Clayton Kennedy, baritone/baryton

Known for his “powerful singing” and “considerable mastery of diction”, Montreal baritone Clayton Kennedy has had an eclectic career in baroque and early music, has premiered contemporary works of Canadian composers, as well as collaborated with world-renowned artists, studios and producers.

In the field of early music and oratorio, he has appeared as a soloist on several occasions with Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal (SMAM), as well as Ensemble Caprice, the Choir of the Church of St. Andrew & St. Paul, Bande Montréal Baroque, L’Harmonie des saisons, I Musici de Montréal, Ensemble Vocal Katimavik, Les Idées Heureuses, Ensemble Telemann, Les Boréades, Musica Orbium, St. Lawrence Choir, University of King’s College Choir and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO). He has had multiple appearances at the Lamèque International Baroque Festival of Music and frequently been a soloist in the Arte Musica Foundation’s The Complete Cantatas of J.S. Bach series. He has also sung in many Passions by J.S. Bach, including the Opus-award winning Matthäus-Passion with the MSO, in the roles of Petrus and Pontifex. He made his MSO debut as baritone in Faure’s Requiem in 2013.

Clayton premiered the titular role in John Plant's contemporary opera "I Will Fly Like a Bird: a Tribute to Robert Dziekanski", receiving warm reviews from the Chronicle Herald and Opera Canada Magazine, which recently named it one of the “Best Operas of the Decade”. Clayton also joined Ensemble La Nef for an Opus award winning album, as well as a tour of Quebec, the Maritimes (via Musique Royale) and Western Canada for a program entitled "Sea Songs & Shanties", and contributed to the soundtracks of Ubisoft’s Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and Rogue video games with many of the same musicians. He continues in similar projects titled Red Sky at Night and Les baratins d’marins.

Clayton had the honor of singing with the Congregation Shaar Hashomayim choir on Leonard Cohen's album "You Want It Darker". He recently collaborated with composer Sebastian Hutchings in premiering and recording a revised song cycle for baritone, double bass, cello and drum kit, titled “Fury”, premiered at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He works frequently with composer André Pappathomas in original works that feature heavy elements of improvisation. He was recently bass soloist in the Monteverdi Vespers with SMAM, the NAC Orchestra and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet at the National Arts Center in Ottawa. Other highlights include Jesus in St. John Passion with L’Harmonie des Saisons as well as one of the lead singers in McCartney Baroque (Beatles Baroque) with the same ensemble. He was Jesus in St. Matthew Passion with the University of King’s College Choir under Paul Halley.

Noted ongoing collaborations include the opera cycle “Hope (and the dark matter of history)” by composer Tim Brady, including the roles of Benny Goodman and Orville Gibson in the premiere of the opera “Backstage at Carnegie Hall”. He has also participated in the workshops for other operas in the cycle, with public premieres slated for later dates.

Clayton is a graduate of Concordia University (BFA in Music, Diploma in Advanced Music Performance Studies) and his core teachers include Quinton Hackman, Jocelyne Fleury and Michiel Schrey. He has received coaching from world-renowned artists including Sarah Wegener, Christian Immler, Julien Prégardien, Kent Nagano and the late Christopher Jackson. He was a finalist in the inaugural Linn Maxwell Keller Distinguished Bach Musician Award through the Bach Festival of Grand Rapids Symphony, in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2019.

Enjoying a diverse career, he also sang and acted in a small role in the film “Clouds”, which began streaming on Disney+ in October 2020.