Kyle Stegall, tenor
“Tenor, Kyle Stegall, wove the text into the orchestral parts; masterfully captured the style. The phrases were virtuosic, but sounded easy and spontaneous.”
“This focus on text is supercharged by the performance of the evangelist, who takes simple narrative exposition and manages to make it shine more than any aria. Kyle Stegall richly deserves his reputation as one of the finest evangelists of his generation. He can take a line like ‘Jesus said to them’ and elevate it to the sublime. His voice is expressive, resonant, and has both a warmth and clarity that make it unforgettable. I have never seen a singer that showed no sign of facial strain or who did not at some point reveal the artifice of acting. Mr. Stegall made one completely forget that he was performing: the spirit of the words moved through him with all the guilelessness and tenderness of an evangelist. Mr. Stegall’s magical interpretation illuminated the rich texture of the St. John Passion and activated its intellectually and spiritually transformative nature.”
Classical Music Daily - UK, May, 2024
"Operatic arias sung with enormous stylistic savvy by tenor Kyle Stegall"
"American tenor Kyle Stegall showed what he was about right from the start, with sensitive melismas and attractively plangent tone."
"Kyle Stegall’s ethereal timbre shimmered, his refined singing heightening the consequence of the words."
"Kyle Stegall took the stage and held the audience in thrall for over one hour with a deeply moving and authentic performance of Schubert's epic cycle Die Schöne Müllerin.Performing an entire cycle by memory is a feat accomplished by few, and the pressure of memorization coupled with the sheer physical and emotional stamina required to sustain such a piece without even a sip of water at any point is not a common occurrence.
Mr. Stegall performed the entire cycle with no water at hand on a warm and dry afternoon. Pristine, idiomatic delivery of the sometimes very dense and fast German text was nigh unto perfect. His lyric tenor soared brightly in the big and high places, floated down to almost nothing in the quietest moments, and revealed a firm and rich lower range when the narrative required. This was a stunning performance. Altogether the beauty, pace and arc of this performance had the audience hooked at "Das Wandern" and holding its collective breath an hour later at "Gute Nacht"."
"Mr. Stegall gave a masterly performance. Mr. Stegall lavished a surging momentum in every phrase, the potent ending elicited loud applause. W. G. Still’s piece was sung with palpable shimmering notes."
"These six sparkling gems describing love's longing, joy and sadness in the context of being immersed in nature, and were brought to radiant life by the intensely romantic, thoughtful, masterful and sweet singing of tenor Kyle Stegall."
"Kyle Stegall, with a handsome high tenor voice, sang the tragic Turkish sultan Bajazet, his delivery loaded with fury and, later, regret and self-pity. Stegall was at his best in the nostalgic and ethereal “Séjour de l’éternelle paix,” his piercing high tenor and lyrical, slightly aloof phrasing felt just right."
"The voice is youthful, if more lightly acidic than the sweet-toned Padmore, and cleanly produced, with a middle and lower register that is occasionally reminiscent, it struck me, of Ian Bostridge. And he’s a similarly outstanding communicator – a passionate and engaged one, too."
"Tenor Kyle Stegall adapts his voice to changing moods: from hecticly-dramatic, to tenderly-lyrical, and melancholic. He shows that Clara Schumann covers the entire spectrum of the romantic song. For example, every encounter here with her songs makes one realize that she should not be thought inferior to male colleagues and contemporaries. Stegall succeeds wonderfully in expressing the various themes: alienation, nocturnal mystery, threat, memory and prophetic dreaminess in the intonation of his beautiful clear-tenor voice. Kyle Stegall has a clean articulation and dares to change accents and tempo in the service of the mood of the song. I am not surprised that he was guided for the song repertoire by singers such as Christoph Prégardien and Ian Bostridge and pianists such as Malcolm Martineau and Julius Drake. It can be heard!"
-Klassiek Centraal, August/2019
"Stegall himself is very much a tenor in the Bostridge and Prégardien mould, with a light, pliant tone ideally suited to ‘period performance’, but with enough tonal depth and variety to take on the most expressively demanding of lieder. Stegall uses vibrato sparingly to wondrous effect, instead making subtle dynamic gradations to shape the line.
An added bonus, too, are the excellent English translations by Kyle Stegall himself, clearly a musician of exceptional ability and intelligence. It’s a rare treat to hear this music so stylishly performed, so free from mannerisms and yet so completely absorbing, a meeting of minds and techniques between singer and pianist."
"The second half of the concert opened with Mr. Stegall and Eric Zivian performing songs to wonderful texts by Victor Hugo. This was greatness in words, music and performance. “If there is a charming garden,” “The tomb and the Rose,” “Child, if I were King” and “Oh! When I sleep” traversed regions of gentle love to darkness and ferocity, to humor and sweetness, and finally to vocal ecstasy. Mr. Stegall’s and Mr. Zivian”s instruments intertwined, captured complex imaginations and transported us into the magic world of these romantic songs."
"Stegall combines his ripe lyric tenor with poetic intelligence."
