Kenneth Lee

Baritone Kenneth Lee currently teaches voice as an adjunct Associate Professor of Music at Elon University. Since joining the faculty in 1997, he has served as Coordinator of Vocal Studies, Chair of the Music Department and director of Elon's opera workshop. He also served as the music director and conductor for Elon's Music Theatre program for many years. Previously, Dr. Lee taught on the faculties of Vanderbilt University and Millikin University, where he served as Director of Opera.

Dr. Lee has appeared as a guest artist with such organizations as the Nashville Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria, Eastman Opera Theatre, Nashville Opera Association and at the national convention of the National Opera Association. He has sung under the baton of the renowned conductors John Rutter, Anshel Brusilow, Kenneth Schermerhorn and David Effron in opera, oratorio, and symphonic vocal works. He performed Mahler’s orchestral song cycle, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, in performances that were choreographed and danced by Rudolf Nureyev and members of the Paris Opera Ballet. Dr. Lee was invited to appear as a recitalist at the Cleveland Art Song Festival, Michigan Music Teachers Association, North Carolina State Music Teachers Association and at the national convention of the Composers Society, Inc. He has appeared in recital and oratorio in major cities throughout the US and in Austria, Italy and Great Britain. Dr. Lee is featured on the Mark Custom Label CD of the Holsinger Easter Symphony. A few favorite of his roles include the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ford in Falstaff, John Buchanan in Hoiby's Summer and Smoke, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, Paul in Carnival and Patrick in Mame.

Dr. Lee's students have performed leading roles on Broadway, National and International tours, in major American opera companies, and have received full scholarships to conservatories such as Juilliard and Oberlin. He is a winner of the teaching award for studio teaching at the Eastman School of Music.

Dr. Lee studied voice with Jeannine Crader, Marcia Baldwin, Marion Pratnicki, Sharon Mabry, and in master classes with Arleen Auger, Benjamin Luxon, Gerard Souzay, Dalton Baldwin, and Martin Katz. His coaches include Arlene Shrut, John Wustman, Harold Heiberg, and Kenneth Merrill. At the Eastman School of Music, he studied early music performance practice with Paul O’Dette and Malcom Bilson.