..
.

	---> b i o g r a p h y ---> r e v i e w s ................................................................................. ---> write to Manager
Kevin Deas, bass...

b i o g r a p h y...........back to roster....up June 2012 Kevin Deas has gained international acclaim as one of America’s leading basses. Lauded for his "burnished sound, clarity of diction and sincerity of expression" and "fervent intensity" by Chicago Tribune critic John von Rhein, Deas has been variously called "exemplary" (Denver Post), "especially fine" (Washington Post) and possessing "a resourceful range of expression" (The Cincinnati Enquirer). He is perhaps most acclaimed for his signature portrayal of the title role in Porgy and Bess, having sung it with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco, Atlanta, San Diego, Utah, Houston, Minnesota, Baltimore and Montreal symphonies and the Ravinia and Saratoga festivals. Next season is full of prestigious engagements. It starts with Missa Solemnis at the Berkshire Choral Festival, continues with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, followed by a number of Messiah performances with the Kansas City Symphony, National Philharmonic and Seattle Symphony, and culminating with the concert version of Porgy and Bess with the Vancouver Symphony and Milwaukee Symphony. In summer 2012 he sings Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Pacific Symphony and performs selections from Porgy and Bess at the Moscow International Performing Arts Center and the Vail Music Festival. Missa Solemnis at the Bekshire Choral Festival conclude the summer season. 2011/12 brought repeat visits to the National Philharmonic, return engagements with Boston Baroque, Musica Sacra, Oratorio Society of New York and Princeton Pro Musica, as well as the Requiem by both Fauré and Mozart with the Vermont Symphony and a Dvorak program with the Buffalo Philharmonic and North Carolina Symphony. He also performed Porgy and Bess with the MDR in Leipzig under Carl St. Clair. Deas’ 2010/11 season highlights consisted of appearances with the Calgary Philharmonic in Porgy and Bess, Boston Baroque with Messiah, a Richmond Symphony Beethoven Symphony No. 9, St. John Passion at the Winter Park Festival, Philip Glass’ Passion of Ramakrishna with Pacific Symphony, Paukenmesse with Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the National Symphony of Costa Rica on occasion of the orchestra’s 70th anniversary. Other recent highlights include the New York Philharmonic in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges under Lorin Maazel, the world premiere of Derek Bermel’s The good Life with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Leonard Slatkin and Hannibal Lokumbe’s Dear Mrs. Parks with the Detroit Symphony. He also sang Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under the baton of Daniel Barenboim with Filarmonica della Scala in Accra celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of Ghana, Copland’s Old American Songs and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro with the Chicago Symphony, Messiah with the Cleveland Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic and Handel & Haydn Society, an opening performance at the Newport Jazz Festival with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Colorado Symphony and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and performances of Brubeck’s To Hope! in Salzburg and Vienna. He also sang at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival and Carnegie Hall, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius with the Chicago Symphony and Barenboim, Mozart’s Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas with the Houston Symphony. Other orchestras include the symphonies of Atlanta, Virginia, Winnipeg, Modesto, and the Buffalo Philharmonic and Boston Baroque. A strong proponent of contemporary music, Kevin Deas was heard at Italy’s Spoleto Festival in a new production of Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors in honor of the composer's eighty-fifth birthday, videotaped for worldwide release. His 20-year collaboration with Dave Brubeck have taken him to Salzburg, Vienna and Moscow in To Hope! and his Gates of Justice were presented in a gala performance in New York during the 95/96 season. He also performed Tippet's Child of our Time with the Vancouver Symphony and in 1992 debuted with the Chicago Symphony in a concert version of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X by Anthony Davis, later repeated in New York and recorded. Kevin Deas’ list of recordings is as varied as it is impressive: He has recorded for Decca/London Die Meistersinger with the Chicago Symphony under the late Sir Georg Solti and Varèse's Ecuatorial with the ASKO Ensemble under the baton of Ricardo Chailly. Other releases include Bach's B minor Mass and Handel's Acis & Galatea on Vox Classics and Dave Brubeck's To Hope! with the Cathedral Choral Society on the Telarc label. b i o g r a p h y ----- r e v i e w s back to roster...up . . . .

