BIOGRAPHY
“Eric McKeever is a baritone with a beautiful sound.” Bassobuffo.com
As Tonio (Pagliacci) with SALT MARSH OPERA
American operatic baritone Eric McKeever has won consistent praise for his voice of “power and brilliance” (Chicago Tribune) and “considerable flexibility and a communicative presence enhanced by expressive, crystalline diction.” (Opera News)
Eric’s 2024-2025 season includes a return to Opera Project Columbus as The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. He makes his Memphis Symphony Orchestra debut in a concert of music by Mozart, presented in partnership with Opera Memphis. He also returns to On Site Opera as Dante in the world premiere of Laura Kaminsky’s opera Lucidity. He’ll then take on the same role in his Seattle Opera debut. In 2025 he returns to Nashville Opera making his role debut as Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore, joins Indianapolis Opera as a soloist on their 50th Anniversary Legacy Gala Concert, returns to Opera Baltimore in his role debut as Talbot in Maria Stuarda, then makes his Fort Worth Opera debut as Alidoro in La Cenerentola.
Last season included reprising Monterone (and covering Rigoletto) with Opera Delaware and Opera Baltimore. He also made his Princeton Symphony debut in Mozart’s “Requiem,” returned to Opera Columbus as Papa (Papageno) in a re-imagined take on Mozart’s Magic Flute, entitled The Temple, and made his debut with Opera Memphis as Schaunard in La bohème.
As Don Giovanni, with Andrew Potter as the Commendatore with INDIANAPOLIS OPERA
His 2022-2023 season included several debuts. First, he joined the Delaware Symphony Orchestra in their “Opening Night at the Grand” gala, made his role debut as Don Alfonso in Così Fan Tutte at Opera Delaware where he served as an Artist-in-Residence/Artistic Ambassador, performed Falke in Act II of Die Fledermaus with Maryland Opera in their “Ritorna Vincitor” concert, made his house and role debuts with On Site Opera as the title role in Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Michele in Il Tabarro, and performed William Still in Paul Moravec’s Sanctuary Road in his debut with Penn Square Opera. He also returned to Opera Columbus in his role debut as Monterone in Rigoletto. In June he made his debut with the Festival Casals de Puerto Rico in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” in concert.
As Marcello (La Boheme) with OPERA COLUMBUS
During the 2021-22 season, he performed the title role in Don Giovanni in his return to Indianapolis Opera, made his debut with Teatro Grattacielo as the Banditore in Zandonai’s rarely-heard Giulietta e Romeo, covered the role of Monforte in New Amsterdam Opera’s I Vespri Siciliani, made his recital debut in Opera Delaware’s “Sunday Spotlight” Series, covered the title role in On Site Opera’s production of Gianni Schicchi, performed Leporello with Teatro Grattacielo in their production of Don Giovanni at the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice, and made his debut with Washington DC’s Urban Arias as Papa-Daddy in the world-premiere of Why I live at the P.O.
During the 2020-2021 season he recorded Kamala Sankaram’s Looking at You, available on the Bright Shiny Things label and recorded several roles for Experiments in Opera’s Aqua Net and Funyuns podcast opera. Mr. McKeever also recorded Dandini for Opera on Tap’s digital version of La Cenerentola which was recently named a Finalist in Opera America’s 2022 Online Digital Awards, performed live in Salt Marsh Opera’s outdoor “Music at the Lighthouse” concert, and performed in Little Opera Theatre of New York livestream of “Zemlinsky’s Zimmer.” Mr. McKeever returned to live performances as Marcello in a new production of La bohème with Opera Columbus and performed outdoor concerts with Opera Delaware and Baltimore Concert Opera.
Recent performances include Charlie in the world premiere of Kamala Sankaram's Looking at You with HERE Arts, Tonio in Pagliacci with Salt Marsh Opera, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Opera Columbus, David in L’amico Fritz with Baltimore Concert Opera, Germont in La traviata with Pacific Opera Project, Malatesta in Don Pasquale with Anchorage Opera, the Speaker in The Magic Flute with Florentine Opera, and Frank in Die Fledermaus with Nashville Opera, Finger Lakes Opera, Florentine Opera, and Baltimore Concert Opera.
On the concert stage he has recently appeared as a soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth with the New Albany Symphony, performed Bernstein’s Songfest with Skidmore College, and with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra in Dave Brubeck’s The Gates of Justice.
Updated 12/7/24