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Ryan Kuster

About this Artist

Bass-Baritone RYAN KUSTER is gaining vast attention on the west coast for his most recent accolades in San Francisco where he has been a member of the Adler Fellowship Program since January 2011. His most recent performance as Escamillo in San Francisco Opera’s Carmen

was called “pure bravado.” The Classical Voice said of his performance as Masetto in Don Giovanni, “Handsome Ryan Kuster sang beautifully, and acted so convincingly that it was hard to believe he’s an Adler Fellow.” This season at San Francisco Opera, he also performed Mandarin in Turandot and Astolfo in Lucrezia Borgia.

Up next, Ryan will make two symphonic debuts; first with the Los Angeles Philharmonic singing the role of Masetto in their performance of Don Giovanni, and also with the National Symphony performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Next summer, Kuster will also return to Wolf Trap Opera for alternating performances of Leporello and the title role in Don Giovanni, and aside from his tenure with the Adler program in 2012-2013, Kuster is also currently slated to perform in Dallas Opera’s production of Turandot in the spring of 2013.

Recent engagements include Pantalone in Le donne curiose with Wolf Trap Opera Company, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti with Opera Santa

Barbara, Marullo in Rigoletto with San Antonio Opera and Angelotti in Tosca with Annapolis Opera. In the summer 2010, he attended the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Young Artist Program, where performances included scenes of Garibaldo in Rodelinda, Don Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Dr. Cajus in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor in the Schwabacher Scenes Program.

Mr. Kuster completed his Artist Diploma at the Academy of Vocal Arts where he performed the roles of the Govenor in the world premiere of Margaret Garwood’s The Scarlet Letter, Schaunard in La Bohème, Enrico in Anna Bolena, Oroveso in Norma, the title

role in Don Pasquale, Doctor Grenvil in La Traviata, Dikoj in Kát’a Kabanová, and Don Alfonso in Cosi Fan Tutte. He has also appeared as Rambaldo La Rondine with Oberlin in Italy; The Parson, Badger and Woodpecker in The Cunning Little Vixen, The Doctor in La Traviata and Carl Olsen in Street Scene with Chautauqua Opera; Bluebeard cover (Samuel Ramey) in Bluebeard’s Castle at the Chicago Opera Theater; Count Ceprano in Rigoletto and as Betto in both Gianni Schicchi and Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost with Opera New Jersey; and Ferrando in Il Trovatore, Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette at Opera

North.

On the concert stage, Mr. Kuster has performed the bass solos in the Fauré Requiem with the Bucks County Symphony, the Mozart Requiem with the Neumann College Choir, the bass solos in the Messiah with the Tindley Temple Choir, the title role of Handel’s oratorio, Saul,

with the Marsh Chapel Choir and Collegium, and Adam in Haydn’s The Creation with the BU Symphonic Chorus. He has also appeared as a

featured soloist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Ocean City Pops, New Jersey Master Chorale, and Concert Operetta Theater of Philadelphia.

Mr. Kuster recently sang on the Metropolitan Opera stage as a National Council Semi-Finalist for the 2011 Compeition. In 2010, he received a 3rd place prize in the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition and received a Grant from the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Competition. He also was given the Encouragement Award in the Philadelphia region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Harmon Award from Chautauqua Opera in 2008; and was a finalist in the New England region of the Metropolitan Opera National

Council Auditions in 2007.

Mr. Kuster received his M.M. at Boston University where he performed the roles of A Man with a Cornet Case in Argento’s Postcard from Morocco, Benoit in La Bohème, Garrido in Massenet’s La Navarraise, and Amantio DiNicolao in Gianni Schicchi. Mr. Kuster received his B.M. from Westminster Choir College.