Tenor Christian Ketter made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2014 as part of “The Song Continues” with the legendary American mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne. The 2013 winner of the Friedrich Schorr American Prize in Voice, Ketter has appeared as the tenor soloist with the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Bruckner’s Te Deum, and made his Symphony Center debut with that orchestra again in 2015.
In early 2017, he performed under conductor Jay Friedman, principal trombone of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest as Tristan in Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, as well as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under Friedman with the Kishwaukee Symphony in May 2017. In 2018, Ketter returned to Oak Park for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and portrayed the lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “The Phantom of the Opera” at the Creston Opera House. In 2019, he sang Dvořák’s Svatební Košile in California with the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra.
A frequent recitalist, Ketter gave a 2016 solo recital for the Wagner Society of America. He also has appeared in recital for the Lyric Opera of Chicago Chapter, as well as a guest lecturer and recital at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. The 2013 Chicago Oratorio winner, he sang Mozart’s Missa Brevis in 2017 with the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. His past solo performances include DuBois’ Les sept paroles du Christ, Händel’s Messiah, Nielsen’s Symphony No. 2 and Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël.
Ketter was privileged to be coached and staged by composer Carlisle Floyd in a 2011 concert celebrating his operatic works. Other stage performances include “Rodgers & Hammerstein II Something Wonderful” at Chicago’s Symphony Center with the CBA Symphony, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra’s 2014 holiday concert; Che in “Evita” with the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra; Cavaradossi in scenes from Tosca with the Calumet City Chamber Ensemble; Radamés in scenes from Verdi’s Aida with Music by the Lake; Willy Loman in Rizzer’s adaptation of Death of a Salesman; a televised concert marking the Chicago premiere of Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights, singing the role of Edgar Linton, and Gaylord Ravenal in the Kern/Hammerstein musical “Show Boat.”
In addition to teaching voice and piano, he is a composer and arranger; he co-wrote a musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby, with music and lyrics with Paul W. Thompson, and is a featured orchestrator on Canadian tenor Riccardo Iannello’s 2015 recording. His debut classical recording “Beloved” is available at iTunes and Amazon.
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSO by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
