John Keene
LSU Opera
John Keene (Assistant Professor and Music Director of LSU Opera) is responsible for all musical aspects of LSU Opera and since his appointment in 2003 has conducted Susannah, Little Women, and La Bohème. He is Founder and Artistic Director of the Elysian Opera Group in New York City for which he has conducted Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, La clemenza di Tito, and Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. For the San Francisco Opera he has been a faculty member of the prestigious Merola Opera Program, and conducted Western Opera Theater's thirtieth anniversary national tour of Il barbiere di Siviglia in an acclaimed production by John Copley. He was Director of the Apprentice Artist Program of the Sarasota Opera and has been a member of the music staff at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Virginia Opera, Lake George Opera, and the Caramoor Festival. Since 1999 he has returned each summer to Chautauqua Opera, one of America's leading summer festivals and young artist programs.
Since 1997 he has worked with New Orleans Opera, this season serving as assistant conductor for Le nozze di Figaro and La Boheme.
A highly respected vocal coach and teacher, John Keene has been a member of the opera faculty at the Mannes College of Music and presents masterclasses in vocal repertoire, opera, and accompanying nationwide. His performances as accompanist and chamber musician include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles, and many performances for radio and television. He is a frequent adjudicator of vocal competitions including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Orpheus National Vocal Competition. His recordings of the accompaniments to G. Schirmer's anthology Twenty-Four Italian Songs and Arias remain one of their best-selling publications and he recently recorded the complete Italienisches Liederbuch of Hugo Wolf. For five seasons he toured extensively as recital partner to the Metropolitan Opera baritone Ben Holt; a recording of their live performances was released to benefit the Ben Holt Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Juilliard School of Music.
Keene is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he was twice awarded highest honors. His teachers there included Gwendolyn Koldofsky in whose song masterclasses Keene partnered the baritone Thomas Hampson.
John Keene, Music Director of LSU Opera
School of Music
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-2504
Voice: 225/578-2572
FAX: 225/578-2562.
E-mail:jkeene@lsu.edu
http://web.mac.com/lyricstage
