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"Set apart from the rest of the cast was the pleasing, seamless tenor of David Kellett in the role of Feste."

-- Bernard Holland, The New York Times
"David Kellett expresses all the nuances of complex feelings with accuracy and sincerity. He whispers declarations of love in heartfelt pianissimos and plunges deeply within to express the anguish..."

-- Derniéres Nouvelles d'Alsace (DNA) - Strasbourg
"David Kellett's Don Basilio was a delightfully fussy troublemaker, relishing every bit of intrigue..."

-- Opera News
"Mr. Kellett is clearly used to projecting to the back of large halls, and sang with point and attention to drama."

-- Town Topics
"Kellett sang with a pure, accurate tone and with excellent diction. His overall handling of the role was outstanding."

-- The News Times
"Kellett didn't take the easy route of exaggerated effects... in the famous Erlkönig where many singers differentiate the three characters almost to the point of parody. Rather his interpretations were astute, subtle and smooth."

-- Town Topics
"Kellett's tenor was ardent and clear."

-- The Star Ledger
"Kellett sang with a sensitive and well-controlled sound, with attention to the text and an ability to find phrase direction in music with ambiguous meter, showing himself to be a singer who could sell a story well in song."

-- Town Topics
"Tenor David Kellett is always solid on an operatic stage..."

-- Princeton Packet
"Kellett's voice is a finely produced instrument, and he has retained that smoothness of line and production throughout the registers even as age has darkened the tone and added weight."

-- Classical New Jersey
"Mr. Kellett’s voice is full of richness, with every pitch laden with color."

-- Town Topics
"an elegant refined villain with menacing poise in every gesture and a bell-like tenor."

-- Princeton Packet
"Kellett sang the role of Count Almaviva with a tenor of unusual quality and he made a likeable hero. His two first act serenades were meltingly sung."

-- The Trenton Times
"Most impressive for his long sustained piano tones, Mr. Kellett nonetheless surprised and dazzled the audience with some very heroic upper range fortes."

-- Classical New Jersey
"David Kellett put the prescribed panache into his role as the black-mailing rival Pirelli."

-- U.S. 1
"Mr. Kellett is clearly used to projecting to the back of large halls, and sang with point and attention to drama."

-- Town Topics
"Most impressive for his long sustained piano tones, Mr. Kellett nonetheless surprised and dazzled the audience with some very heroic upper range fortes."

-- Classical New Jersey

Breaking News

November 8, 2014

Affetti: Banquetto - A Musical Banquet

Eagerly looking forward to the debut of Affetti, a new vocal ensemble specializing in solo and ensemble music. Affetti will present an afternoon of vocal chamber music and instrumental songs featuring selections by Des Prez, Monteverdi, Caccini, Peri, Dowland and Morley. Consisting of sopranos Anne McKenna and Lieve Hendren, alto Christine Bancroft, tenor David Kellett and baritone Matthew Walsh. For Banquetto, the Affetti will be assisted by guest artists John Burkhalter on renaissance recorders and John Orluk Lacombe on lute and baroque guitar. The concert will take place at the United Methodist Church in Madison, New Jersey on November 16^th at 4:00 pm.

July 14, 2014

An Evening of French Baroque: July 29^th at 7:30 pm

David joins John Burkhalter (recorders) and Minju Lee (harpsichord) for an evening of French Baroque Music. David will be singing Airs de Cour by Moulinié, Lambert, Jean-Baptiste Boesset. The concert will be held in the Bristol Chapel at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ.

June 23, 2014

Preparation Begins: Fall 2014 Music 214

David and Gabriel Crouch will be collaborating on their second opera project as part of Princeton University's Music 214 : Projects in Vocal Performance course. This project will be a double bill of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Jonathan Dove's Tobias and the Angel. The operas will rehearse during the fall semester and the production will take place in Richardson Auditorium on January 9th and 10th, 2015.

David and Gabriel last worked together on the Spring 2012 production of Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring.

April 3, 2014

This England

My first encounter with Britten's A Birthday Hansel will be with the Richardson Chamber Players this Sunday at 3:00 pm at Richardson Auditorium at the Princeton University. Set for high voice and harp, come out and see harpist and fellow faculty member, Elaine Christy and myself the poetry of Robert Burns to life!

The concert will also include selections from Ralph Vaughan Williams' cycle Along the field, Bax's Folk-Tale for Violoncello and Piano and Elgar's Piano Quintet in A minor, Op 84.

March 8, 2014

Singing for Furio tomorrow!

I am so excited to be singing in for the maestro tomorrow as part of a New York Continuo Collective sponsored event! The great Early Music baritone is in town for a concert tonight and will be singing selections from his marvelous Voce di Orfeo recording!

