Adrian Kramer Tenor
Canadian tenor Adrian Kramer has joined opera companies throughout North America in recent seasons, earning critical praise for his vocal appeal and his strong theatrical engagement. In 2018 he makes his Edmonton Opera debut as Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore and his off-Broadway debut in collaboration with Ensemble for the Romantic Century as the Tenor in Tchaikovsky: None But the Lonely Heart. During the 2018–2019 season he looks forward to joining Opera Philadelphia as Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor and returning to Opera Omaha as Gérard in the company premiere of Philip Glass' Les enfants terribles. Mr. Kramer made an especially successful San Diego Opera debut in 2017 as Don José in La tragédie de Carmen.
Additional recent operatic commitments include performances with Opera Omaha, as Bill in Jonathan Dove's Flight and as Joe in the company premiere of La fanciulla del West, and Santa Fe Opera, where he performed Borsa in Rigoletto, the Second Nazarene in Salome, Owen's Son in the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain, and the Second Bodyguard in the American premiere of Huang Ruo's Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Mr. Kramer has also appeared with Toronto Operetta Theatre as Nanki-Poo in The Mikado, Toronto's Opera 5 in a double bill of Offenbach's Ba-ta-clan and Hahn's L'île du rêve, and Tapestry Opera in their multi-media Tap: Ex Revolutions.
A seasoned performer on the concert platform, Mr. Kramer's oratorio and symphonic repertoire includes Elijah (Kingston Symphony Orchestra), Vaughan Williams' Hodie (Talisker Players), Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (Canzona Chamber Players Orchestra), and Messiah (Sault Symphony Orchestra). Particularly in demand for operatic highlight concert programs, he has been heard in excerpt form as the Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto and Rodolfo in La bohème with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Ferrando in Così fan tutte at the Glenn Gould Studio, and the Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto, Rodolfo in La bohème, and Alfredo in La traviata with the Kingston Symphony Orchestra.
Initially training as a baritone, Mr. Kramer's professional credits in that repertoire include performances with Chicago Opera Theater, Canadian Opera Company, the Castleton Festival, Cal Performances, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Glimmerglass Opera.
As an emerging artist, Mr. Kramer gained recognition and encouragement from prestigious North American classical music institutions. He has fulfilled young artist residencies with Santa Fe Opera (in both 2014 and 2015), Canadian Opera Company, Glimmerglass Opera, and Ravinia's Steans Music Institute. He was awarded the Chalmers Professional Development Grant from the Ontario Arts Council and the Campbell Wachter Memorial Award for Singers from Santa Fe Opera, as well as winning the Louis Quilico Competition (grand prize) and the Juilliard Honors Recital Competition. Mr. Kramer is also a proud six-time grant recipient from the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation.
Mr. Kramer earned his MM in Opera at the Curtis Institute of Music and his BM in Voice at the Juilliard School.
New York, NY | [email protected] | www.stratagemartists.com | 646- 847- 9924 Adrian Kramer, Tenor
Opera/Musical Gérard* Les enfants terribles (Glass) Opera Omaha 2019 Normanno* Lucia di Lammermoor Opera Philadelphia 2018 Tenor* Tchaikovsky: None But the Lonely Heart Ensemble for the Romantic Century 2018 Ralph Rackstraw HMS Pinafore Edmonton Opera 2018 Bill Flight (Dove) Opera Omaha 2017 Don José La tragédie de Carmen San Diego Opera 2017 Joe La fanciulla del West Opera Omaha 2016 Borsa Rigoletto Santa Fe Opera 2015 Owen's Son Cold Mountain (Higdon) Santa Fe Opera 2015 Second Nazarene Salome Santa Fe Opera 2015 Candide ^ Candide Santa Fe Opera 2015 Nanki-Poo The Mikado Toronto Operetta Theatre 2015 Bodyguard Dr. Sun Yat-sen (Huang Ruo) Santa Fe Opera 2014 Scaramuccio ^ Ariadne auf Naxos Santa Fe Opera 2014 Zefirino ^ Il viaggio a Reims Santa Fe Opera 2014 Tenor Tap Ex: Revolutions Tapestry Opera 2014 Loti L'île du rêve (Hahn) Opera 5 2014 Fénihan Ba-ta-clan (Offenbach) Opera 5 2014
Oratorio/Concert Tenor Soloist Opera Pops Concert Kingston Symphony Orchestra 2016 Obadiah Elijah Kingston Symphony Orchestra 2015 Ferrando Così fan tutte Selections Off Centre at the Glenn Gould Studio 2015 Tenor Soloist Hodie (Vaughan Williams) Talisker Players 2014 Tenor Soloist Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) Canzona Chamber Players Orchestra 2014 Tenor Soloist Opera Pops Concert Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra 2014 Tenor Soloist Messiah Sault Symphony Orchestra 2013
[Mr. Kramer's professional credits between 2003 and 2013 were as a baritone.]
