A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Kelsey has risen to prominence for his interpretations of opera’s most demanding roles, and has been called “the premier Verdi baritone of his generation” (Bachtrack).
Kelsey opens his 2025/26 season at Royal Ballet and Opera with Verdi’s Les vêpres siciliennes, reprising the role of Guy de Montfort. He returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Alfio/Tonio in a double bill of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, and will bring his acclaimed portrayal of Verdi’s Rigoletto to the Canadian Opera Company and the Baltimore Symphony later this season. Kelsey will also return to The Metropolitan Opera, bringing his “deluxe Sharpless” (Observer) in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly to the stage. He makes his debut at The Royal Danish Opera, singing the title role in Verdi’s scorching Macbeth in concert under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano, and will return to Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden as Germont in Verdi’s La traviata.
Kelsey will also appear with his hometown opera company, Hawaii Opera Theatre, for the world premiere of Herb Mahelona’s Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree. Set in the mid-nineteenth century, the opera tells the story of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s early struggles to maintain independence, told through the eyes of Royal Secretary Timoteo Haʻalilio. Charged with a mission to secure treaties that recognized Hawaiian sovereignty, Haʻalilio traveled the world to advocate for the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, bringing important attention to the cause.
On the concert stage, Kelsey will join the Philadelphia Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah, and Kelsey and pianist Craig Ketter will appear together in recital at the Cleveland Chamber Music Society and the Kennedy Center for Vocal Arts DC, presenting a program that includes selections from Vaughn Williams’ Songs of Travel, Copland’s Old American Songs, and Finzi’s Let Us Garlands Bring.
Last season, Kelsey bowed at The Metropolitan Opera in three roles: Rigoletto, the villainous Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca, and Amonasro in Michael Mayer’s new production of Verdi’s Aida. He was seen as Filippo Visconti in Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda at Opéra National de Paris, and joined Opernhaus Zürich as Guido di Monforte in I vespri Siciliani and Rigoletto, a role he also sang for LA Opera. He traveled to Japan for Germont in Verdi’s La traviata with the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy.
Central to Kelsey’s artistic identity is his portrayal of the title role in Rigoletto, igniting praise from critics and audiences alike. “Kelsey gives Rigoletto immense presence even before he opens his mouth,” said Justin Davidson of Vulture. “When he does, out comes a richly human creature, sincere in his love, fiery in his resentment, implacable in his rage … Kelsey’s musical sophistication — the way he booms without bellowing, gives buoyancy to a legato phrase, finds his way into the conductor’s plastic beat — is what separates a tragic figure from a pathetic one.” He has performed this signature role on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including The Metropolitan Opera, a performance that appeared as part of The Met: Live in HD, Opéra National de Paris, Opernhaus Zürich, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and many others. Kelsey’s lauded interpretation is preserved on the 2022 Apple Music-exclusive live recording of Rigoletto.
Kelsey’s mastery of Verdi’s baritone roles extends far beyond Rigoletto; he has contributed his artistry to the title roles in Macbeth, Simon Boccanegra, and Falstaff, as well as Renato in Un ballo in maschera, Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore, Amonasro in Aida, Germont in La traviata, and Don Carlo in Ernani. While Verdi forms the cornerstone of Kelsey’s artistry, his versatility as a performer is evident in his ability to shine in other repertoire. He has achieved great success in a number of career-defining roles, including his richly-sung Marcello in Puccini’s La bohème and darkly compelling interpretation of Scarpia in Tosca, praised in Bachtrack as “the ‘Italian’ baritone we’ve been looking for, with a big, resonant sound and a wonderful, dramatic snarl that never stretches or distorts the vocal line.”
Kelsey’s artistry has earned him numerous accolades, including The Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award in 2015 and the prestigious Opera News Award in 2022. He was a finalist of the Plácido Domingo Operalia Competition in 2004, and represented the United States in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2005.