February 15, 2014

More Website Updates

A long overdue update to the Directing pages has been completed to include photos for Albert Herring. Presented in Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus and sponsored by the Princeton Department of Music and the Lewis Center for the Arts, the production was musically directed and conducted by Gabriel Crouch. The Britten opera marked David's 10th production as director.

February 5, 2014

Website Updates

A long overdue update to the Directing pages has been completed to include photos for Weehawken and Sid the Serpent who wanted to sing, two productions that David directed in April of 2103.

January 22, 2014

The Amhearst Early Music Festival Winter Weekend Workshop

David and several of the New York Continuo Collective members attended the Amhearst Early Music Festival Winter Weekend Workshop at Rutgers in Camden, New Jersey participating in the Steffani Project led by Baroque specialist, Julianne Baird and centered around the wonderful duets of Agostino Steffani. Pictured at the left are David and mezzo-soprano Kirsten Kane rehearsing Dolce é per voi soffrire with the continuo artists led by Richard Stone and Mark Rimple prior to the final concert. (photo by Rob Dobson)

January 13, 2013

The Coronation of Poppea is a success!

I am very proud of my students (left to right in the first picture) Michael Manning (Ottone), Allegra Wiprud (Fortuna & Damigella), Elliot Horlick (Lucano) and Aryeh Nussbaum-Cohen (Nerone) and their performances in the Princeton University production of Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea presented on January 10th and 11th at Richardson Auditorium. How many schools (and studios) can boast of two top-notch countertenors (Michael & Aryeh) and a Marilyn Monroe (Allegra) look-alike!

December 25, 2013

Another March Concert!

David will be returning to sing with the Long Island Choral Society to sing Carmina Burana. This will be his second Carmina this season after having sung it with Ars Musica last November.

Check out the schedule page for more information...

December 11, 2013

The spring season is filling up quickly!

David will be singing Handel's Samson with the VOICES Chorale in Pennington, New Jersey. This will be his second outing with Handel's powerful oratorio!

Check out the schedule page for more information...

October 28, 2013

The concert at Morven was a big success! Organized by John Burkhalter as an historic presentation for the museum trustees and featuring David, Sarah Peletier and Nick Lowery, the trio performed American music from the 1840s to the 1860s on this 1864 Steinway that was originally owned by Commodore Stockton. The Morven museum was home to one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and to five New Jersey governors, Morven has played a role in the history of New Jersey and the nation for more than 250 years.

Richard Stockton (1730-1781) built Morven in the 1750s on land granted to his grandfather by William Penn in 1701. After a fire in 1758, the home was rebuilt and christened Morven, ("big mountain" in Gaelic) by Richard's wife Annis Boudinot Stockton (1736-1801). Richard was a graduate of the first class of The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and became a prominent lawyer. He was one of five New Jersey delegates appointed to the Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence. Four more generations of Stocktons resided at Morven through the early 20th century. Commodore Robert Field Stockton (1795–1866) owned the property from 1828 to 1866.

The Gallery will shortly be updated with photos of the event!

September 16, 2013

David's Fall schedule is filling up fast! He will be returning to several of the NY/NJ choral groups as soloist in Bach's Cantata 208, Orff's Carmina Burana, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Puccini's Messa di Gloria. Check out the schedule page for more information...

June 20, 2013

David returns to the Bach in Baltimore Concert Series to sing Bach's secular Cantata 208: Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd! on October 6, 2013. Also known as the Hunting Cantata and featuring the soprano aria Sheep may safely graze, Bach composed it in 1713 for the 31st birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels. Check out the schedule page for more information...

June 1, 2012

David returns to the Princeton Festival to sing the role of Gherardo in their production of Gianni Schicchi during the month of June. The opera will be presented in a double bill with Rachmaninoff's Francesca da Rimini. The production will be directed by Steven LaCosse and conducted by the Festival's artistic director, Richard Tang Yuk. Check out my schedule page for more information...

Three of David's students from the Class of 2012, tenor Daniel Corica, soprano Lieve Hendren, and baritone Matthew Walsh were chosen to sing with the Princeton University Orchestra for the 2012 Reunion's Concert under the baton of Michael Pratt on June 3rd.

Here is an excerpt of Dan's rendition of On the Street Where You Live from My Fair Lady.

Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, soprano Lieve Hendren, and soprano Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa, three of David's Princeton University students, sang in a Masterclass with world-renowned countertenor David Daniels on May 4th, 2012 at Taplin Hall on the Princeton University campus. Pictured here from left to right, Torin Rudin, Katie Buzard, David Daniels, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, and Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa (Lieve Hendren is missing from the picture).