KEY'MON W. MURRAH
Counter-tenor
Bio
Key’mon Winkfield Murrah, herald for his "resplendent, voluptuous tone throughout his enormous range and phrasing with the feel of silk" by Opera News , has quickly become one of the leading and versatile artists of this generation. The American countertenor is performing across the world's top stages specializing in baroque, belcanto, an contemporary repertoire.
Mr. Murrah has performed at the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre and the Bluegrass Opera. He has sung the role of Tolomeo from Handel's Giulio Cesare with the Red River Lyric Opera and Asprano in Vivaldi's Montezuma with the America Baroque Opera Co. he was selected in the Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in a Masterclass with Joyce DiDonato in 2019, and he continued his studies at the International Vocal Arts Institute. In 2020, he toured with the American Spiritual Ensemble and was a young artist at the Glimmerglass Opera Festival. In 2021, Mr. Murrah was a featured artist at the Florida Grand Opera for their 2020- 2021 season and sang Bertarido from Handel's Rodelinda as a Fleming Artist at Aspen Music Festival.
In the 2021-22 season, Murrah will be debuting the title role in Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice" at Seattle Opera,the role of Leonardo with a new production of "Frida y Diego" with San Diego Opera, and Hyacinthus in Mozart's "Apollo and Hyacinthus" with America Baroque Opera Co.he debuted at the Houston Grand Opera and the Grand Rapids Symphony.
In 2021, he was heard on the stage of The Houston Grand Opera as the 1st Place Winner of
he 33rd Annual Concert of Arias, as the Grand Prize winner of the Premiere Opera Foundation + NYIOP International Vocal Competition, and Finalist and Encouragement award winner of Operalia. In 2022, he became a Sullivan Foundation Award and Career Bridges Award recipient. He also won first place for the Belvedere Singing Competition. Recently, he won the 1st Prize award from the Giulio Gari Vocal Competition.
His other awards include the 2018 Encouragement Award for the Metropolitan Opera Council Central District Auditions and 2nd place award for the Emerging Soloists Competition. First place in the 2020 Camille Coloratura Competition and was a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions after winning the Nashville District Auditions. Also in 2021, Murrah won 2nd place in the Rochester International Oratorio Competition.
2022-23 Season
In the 22-23 season, he made his debuts at the San Diego Opera as Leonardo in Frank’s “El último sueño de Frida y Diego”, Theatre du Capitol de Toulouse, St. Louis Symphony, Bayerische Staatsoper as the Sorceress and Spirit in “Dido and Aeneas”, Detroit Opera as the title character in “Xerxes”, Ars Lyrica, and Komische Oper Berlin as Hamor in Handel’s “Jephtha”.
Current Season
In the current season, he make his debuts at Los Angeles Opera as Leonardo in Frank’s “El último sueño de Frida y Diego”, Bayerische Staatsoper as the Sorceress and Spirit in “Dido and Aeneas”, New Jersey Symphony, and The Metropolitan Opera as Balthazar in John Adam's, El Niño.