A Whirlwind Summer for Kunde

Verona.  London.  Pesaro.  Verona.  Milan.  Verona.

Gregory Kunde could be seen and heard all over Italy this August, with a trip to London as well.

Beginning in Verona, the tenor appeared in Stefano Poda’s Aida as the warrior-leader Radames.  Later in the month, Kunde was back to Verona for the reinvention of the original 1913 production of Aida.  Both productions featured Kunde with some of his favorite colleagues including Ekaterina Semenchuk, Anna Pirozzi, Elena Stinkina, and Ludovic Tezier, to name a few.

In London, the Brasserie Zedel hosted Kunde in his first ever jazz concert, accompanied by his pianist John G. Smith, bassist Sam Burgess, and percussionist Mike Smith.  Gregory sang for and chatted with the enthusiastic audience for nearly 90 minutes.  And the standing room only crowd lingered long after the last note sounded, taking photos with the tenor and enjoying the festive mood.

Kunde traveled to Milan to work with students over a week of master classes, ending with a special concert at the Casa Verdi to highlight their work together.