Lewis, Keith
Lewis, Keith
Lewis, Keith, New Zealand tenor; b. Methven, Oct. 6,1950. Following training in New Zealand, he pursued studies at the London Opera Centre. In 1976 he won the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship and in 1979 the John Christie Award. He appeared with the Chelsea Opera Group and at the English Bach Festival in 1976. In 1977 he made his debut as Don Ottavio with the Glyndebourne Touring Opera, and then sang that role for his first appearance at the Glyndebourne Festivalin 1978. In the latter year he also sang Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at London’s Covent Garden. After appearing as Tamino at the English National Opera in London in 1982,he made his U.S. debut as Don Ottavio in San Francisco in 1984. In 1989 he sang for the first time at the Salzburg Festival as Berlioz’s Faust with the Chicago Sym. Orch. under Solti’s direction. In 1993 he appeared as Oedipus Rex in N.Y. He was engaged as Aiwa in Lulu at the Berlin State Opera in 1997. As a concert artist, Lewis has appeared with major orchs. on both sides of the Atlantic, principally in works by Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Berlioz, and Mendelssohn.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire