William Kyle

William Kyle is a lyric baritone originally from Rugby, Warwickshire. He is in his first year of a Master’s degree at the Royal Northern College of Music where he is studying with Quentin Hayes. His studies are being kindly supported by the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.

 

On the operatic stage, William has taken the roles of Herald in The Pilgrim’s Progress, directed by Jonathan Cocker and conducted by David Parry; Geôlier in Dialogues des Carmélites, directed by Orpha Phelan and conducted by Andrew Greenwood; and Harašta in The Cunning Little Vixen directed by Sam Brown and conducted Nicholas Kok. He was also cast as Edmund Bertram in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park, directed by Stephen Barlow and conducted by Nicholas Kok, which was sadly cancelled after the dress rehearsal because of the lockdown restrictions. He has also sung the roles of The Protector in George Benjamin’s Written on Skin, and Don Andrès de Ribeira in La Périchole in opera scenes at the RNCM.

 

In 2018 William was part of the Opera North chorus for their critically acclaimed production of Kevin Puts’ Silent Night directed by Tim Albery and conducted by Nicholas Kok. Earlier in the year, he featured on the first commercial recording of Alfred Cellier’s Dorothy with Victorian Opera conducted by Richard Bonynge.

 

In 2020, William enjoyed considerable success in competitions, being chosen as a finalist in the prestigious Frederic Cox Award for Singing and the Betty Bannerman French Song Prize. He has previously been highly commended in the Alexander Young Prize, the James Oncken Song Prize and the Elsie Thurston Prize.

 

An experienced oratorio singer, he has sung as a soloist across England and Wales. His oratorio repertoire includes Handel’s Judas Maccabeus with BMEMF, Haydn’s The Creation with Stokesley and District Choral Society and Fauré’s Requiem with Vocalis (Harrogate). He is an experienced choral singer and is currently a member of the Kantos Chamber Choir, who regularly perform on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and have made numerous recordings with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

William is also a frequent concert performer with a keen interest in song repertoire. He has been a member of the RNCM Songsters for three years; in that time he has been part of a recording project of Arthur Sullivan songs with David Owen Norris and performed in recitals at the RNCM Day of Song and the Chetham’s Day of Song. He has taken part in public masterclasses with renowned singers such as Amanda Roocroft and Roderick Williams, and has performed recitals of English song repertoire in Rochdale, Huddersfield and Manchester.