The young American bass Kevin Burdette has already impressed audiences on both sides of the Atlantic with his mellifluous voice and strongly dramatic characterizations. The San Francisco Chronicle called his Leporello "a tour de force of vocal splendor and comic timing."

Kevin Burdette's most recent successes include the role of Le Notaire in L'Île de Merlin at the Spoleto Festival USA, as well as his debut with Boston Baroque as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. He also appeared as soloist in Messiah with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra for the United States Naval Academy. Other recent highlights include his debut with Seattle Opera as Mustafà in L'italiana in Algeri and as Masetto in Don Giovanni. He performed "Time" in Gerald Barry's The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and returned to New York City Opera as The Sergeant in a production of The Pirates of Penzance that originated at Glimmerglass Opera. Mr. Burdette's numerous other roles at New York City Opera have included Leporello in Don Giovanni, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Archibald Grosvenor in Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience, Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Masetto in Don Giovanni, Siroco in L'Étoile, Pallante in Agrippina, Angelotti in Tosca, and Mago in Rinaldo.

Mr. Burdette's operatic highlights include his debut with L'Opéra de Montréal singing Claudius in the company premiere of Agrippina, his debut with the Chicago Opera Theater as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sergeant Sulpice in La Fille du régiment with Knoxville Opera, a return to Gotham Chamber Opera as Minos in the American premiere of Handel's Arianna in Creta, his first performances of Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Opéra de Québec, his first performances of Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Toledo Opera, the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Grand Rapids, Marquis in La forza del destino with the Collegiate Chorale, and his return to Glimmerglass Opera as Popolani in Offenbach's Bluebeard. Other credits to the accomplished bass' name include Siroco in Chabrier's L'Étoile and Archibald Grosvenor in Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience with Glimmerglass Opera, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Lyric Opera of San Antonio, Mustafà in L'italiana in Algeri, the title role in Don Pasquale, Elviro in Handel's Xerxes, and Masetto in Don Giovanni with Wolf Trap Opera, the Priest in Die Schwarze Spinne with Gotham Chamber Opera, and Fafner in a chamber version of Das Rheingold with the Eos Orchestra.

On the concert stage, Kevin Burdette performed Wim in the American premiere of Philippe Manoury's 60ème parallèle with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and Kent Nagano, and appeared at Lincoln Center singing the Liebeslieder Walzer. Recent highlights include his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra singing Messiah, an appearance with the Collegiate Chorale at Carnegie Hall as Sam in Un ballo in maschera, and his return to Avery Fisher Hall as soloist in Liszt's Missa Solemnis with the American Symphony Orchestra. He performed Beethoven's Choral Fantasy and Verdi's Macbeth with the Collegiate Chorale at Carnegie Hall, was the bass soloist in Messiah at the American Cathedral in Paris and at the Midland Center for the Arts, Jesus in St. Matthew Passion with the Knoxville Civic Orchestra, the bass soloist in Mozart's Mass in C with the Eos Orchestra, and appeared as soloist in concerts with the Vienna Festival. He also has sung Stravinsky's Renard with both the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Utah Symphony.

An alumnus of the Juilliard Opera Theater and the University of Tennessee, Kevin Burdette is a former member of the Opéra National de Paris Young Artists' Program and San Francisco's Merola Opera Program. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Richard F. Gold Career Grant Award awarded by the Shoshana Foundation and of the 2006 Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Award, presented by New York City Opera to an artist who demonstrates outstanding dramatic ability.