Kyle Ketelsen is a special talent, a wonderful voice with
extraordinary dramatic presence. I’ve seen him twice. The first time he
was in the Canadian Opera Company’s La Cenerentola, when I said
that he “brought a majestic sound to the role of Alidoro, the
philosopher”. The second time was in the video-recording of the
Aix-en-Province production of Don Giovanni directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov broadcast on TFO last year, playing a Leporello unlike any I’ve seen before.
More on that in a moment.
Ketelsen is in demand all over the world, with the world’s leading opera houses and orchestras. You can read more details of his bio here. This weekend that same production of Don Giovanni
(the COC’s co-production with Teatro Real Madrid (TRM)/Festival
d’Aix-en-Provence/Bolshoi Theatre) opens at the Four Seasons Centre. I
had to ask Kyle Ketelsen ten questions: five about himself and five more
about his work in Tcherniakov’s Don Giovanni.
1-Are you more like your father or your mother?
Well, of course the appropriate
answer is difficult to gauge, since we are invariably an amalgam of DNA.
I suppose it’s my father, though I do see my mother in me quite a bit.
By appearance, naturally, I’m nearly a clone of my dad. Same size and
build, same voice. Same thin face with close-set eyes, just without the
firefighter’s moustache he brandished for virtually all of his adult
life. The older I become, the more frequently I see him in the mirror.
Funny how that happens.
Dad was such a gentle soul, a
devoted husband and caring father. He truly was my hero. He wasn’t
without a temper, which he inherited from his father, but managed to
tone down quite a bit. Much the same as I have with the temper he gave
me. That’s the challenge of each new generation – to build on our
parentally-taught positive traits, and dull the sharp edges of the
negatives. He surely did, and I am.
My sisters and I kept a list of
“Dadisms” when we were young. Things dad said that struck us as
particularly funny. For example, “He’s ugly as a burnt rope.” Or “Baker
Baker,” code for bad breath. “Let the big dog run” was one of our
favorites. Many others not fit for printing in a family publication. My
sisters and I continue his legacy by repeating as many of these little
sayings as we can. It’s not difficult, as they naturally pour out of us.
I hear my kids repeating them as well. Passing it down.
Physically, I’m hard-pressed to
see my mother in me. I’m 6 feet & 192 pounds. At her apex, she
reached 5’2” and maybe 110 pounds. I could heft her like a sack of
flour, but mentally she was Plymouth Rock. As in many families, she was
the glue that bound us, and the driving force creatively. I have her
emotional (read: sappy!) perspectives of things like family, music,
nature, movies, and the world in general. Which quite often will leave
me in satisfying tears. The happy curse of having sympathy, I suppose. I
see it in my kids as well, which is quite beautiful.
There’s an interesting (albeit
indirect) connection my mom has with the COC. She was a devourer of
books and, until I was out of grad school, ironically, I myself resisted
reading. Couldn’t see the point in it when there was a perfectly good
television sitting right there in my living room. My mother died much
too young just before I was to debut at COC with “La Fanciulla del West”
in the 2000-2001 season. My role of Ashby was pretty minimal, so I
found I had significant chunks of free time at rehearsals. I remember
thinking that there’s probably a reader somewhere in my genes, so I
started with Catcher in the Rye in those COC rehearsals 14 years ago. I’m so grateful to have discovered that part of mom in me.
2-What is the best thing or worst thing about being a singer?
Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona. Kyle Ketelsen as Escamillo. Fabio Armiliato as José. 2011 (Photo by Antoni Bofill).
Allow me to make one thing
clear: to do what you love for a living is a gift! Plain and simple. I
try my best to never take it for granted. Don’t hate me, but I have one
of the best (and BIG quotes here!) “jobs” in existence. There’s a lot to
choose from when it comes to finding the best thing about being a
singer. Is it getting as much sleep as I want every night, or not
working in a cubicle, or not attending committee meetings, or playing
dress-up for money, or that I have collaborators in lieu of a “boss?”
