Kendrick D. Williams

Baritone

Having recently fulfilled the role of Dr. Claude Dupré in our production of Minette Fontaine, Mr. Williams is a native of Bennettsville, South Carolina. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC, and has a Master's Degree in Music Performance at Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a young baritone with a repertoire that includes works by Schumann, Mozart, Donizetti, Thomas, Rossini, Haydn, and Monteverdi.

Kendrick has been afforded a wide range of performance opportunities, while also giving back to the community by doing various recitals and concerts. In the 2010 - 2011 season he performed the operatic role of Jake in Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess" with the Claflin University Lyric Opera program, bass soloist for Handel 's Messiah presented by the Claflin University Concert Choir. Williams also competed in the 2010 Atlanta Heritage Festival Solo Spiritual Competition, in which he finished fifth. Continuing with the Claflin University Lyric Opera program in the 2011 - 2012 season, Kendrick delivered the roles of Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and King Melchoir in Menotti's Amahl & the Night Visitors.

Competing statewide and regionally, he received first place in the 2012 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition and second place in the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Regional round. In 2011 Kendrick was named the first place winner for the state of South Carolina in the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM ) scholarship competition.

After performing the role of Simone in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi in the 2012 - 2013 season, Williams decided to make musical theater an extension to his musical career appearing in Alice Walker's The Color Purple, singing the theatrical role of Mister, also the role of The Ghost of Christmas Future in Christmas is Comin' Uptown with the Claflin University Theater ensemble. While being enrolled at Loyola University New Orleans, Kendrick was involved with the Loyola University Opera Theater Company, as well as the New Orleans Opera Chorus. During the 2013-14 academic year at Loyola, Kendrick was heard as the Speaker in Loyola Opera Theatre's production of The Magic Flute and performed in excerpts from Trouble in Tahiti (Sam) and Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Dapertutto) on the H2Opera! scenes program.

As a member of the New Orleans Opera Chorus, he was seen onstage in the company's 2014 productions of La Bohème and Carmen. More recently, Kendrick competed as a semi-finalist in the Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition in New York.