Baritone Kenneth Overton has consistently received accolades for his rich gleaming voice and his many layered, powerful interpretations.  He recently toured the British Isles as Porgy in Living Arts’ Porgy and Bess and, in the same role, opened Opera Memphis' 51st season.  He also makes his début this season with Stadttheater Klagenfurt as Jake (Porgy and Bess).  He recently sang his first Escamillo (Carmen) with Missouri Symphony Society, and well as Leporello (Don Giovanni) with Opera Memphis, Ping (Turandot) with Sacramento Opera, Bello (La Fancuilla del West) with Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, as Bass soloist in Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and as the Baritone soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with the Oratorio Society of New Jersey.   Mr. Overton performed the role of Stephen Kumalo in Lost in the Stars with Skylark Opera.  In 2008-0 he performed the role of Porgy at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Cape Town Opera company. Upcoming include  the Messiah in Norwalk Symphony, and Vaughn Williams  in Duluth Symphony,  Marcello in La Boheme with Connecticut Opera.

 Mr. Overton returned to Connecticut Opera for Taddeo (L’Italiana in Algeri) and appeared as Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) and Schaunard (La Boheme) with Metro Lyric Opera (NJ).  He also appeared as soloist in Schubert’s Mass in Ab with the Summit Chorale Festival (NJ), in addition to his Spain tour with the American Spiritual Ensemble.

Kenneth has also been heard as  Leporello (Don Giovanni) at Houston Ebony Opera Guild; Ping (Turandot) with Opera Delware; Schaunard  (La Boheme) and Ping (Turandot) with Opera Memphis; Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) and Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera; Baz Luhrman’s Broadway La Boheme; Masetto (Don Giovanni) with Connecticut Grand Opera; Schaunard  (La Boheme) and Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) with Connecticut Opera; City Center Encores’ production and recording of Romberg’s New Moon; Ping (Turandot)with Nashville Opera.

Kenneth’s intelligence and versatility have allowed him to excel in several modern works including Corps of Discovery by Michael Ching with Opera Festival of New Jersey; Six Characters by Hugo Weisgall; Nexus Arts (NY) The Gilded Cage by Kioulaphides.  With the Westfield Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Overton was a featured soloist in Fascinatin’ Rhythm, a concert of George Gershwin songs.  He made his Carnegie Hall début as Baritone soloist in Come Follow Me by Jackson Berkey with Mid-America Productions.  He was a winner of the Liederkranz Competition and a national winner of the Leontyne Price Vocal Competition.  He is also co-founder of Opera Noire of New York, a performing arts organization created to empower African-American artists to reach their full creative potential in a mutually supportive environment.