr. Kelly made his role debut as Germont in La traviata for Pacific Opera Victoria, sang Walton in I Puritani for Opera in Concert, an Opera Gala for the Kingston Symphony and debuts for Festival of the Sound in a pops evening.

Highlights of the 2008-2009 season included Haydn's Seasons with the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, Der Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte for Pacific Opera Victoria, Brahms' Deutsches Requiem for Orchestra London and concerts with the Kingston Symphony and the Vancouver Island Symphony.

His 2007-2008 engagements include Dvorak's Spectre's Bride with the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, Messiah in Kingston, Die Schöpfung with the Bach Elgar Choir, and Sharpless in Pacific Opera Victoria's Madama Butterfly.

In addition to his performance as Geronte for Pacific Opera Victoria's Manon Lescaut during the 2006-2007 season, he was heard in Schafer's Palace of the Cinnabar Phoenix in Haliburton, in Carmina Burana with the Kingston Symphony, in Handel's Samson with the Victoria Philharmonic Choir and in Roméo et Juliette for Opera de Quebec.

In 2005/06 he was heard as Count Capulet in Roméo et Juliette for Opera Ontario, in Verdi's Requiem for the Kingston Symphony and in Messiah for the Mississauga Choral Society.

He starred as the Elder Brother in The Prodigal Son in Toronto, Guelph, London and Goderich for the 2003 Britten Festival. During the summer of 2004 he was featured in The Music Man for the Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque, Ontario. During the 2004-2005 season he reprised his role as Sacristan in POV's Tosca at London's Grand Theatre, and enjoyed performances of Carmina Burana with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, Bach's Johannes Passion for Orchestra London, and Beethoven's Symphony No.9 for the Regina Symphony.

He has appeared in the roles of Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), the Devil (Griselidis), Tonio (Pagliacci), Schaunard (La Bohème), Henry (Henry VIII), Caoudal (Sapho), Danilo (The Merry Widow), Prime Minister (Wiener Blut), Falke (Die Fledermaus), Ollendorf (The Beggar Student) and Conachar (Deirdre) with various companies including Calgary Opera, Opera Ontario, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Opera in Concert, Mississauga Opera, and Toronto Operetta Theatre.

Highlights of past seasons include a Gilbert and Sullivan Celebration with Mississauga Symphony, Scarpia in Tosca with the Kingston Symphony and the roles of the Commandante (Leo, The Royal Cadet) and Dr. Engel (The Student Prince) with Toronto Operetta Theatre. He also appeared in Carmina Burana with the Toronto International Choral Festival, Mozart's Requiem and Krönungsmesse with the Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic Choir, and Carmina Burana with the Victoria Symphony.

Bruce Kelly's performance in Tosca is generously sponsored by Perry and Annamaria Bamji, in loving memory of Teresa Querio.

Baritone Bruce Kelly had a thoroughly good time chewing the scenery as the very bad guy Garibaldo. The same verve and joyousness in his voice gave extra energy to his artistic skill.
Review Vancouver, Review of POV's Rodelinda, 2010

Bruce Kelly used his mellifluous baritone to portray a warm and compassionate American Consul, Sharpless.
Opera Canada, Review of POV's Madama Butterfly, 2009

Top vocal honours went to Bruce Kelly ... his sturdy baritone ringing and heroic, his diction impeccable.
Warren Wilson, The Globe and Mail

Kelly's pipes are a marvelous combination of deep and light and his technique is flawless ... his passion as an actor was a definite plus.
Kitchener Record, Colleen Johnson

March, 2013