Felix Kemp

Praised by The Guardian for his “appealing baritone,” and awarded an Audition Oracle Singers’ Preparation Scholarship, Felix Kemp makes his debut with the Royal Opera, London, this season as a Flemish Deputy Don Carlo.

At the Royal Opera House, he will also give a Crush Room Recital, and highlights of his current season further include Don Fernando Fidelio for Lyric Opera, Dublin, J. S. Bach Lutheran Massand Mozart Requiem on tour with the Israel Camerata, the St John Passionin Sunderland Minster, Richard Blackford’s Pietáwith Orchestra Nova, The Creationwith the New London Orchestra, Messiah with the City of London Sinfonia in Salisbury Cathedral, Elijah in Arundel Cathedral, Birmingham Bach Choir’s Centenary Concert in Lichfield Cathedral, The Outsiders Fight Back for the opening concert of the 2019 London Song Festival and the 2020 Leeds Castle Classical Open-Air Concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 

In opera, Felix Kemp has sung Giove La Calisto for Longborough Festival Opera,Felix in Tom Coult’s Devil in The Belfry with the Britten Sinfonia as part of Jerwood Opera at Snape Maltings, Le Brigadier in Hérold’s Le Pré aux Clercs at the Wexford Festival, Noah / George Putnam in Russell Hepplewhite’s Silver Electra and Gaoler Tosca for English Touring Opera, The Chief in Odaline de la Martinez’s Imoinda with Lontano, Masetto Don Giovanni for British Youth Opera, The Herald The Travelling Companion for New Sussex Opera, the title role in Eugene Onegin for Opera UpClose, Marchese d’Obigny La traviata as an Opera Holland Park Young Artist and Melot Tristan und Isolde for Grange Park Opera.

His concert engagements have included J. S. Bach B Minor Mass and St John Passion in Coventry Cathedral, the St John Passion in St Albans Abbey, the St Matthew Passion with the New London Orchestra in Southwark Cathedral, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the Orion Orchestra at Cadogan Hall, London, Howard Goodall Eternal Light: A Requiem with the Southern Sinfonia, Elijahin Lincoln Cathedral,John RutterThe Reluctant Dragon for a John Lewis Partnership Concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem in Truro Cathedral. 

On the recital platform, as a Britten-Pears Young Artist Felix Kemp has performed Wolf Lieder at Snape Maltings, has explored opera arias in masterclasses with Sir Antonio Pappano as part of the Aldeburgh Festival and appeared in A Bernstein Celebration for the London Song Festival.

International engagements have included J. S. Bach Pilate St John Passion with Musikk i Sandefjord, Oslo, Brahms German Requiem in Paris with Ensemble Zene and Handel Judas Maccabaeus with Ensemble Sagittarius in Bordeaux. 

Following private studies in London, Felix Kemp continued his postgraduate studies at Trinity Laban, generously supported by the Kathleen Roberts Vocal Scholarship. His awards include First Prize at the Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Competition, Second Prize at the London Song Festival’s British Art Song Competition and the Audience Prize at the John Kerr Award for English Song. 

Felix Kemp’s recordings include Pierrot in Ethel Smyth’s Fête Galant for Retrospect Opera and The Herald in Stanford’s The Travelling Companion for SOMM Recordings. His broadcasts include In Tune for BBC Radio 3.

He is delighted to make his debut with Oxford Lieder.