ALOK KUMAR
TENOR
BIOGRAPHY
Noted as a “tenor unlike others, with a resonance and depth to his voice,” Alok Kumar is on the rise to international stardom. Mr. Kumar recently made a series of monumental débuts starting with his Royal Opera House Covent Garden and London Philharmonic Orchestra début creating the role of Chyavana in the world premiere of Ravi Shankar’s opera Sukanya, a work harmonizing the distinct music, dance and theatrical traditions of India and the West. He made his Los Angeles Opera début in the role of Gastone in La Traviata and subsequently sang Ramses in Moses, and the title role of The Count in a workshop of The Count of Monte Cristo also with Los Angeles Opera. Additionally, Mr. Kumar participated in the Intimate Apparel workshop with Lincoln Center and appeared in Houston Grand Opera’s HGOco serial web opera entitled “Star Cross’d.” His Metropolitan Opera début in La fanciulla del West was so impressive the esteemed house immediately invited him to stay on for Puccini’s Il trittico, specifically forGianni Schicchi.
This past season, Kumar made his Scottish Opera début as Don Jose in Carmen, joined Portland Opera for Kamala Sankaram’s Thumbprint, appeared as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem for the New Choral Society, Verdi’s Requiem for San Diego Symphony, and returned to The Metropolitan Opera for their productions of The Hours and Don Carlo. Prior to this, Mr. Kumar appeared with The Metropolitan Opera for productions of Ariadne auf Naxos, Lucia di Lammermoor, and The Rake’s Progress. This season, Kumar will join Musica Viva in Hong Kong as Riccardo Percy in Anna Bolena, Vancouver Opera as Don Jose in Carmen, Fort Worth Opera as Rodolfo in La bohème, and St. Ignatius Loyola Church of New York City as the tenor soloist in Verdi’s Requiem. [read more...]
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"...sung with so much emotion there was silence before rousing applause...” – Miami Art Zine
Carmen – “Kumar’s tenor had an aching tone as Don José began his obsessive descent. With technical vocal precision and nuance he turned his tough soldier into a weeping man-child who refuses to accept Carmen’s rejection. The difficult aria “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” was sung with so much emotion there was silence before rousing applause..”
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"... hitting his high notes cleanly and with what I’d call a romantic timbre..." – Palm Beach Arts Paper
Rigoletto – “Famous for the high tessitura Verdi sets for this part, Kumar never disappointed, hitting his high notes cleanly and with what I’d call a romantic timbre. His love of women and the seduction of other mens’ wives was easy to believe with his natural charm, good looks, and tall stature.”
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"...sang and acted sympathetically and compellingly...” – Rutland Herald
Turandot – “Turandot couldn’t have asked for a more inviting suitor. Tenor Alok Kumar proved a dashing figure as the unnamed Prince Calaf, and his singing matched. Not only did Kumar mix the power of a dramatic tenor with the flowing lines and warmth of a lyric tenor, he sang and acted sympathetically and compellingly.”
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"...mesmerized the audience..." – Classical Voice of North Carolina
La traviata – “Technically secure and musically savvy, Kumar mesmerized the audience with his profound interpretation of [Alfredo Germont] and the sheer beauty and intensity of his singing.”
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"...sang them with golden beauty...” – New Criterion
La fanciulla del West – “Standing out was a tenor named Alok Kumar, who had just a line or two to sing—but sang them with golden beauty”