Competitions/Awards Grant Recipient Chalmers Professional Development Grant, Ontario Arts Council 2016 Winner Campbell Wachter Memorial Award for Singers, Santa Fe Opera 2015 Grand Prize Winner Louis Quilico Competition 2011 Winner Juilliard Honors Recital Competition 2005 Grant Recipient (six-time) Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation 2002–2013
Training Apprentice Artist Santa Fe Opera 2014, 2015 Young Artist Canadian Opera Company 2009–2012 Young Artist Glimmerglass Opera 2008 Young Artist Ravinia Steans Music Institute 2006, 2010
Education MM Opera Curtis Institute of Music 2009 BM Voice Juilliard School 2006
* Upcoming Performance + Cover Role ^ Partial Role
New York, NY | [email protected] | www.stratagemartists.com | 646- 847- 9924 Adrian Kramer, Tenor
HMS Pinafore, Edmonton Opera "Adrian Kramer brought his strong and rich tenor to the role of Ralph Rackstraw." Gabrielle Johnson, The Wanderer, 02/02/18
"Adrian Kramer (Ralph Rackstraw, Josephine's love interest) has a bright tenor sound, and was a good casting choice." Bill Rankin, Opera Canada, 02/07/18
La tragédie de Carmen, San Diego Opera "Don José is played by Adrian Kramer, whose rich and robust tenor voice fills the Balboa [Theatre] the best of all the singers. He moves around the stage involuntarily, as if he's a puppet or in a trance after meeting Carmen." Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune 03/11/17
"The memento [Carmen] gave José, sung by tenor Adrian Kramer, was a red knitted stocking, not a flower. Nevertheless, he held it as he sang a beautifully lyrical "Flower Song… A fine actor as well as a singer, Adrian Kramer painted pictures with the colors in his voice. José, his possessive, psychotic character, was as essential to the story as Carmen herself. His tragedy grew out of his own actions…" Maria Nockin, Opera Today 03/14/17
"…Kramer, a tenor with a lovely lyric tenor voice and a pleasing stage presence. His 'Flower Song', always a highlight in the opera, was impressive." David Gregson, Opera West 03/09/17
"excellent voices singing Bizet's arias: Adrian Kramer's clarion but fresh, youthful tenor gives Don José a cachet we would otherwise deny this callow youth…" Ken Herman, San Diego Story 03/12/17
Flight, Opera Omaha "Opera Omaha assembled a stellar cast — 10 people of uniform excellence… As the sparring couple, Adrian Kramer and Andriana Chuchman had some fine moments." Betsie Freeman, Omaha World Herald 04/22/17
Candide, Santa Fe Opera Scenes Program "Leonard Bernstein's Candide shone like the gem that it always was, but was given a new luster by an exceptional cast… Tenor Adrian Kramer made a winningly innocent Candide…" Meche Kroop, voce di meche, 09/11/15
The Mikado, Toronto Operetta Theatre "Top vocal honours went to Adrian Kramer… his sound is rich, ringing, and robust, this last no doubt a remnant of his baritonal past… he sang beautifully and his engaging stage persona shone through." Joseph K. So, La Scena Musicale 12/29/14
"Speaking of the artists: as Nanki-Poo, tenor Adrian Kramer sounded fantastic. He sang with his full voice, which was round and even from top to bottom… Adrian's voice filled out the leading role with command, and it mixed hilariously with his cartoon-like faces, slapstick comedy, and demeanour that was young and loveable." Jenna Simeonov, schmopera 12/28/14
New York, NY | [email protected] | www.stratagemartists.com | 646- 847- 9924