Quite possibly, speaking for my soul, it is that I’m fortunate enough to
be fulfilled artistically while at work. That intangible capital, at
the same time fleeting and yet somehow cumulative, that you hold inside
which gives you pleasure in being artistically alive. Or perhaps this is
just from hearing the applause, and feeding my ego. I think maybe these
things are related…
Even on the worst day of
rehearsal, it doesn’t rate compared to so many other possible scenarios.
I like to say, “No one died on the table today.” That said, easily for
me the worst part of being a singer is spending so much time away from
my family. Becoming a husband and father was always a part of my life
plan – well before the idea of becoming a professional singer – so I
hold it above all other priorities. Traveling to foreign lands can seem
exotic and exciting, which it sometimes is. However, it’s often
overpowered by the painful separation from my wife and children.
3-Who do you like to listen to or watch?
I’m a rock-n-roller, for sure. I
do enjoy opera, but I hear it all day at work. So it’s usually Led
Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, Jack White, STP, Radiohead, and many others
to a lesser extent. Just about every genre of music (shy of country or,
say, death metal!) makes it onto the air in the Ketelsen household,
including jazz, bluegrass, standards, showtunes, movie soundtracks, pop,
blues, and heavy metal. The mainstay of my playlist lately has been
Rival Sons, a kind of neo-Classic Blues Rock group with four albums
under their belt. Very reminiscent of ‘70s-style rock n roll. I just
can’t get enough!
I’m a huge fan of movies, and
I’ll see quite a few on the road. Binging TV series is a favorite
pastime as well. I’m currently rewatching HBO’s The Wire. Others on my
faves list (in alphabetical order) are: The Americans, Archer, Betas,
Bron/Broen, Derek, Homeland, House of Cards, Justified, Ray Donovan,
Silicon Valley, The Walking Dead, True Detective, and Veep.
I’ll also watch just about any NBA or NFL game. Cubs/Bears/Bulls are always my priority.
NHL??? Sorry, Canada, I can’t follow the puck!!
4-What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?
Having played pick-up basketball
passionately for over 20 years, I used to actually have dreams about
dunking the ball. I could always grab the rim, and even dunk things like
a tennis ball, or my sweaty jersey. It’s as close to flying under my
own power as I can imagine. So much beauty in that act.
5-When you’re just relaxing and not working what is your favourite thing to do?
Some days on the road it’s just
good to do nothing at all; let the brain and body rejuvenate. Most free
days, though, I’ll either work out, take a long walk, read a book over
dinner at a nice restaurant, see a movie, take in a museum or sporting
event. Hopefully I have good colleagues, with whom I enjoy spending
time. Quite often I’m working in a city where I have friends or
relatives, so it’s a treat to be able catch up with them. This job
certainly affords me the opportunity to stay in touch with people I
might not otherwise ever see.
When I’m home, it’s all about
family. My wife is endlessly creative in finding activities for our
kids. I’m on the go quite a bit, taking them to karate, piano, guitar,
and ALL manner of sports. Not to mention intellectually enriching
classes & events. It’s truly a pleasure to witness your kids
thriving and finding things they like and have a talent for.
Five more about Leporello in the new COC Don Giovanni opening this week.
1-Please talk for a moment about the rationale or subtext of Leporello, in Dmitri Tcherniakov’s reading of Don Giovanni.
In this production the roles of
master & servant are set aside in favor of a more modern take.
Leporello is a wayward youth in desperate need of a father figure, which
he finds in Giovanni. It’s established in the staged overture that the
two have previously met, though is appears that they’re not yet friends.
My character is in his late teens or early twenties, and has been a
sort of ward of the state. He’s allowed to live in the house of the
Commendatore, to whom he’s related in some obscure way.
Like any youth Leporello has
learned how to relate to others from adults – in this case Giovanni.
It’s clear he’s been misguided when dealing with just about every other
character in the show. Where a son might mimic how his father treats
women, such is the manner by which Leporello acts toward the gender. His
notions of what makes a relationship are severely warped, clearly
demonstrated (I hope!) in his interactions with Elvira. He makes a
pathetic attempt at wooing her during the Catalogue Aria, and later
tries to impress her with an eerily cold, lifeless kiss.
The mutual contempt he holds for
his peers – played by the members of the chorus in one scene – is made
clear as well. Every relationship Leporello has is horribly
dysfunctional. He’s just a lost little boy at heart.
2-Please talk about working with Dmitri Tcherniakov, his methods and his manners.
I honestly believe Dima is an
artistic genius. He creates layer upon layer upon layer of motivation
and back-story for each character, and commits an unbelievable amount of
rehearsal time to each character, in each scene. Many directors will
have holes in their plan, not knowing exactly what to do in certain
places. No such thing with Tcherniakov! He arrives the first day of
rehearsal with his entire story so well conceived, it’s a Russian novel
unto itself. That’s not to say he’s inflexible with his concept. He does
allow for artistic interpretation, and honestly considers any input. If
he doesn’t agree with a suggestion from a singer or conductor, he will
give you a thoughtful reason why he doesn’t want it. No decision is made
willy-nilly in his productions. There’s multi-level reasoning behind
nearly EVERY move made onstage. Astonishing depth.
3-What’s your favourite moment in this Don Giovanni?
It does happen to be the first
act recit and trio with Giovanni and Elvira, leading to the catalogue
aria. It establishes in detail what my character is all about, as well
as my relationship with the two. It begins with my expressing
disapproval of Giovanni’s lifestyle, segueing into flirtatious
infatuation with his former love, Elvira. My action during the aria
demonstrates my character’s immaturity. In attempting to impress Elvira,
I invent sums of the Don’s conquests, mock the contents of her purse,
show off with a yo-yo (!), make faces at her through a window, make
light of the Commendatore’s memorial, pose and preen as he believes a
desirable man would, before moving in for the overt seduction attempt.
It all reinforces Tcherniakov’s architecture of the character, to be
very boy-like, mocking and insulting instead of praising and positive
attention, in an attempt to impress a female.
4- The arts often feel very precarious in this country,
spoken of as a luxury even as they starve alongside wealthy sports
teams. Please comment on the business and how you observe it unfolding
as an artist and as a citizen.
Indeed we’re in an age where the
arts are often seen as an elitist indulgence. As a form of
entertainment, opera thrived well into the 20th Century with very little
competition for viewership. Today’s entertainment options are seemingly
unlimited, therefore we need to fight for exposure and relevance. If
we’re to guarantee opera’s survival and prosperity, each must do his
part. It’s why outreach to schools, creative marketing and audience
development are absolutely vital, as well as inventively incorporating
social and mass media.
I am concerned about the
survival of this very special art form. Public and private financial
support are continually scaled back in favor of more “tangible” causes.
This is incredibly short-sighted and ignorant. Intangible benefits are
benefits nonetheless, and fulfill the soul. Art for art’s sake benefits
society, and is indeed for humanity’s sake.
5- Is there a teacher or an influence you’d care to name that you especially admire?
I’ve had the incredibly great
fortune to encounter the perfect voice teachers at the appropriate
moments in my development as a singer. My voice teacher in undergrad at
the University of Iowa was a man named Albert Gammon. He was a
perfectionist when it came to vocal technique and diction. He was a
living legend 25 years ago, and has a remarkable enduring legacy with
hundreds of his students, and their students.
My teacher in grad school at
Indiana University was Giorgio Tozzi. Readers who aren’t familiar with
him should just search YouTube.
One of the most famous basses in
history, he was a caring, insightful teacher. Always positive, famously
friendly and generous, he was also incredibly intelligent, and had
diverse interests like art, politics and hypnosis!
He very quickly opened my upper
vocal register with his Italianate technique. For years we concentrated
on legato, warmth of tone, and overall interpretation. He became very
much a grandfather figure to me.
click for more information about the production
I’m so very lucky to have encountered these two men at the ends of their careers.
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The COC production of Don Giovanni opens Saturday January 24th at the Four Seasons Centre.