Kyle Pfortmiller made his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Marquis d’Obigny in a new production of La traviata directed by Willy Decker. Since his debut he has also been heard in Capriccio, Andre Chenier, Faust, La fanciulla del West, The Magic Flute, and as Brian’s father in the New York Premiere of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys.
Some of his most recent roles include a reprise of the role of Mr. XE in the Pulitzer Prize winning opera, Angel’s Bone, by Du Yun and Royce Vavrek with the Beijing Festival and the Hong Kong New Arts Festival, his role debut as King Arthur in the musical Camelot with Intermountain Opera, and his role and company debut in the US premiere of Vivaldi’s Farnace as Aquilio with Spoleto Festival USA.
Kyle has appeared with opera companies throughout the United States including the Metropolitan Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Florida Grand Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Carolina, Tulsa Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Memphis, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Saratoga, and Prototype Festival among many others.
He has employed his unique talent in opera, operetta and musical theatre from the contemporary to the classic. His repertoire includes the title roles in Don Giovanni , Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Rigoletto, as well as Valentin (Faust), Eisenstein and Falke (Die Fledermaus), Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Silvio (Pagliacci), Count Carl Magnus Malcolm (A Little Night Music), Billy Bigelow (Carousel), Pierre/Red Shadow (The Desert Song), Hajj, the Poet (Kismet) and Henry Higgins (My Fair Lady).
Kyle made his European debut with the De Nederlandse Opera as Silvio in Pagliacci to critical acclaim and was heralded as “a voice that could give us a father Germont and other lyric roles in the great American baritone tradition of Robert Merrill.”
As a voice teacher, he maintains a private studio in New York City and holds faculty positions at Molloy University and Lehigh University. Kyle has given masterclasses at his alma mater Illinois Wesleyan University, University of Tulsa, Loyola University, Montana State University, Buckhill Skytop Music Festival, and the Bethesda Summer Music Festival.
As an actor, Kyle can be seen on television in the current season of Food That Built America in episode one entitled Breakfast That Pops. Notable other acting appearances include City Wears a Slouch Hat by Kenneth Patchen and John Cage and Art by Yasmina Reza.
Mr. Pfortmiller holds a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from Illinois Wesleyan University, where he was honored to be the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Kyle is a Sullivan Award Winner, a Theodore Presser Scholar, and a proud member of both Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Kyle was born in Elgin, Illinois and currently resides in New York City with his wife and daughter. He remains the only actor in NYC to have never been on Law & Order.