r e v i e w s...........back to roster....up Bach – Christmas Oratorio The most striking was bass Kevin Deas, a poetic and communicative singer who shapes Bach’s lines as beautifully as he must sing Gershwin’s Porgy. - The Plain Dealer, Donald Rosenberg Bach – Mass in B minor Deas in “Et in Spiritum Sanctum” (“And I believe in the Holy Spirit”) showed that beauty can coexist with power in a male voice. - The Times, Donald P. Delany Bach - Cantatas The arias were sung with telling conviction by bass-baritone Kevin Deas, a frequent soloist with the Princeton Pro Musica. Deas’s voice with its organ-like tones has never sounded richer. - The Times, Donald P. Delany Bach – St. Matthew Passion . . . bass Kevin Deas filled his various assignments with noble artistry. - The Plain Dealer, 4/22/08 Beethoven – Symphony No. 9 The lower strings were exceptionally rich here, as was the bass soloist, Kevin Deas, in text exhorting all to sing still more beautifully and joyfully. - Herald-Tribune, Gayle Williams Deas was especially fine, singing the long, florid introductory passage for bass with ease and freedom. - Washington Post, Tim Page Bizet – Jolie Fille de Perth Kevin Deas, a singer always good to hear, did a lovely job with the part of Simon Glover, the “Fair Maid’s father. . . - The New York Times, Paul Griffiths Brahms – German Requiem baritone Kevin Deas was back to share his dark, radiating voice in the Brahms Requiem. - The Grand Rapids Press, Jeff Kaczmarczyk Copland – Old American Songs The admirable American bass Kevin Deas chose six of the 10 songs and sang them with a burnished sound, clarity of diction and sincerity of expression. . . . . .he brought a fervent intensity to “At the River” and his encore, “Old Man River” . . . that seemed to spring from deep within his being. - Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein Mr. Deas is the possessor of a rich, full bass voice with which he could not only roll out the bass pedal notes at the end of the song “At the River,” but also demonstrate a surprisingly firm high register in the song “Long Time Ago,” And his flexibility, as demonstrated in the patter minstrel song, “Ching-A-Ring Chaw,” had to be heard to be believed. - The Capital, David Lindauer Deas sang the Shaker tune “Simple Gift” and other Copland-arranged classics, including a wonderfully whimsical rendering of “I Bought Me a Cat.” A rousing ovation brought him back out for a surprise encore, a tribute to the late William Warfield, in which Deas brought the house down with Warfield’s signature tune, “Ol’ Man River.” He had barely completed the song’s powerful closing note when the folding theater seats flipped closed throughout the hall. - Jetsetter Magazine Gershwin – Porgy and Bess Deas sang all evening with a voice that was incredibly burnished (his low notes were in the basement) and powerful. His renditions of “A Woman is a Sometime Thing” and “I got Plenty O’ Nutting” were delivered with ample amounts of attitude and feeling. In the duet “Bess, You is My Woman Now,” he was tender and believable. - Democrat and Chronicle, John Pitcher Bass Kevin Deas was a strong Porgy, full of life in his anthem, I Got Plenty O’Nuttin, and anguished near the end in Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess.” - Star Tribune, Michael Anthony Porgy is the central role, and Deas warmed quickly to the part in the character’s chain of arias in Act 2. His careful diction preserved words as he developed the emotional landscape of the opera.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daniel Webster And bass Kevin Deas -- leaning on a chair in the absence of a goat cart -- was a vibrant Porgy, whether lamenting the "lonesome road" of his life, perking along in "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' " or proclaiming, "Oh Lawd, I'm on my way" at the end. - The Washington Post, Mark J. Estren Handel - Messiah The most impressive singer in this regard, because such delicacy is hardly expected in such a big voice, was bass Kevin Deas. His "Behold, I tell you a mystery," ushering in the oratorio's massive conclusion, was one of the evening's high points, as were "The people that walked in darkness" and "Why do the nations." – The Washington Post, Joseph McLellan But it was bass-baritone Kevin Deas, in supple and deeply resonant voice, who was the clear standout. He showed just how forcefully these texts can and should be declaimed, bringing particular power and dignity to "The Trumpet Shall Sound." - The Boston Globe, Jeremy Eichler This was sung with great expansiveness, strength and agility by bass Kevin Deas, who also distinguished himself in “Why Do the Nations” with well-floated melismatic runs.” - The Buffalo News, Herman Trotter The high point, from a soloistic point of view, came almost at the end, with Deas’ beautiful rendition of “The Trumpet Shall sound,” sung from memory and with great conviction. His turning to direct attention to assistant principal trumpet Thomas Drake’s flawless accompaniment was a nice touch; the piece amounted to a gorgeous duet. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sarah Bryan Miller On the plus side, bass-baritone Kevin Deas brought both a big, dark sound and almost frightening command to powerful passages like “Why do the nations so furiously rage together” and “The trumpet shall sound.” - Boston Herald, T. J. Medrek The exemplary bass soloist was Kevin Deas, clean with his divisions in “Why Do the nations so furiously rage together?” and lavish with his embellishments in “The Trumpet shall sound.” - The Denver Post, Jeff Bradley Handel – Agrippina (as Claudius) As Caludius, the roving consort of Agrippina, bass Kevin Deas sang flexibly and resonantly, and his portrayal of frustrated imperial randiness was amusing. - Boston Globe, Richard Dyer Mahler – Songs of a Wayfarer Deas is a mesmerizing performer. His rich, powerful voice, fine articulation and emotional range easily fill the stage. Singing in German, the regal baritone embodied Mahler’s autobiographical “Songs of a Wayfarer” with the anguish, bravado and passionate despair of a rejected but still devoted lover.” - The News Journal, Tom Butler Mozart – Don Giovanni Kevin Deas as Leporello, the humble servant fed up to here with the antics of his master and probably wishing he could have time for just one girlfriend himself, was delightful and played his role with deftness and humor. - Eugene Weekly, Ari Seligmann Aiding Don Giovanni in his amorous escapades was his servant, Leporello, wonderfully detailed by Kevin Deas. Leporello is the classic comic sidekick, yet Deas made him sympathetic and quixotic, while singing with a wonderful sensitivity.” - The Register-Guard, Fred Crafts Bass-baritone Kevin Deas, the evening’s Leporello, made the transition from comic manservant to terrified observer seamlessly.” - The Riverfront Times, Harry Weber Shostakovich – Symphony No. 14 In his debut, Mr. Deas displayed a rich, vibrant bass-baritone, and sang the text compellingly, always with a resourceful range of expression. For instance, his interpretation of “At The Jail,” was vivid with the horror of the gulag. . . . Mr. Deas’ rapid-fire delivery with wonderful character, and created a sustained, fluid quality as the music became more elegiac. - The Cincinnati Enquirer, Janelle Gelfand Tippett – A Child of Our Time But it was bass Kevin Deas, with his big, open voice and penetrating musical intelligence, who dug deepest to the fundamental human dignity of Tippet’s narrative and projected it through song with the instinct and style of a born storyteller. - Robert Jordan Verdi – Requiem Deas, baritone with piercing subterranean notes nonetheless, was the very voice of death from his opening solo as well as in several more solos later. - The Grand Rapids Press, Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk b i o g r a p h y ----- r e v i e w s back to roster...up . . . .