The Journey

Hailed as a “tour de force” by Cultural Voice of North Carolina, tenor Kyle Melton has established himself as a versatile performer on both the operatic and concert stage. Recent appearances include Handel’s Messiah, Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël, Bach’s Magnificat, Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden, and Stainer’s The Crucifixion, as well as Yab in Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus with Opéra Louisiane.

His recent operatic roles include Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Chevalier des Grieux (Manon), Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Vladimir Lensky (Eugene Onegin), and Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi) amongst others. He has performed with regional and international companies including Opera Carolina, Opéra Louisiane, Operafestival di Roma, Accademia dell’Opera Europea, and the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera, where he has appeared in numerous productions.

In addition to his performing career, Kyle is an award-winning stage director, researcher, and voice educator. Following a successful return to the stage after surviving cancer and rebuilding his voice, he has become a passionate advocate for vocal health and cancer survivorship. His article “Singing After Cancer” was published in Classical Singer Magazine in the May/June 2023 issue. His dissertation won the prestigious LSU dissertation fellowship, which also focused on promoting vocal health for cancer survivors. Kyle received a certificate in Vocology from the Summer Vocology Institute in 2023 under the tutelage of Dr. Ingo Titze.

In 2024 Kyle was named the winner of the American Prize in operatic stage direction – Charles Nelson Reilly Prize – in the larger program university division. He has directed for the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at Louisiana State University, SNATS at LSU, Eastern New Mexico University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Opera Theatre.

Kyle holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from Louisiana State University, where he was a student of Prof. Robert Grayson and Prof. Sandra Moon. He currently resides in Baton Rouge and serves as the Interim Director of Opera and Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Kyle continues to maintain an active performing schedule and private voice studio.