Kenneth Tarver is considered to be one of the outstanding belcanto tenore di grazia of his generation, acknowledged for his beauty of tone, virtuosic technique, extensive and even vocal range, coupled with an attractive and elegant stage presence. KT has appeared at the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (Falstaff, Così Fan Tutte, La Cenerentola & Rossini’s Otello), Wiener Staatsoper (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Deutsche Oper Berlin (Don Pasquale, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Zauberflöte, Semiramide), Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Belshazzar), Bayerische Staatsoper (Così fan Tutte, La Cenerentola, Falstaff), Dresden Semperoper (L’Italiana in Algeri), Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona (Il Viaggio a Reims), Opéra Comique París (Fra Diavolo), Teatro Lirico di Trieste (Il Turco in Italia), Theatre de La Monnaie Brussels (Idomeneo), Metropolitan Opera (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola), Teatro San Carlos Naples (Così fan Tutte) and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence (Don Giovanni) conducted by Claudio Abbado.

KT is a specialist in the most demanding virtuosic operatic repertoire. Recent successes include the role of Orfeo in Haydn’s L’Anima del Filosofo at the Budapest Festival conducted by Adam Fisher, Gluck’s Orphèe et Euridice at Staatsoper Stuttgart, Mozart’s Idomeneo at La Monnaie with Jeremie Rhorer, Haydn’s Orlando Paladino at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with the Hilversum Radio Orchestra conducted by Alessandro De Marchi and Haydn’s L’Infedelta Delusa at the Musikverein Vienna conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

KT has been invited to perform on prestigious concert stages, amassing an impressive repertoire of both well know and seldom performed masterpieces with such conductors as Alberto Zedda: Rossini’s Moise et Pharaon (Opera Royale de Wallonie, Liege), L’Inganno Felice, La Gazza Ladra (Rossini Festival Wildbad), La Scala di Seta (Deutsche Oper), Adelaide di Borgogna (La Coruña), Ricardo Chailly: Stravinsky’s Pulcinella (Concertgebouw Orchestra), Bach’s Matthäus-Passion (Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi), Johannes-Passion (Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester), Carlo Rizzi: Rossini’s Armida (Edinburgh Festival), Bobby McFerrin: Handel’s Messiah (Munich Philharmonic), Frans Bruggen: Mozart’s Requiem (Orchestra della Toscana). Other highlights include Rodion Shchedrin’s My age, My Wild Beast (Rheingau Festspiele), a film of Judith Weir’s Armida for Channel 4 TV in the UK, Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Verbier Festival and Mozart’s Requiem at the Tanglewood Festival conducted by James Levine.

As a favoured artist KT has an impressive recording catalogue. Highlights include collaborations with Deutsche Grammophon: Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra (Berlioz - Les Nuits d’été and Roméo et Juliette), Kent Nagano and the London Symphony Orchestra (Bernstein - A White house Cantata), works for the label LSO Live: Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra (Berlioz - Béatrice et Bénédicte, Roméo et Juliette and the highly acclaimed Les Troyens which was awarded Grammy’s for Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Recording). As an accomplished recitalist, KT was also featured on the series of complete Ives songs on the Naxos label. KT has also recorded successfully for Opera Rara: Rossini’s La Donna del Lago with Maurizio Benini, and for Harmonia Mundi: Don Giovanni and Idomeneo with the Freiburger Barockorchester conducted by René Jacobs.

KT is a distinguished graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, The Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and holds a Masters of Music Performance from Yale University School of Music, where he received the Dean’s Award for the Most Outstanding Student in the graduating class. He is a past winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was a member of the Metropolitan Opera's Young Artist Development Program and the Staatsoper Stuttgart Ensemble.