-The Sunday Times (London), July/2019
"Tenor Kyle Stegall delivered the entire role with a powerful blend of tonal sweetness and expressive urgency."
-San Francisco Chronicle, June/2019
"Best of all is the secondary character, Tommaso, beautifully sung by Kyle Stegall."
-San Francisco Classical Voice, June/2019
"The soloists were good: Stegall was the standout. He sang a Martines concert aria beautifully."
-San Francisco Classical Voice, May/2019
"His voice had ardor and lyricism and the poetry he conveyed, full of love and longing, was deeply affecting."
"Tenor Kyle Stegall, listed as a guest artist in the otherwise all-Juilliard cast, was a handsome, dashing Hippolyte who coped intelligently with the punishing haute-contre range of his music, phrasing it with clarity and urgency."
"Stegall blossomed into his character with a gentle tone that melted the hearts of all."
"Juilliard reached beyond its own personnel to engage Kyle Stegall, a genuine "haute-contre"-that peculiarly French high-tenor voice type-who contributed a first-rate Hippolyte."
"As Hippolyte — a role for a high so-called haute-contre — Kyle Stegall phrased with eloquence."
"In the role of Glauco, tenor Kyle Stegall was excellent, his voice and demeanor perfectly mirroring his character’s stubborn pursuit, albeit in vain, of his beloved Scylla."
-Berkeley Daily Planet, September/2017
" Tenor Kyle Stegall's voice rang out clearly, even though the venue doesn't have ideal acoustics at all, hardly having walls. His Endimione, love interest of Diana, is convincing, as Stegall is tall and handsome."
-The Opera Tattler, August/2017
"Stegall’s Endimione is an appealing hero, his voice arcing beautifully in the top register and his acting full of youthful ardor. He makes his first entrance cavorting down the theater’s central aisle, sporting a see-through plastic raincoat."
"...tenor Kyle Stegall brought lyricism and ardor to the role of Endimione."
-San Francisco Chronicle, August/2017
"My favorite voice in the entire cast was tenor Kyle Stegall. I have heard Stegall a few times and his voice always stuns with its unforced beauty and superior musicality. This was the first opera I have seen him perform and hope it's not the last. He's a special talent."
-San Francisco Civic Center, August/2017
"Kyle Stegall’s clarion tenor rings as shepherd, Endimione."
"Kyle Stegall, as Endimione, possesses a well-trained tenor voice and an easiness of delivery that made him a delight to listen to."
-San Francisco Classical Voice, August/2017
“Mr. Stegall is a master of dark contrasts… beautifully sung, richly hued and distinct Polish. He made a strong case for this repertoire in a tenor version rather than the more popular light soprano.”
"Words were no problem for tenor Kyle Stegall, who as the narrator/evangelist provided dramatic vividness to his recitatives."
-St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May/2017
"The role of Saint John the Evangelist was sung by tenor Kyle Stegall, who possesses a fine-grained tone and a supple technique that enables him to achieve great expressivity."
-Berkeley Daily Planet, May/2017
"Stegall used the words as a springboard into the musical rhythm but always looking to inflect his dialogue in a way that gave it conversational life. He sang the arias well, of course, and the whole performance suggested an intellect at work, Stegall shaping the lines like a good actor."
-San Francisco Classical Voice, May/2017
"Kyle Stegall as St. John the Evangelist has a sweet, unforced tenor infused with musical sensitivity, and his performance was a continuous delight."
-San Francisco Civic Center, May/2017
"Kyle Stegall, who sang the part of the narrating Evangelist, was excellent: he performed the challenging role with unflappable poise and a confluence of technical versatility and textual clarity. His singing was by far the most consistent of the afternoon—such a quality is practically a requirement of the role—and provided a solid foundation for the rest of the music."
"Mr. Stegall sang with great intensity of emotion in all ranges, and the audience and singer seemed completely engaged in the drama and beauty of the music and words. The singer at times seemed transported to other worlds, expressing the texts with gestures of voice, face, eyes, hands and body. Knowing German was not necessary for understanding the emotional journeys in Der Jungling an der Quelle and Der Jungling und der Tod . An eery and unforgettable moment occurred at the end of the song Death and the Maiden, as Mr. Stegall very slowly raised his right hand out toward the audience and stared into the far distance."
"...the music brought out Mr. Stegall’s rich sonority, excellent German diction and his skill at swelling delicately on soft notes. It was charm with strength. Applause was heavy."
"Kyle Stegall, a tall tenor with a clear and appealing voice, sang gracefully and with meaning."
-Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, May/2016
"Tenor Kyle Stegall infused the Gethsemane scene in Part I with pathos, and had another fine moment with the "Patience" aria in Part II."
"Filling the title role was the tenor Kyle Stegall, who carried not only the performance of Jonas on his shoulders, but most of the concert as well. Stegall is a remarkable young singer, with both brains and vocal brawn. He put his clear, powerful voice to good use with intelligent and well-informed interpretative decisions. What is more, Stegall has a knack for the dramatic, which brought Jonas to life as a quasi-theatrical event, transcending the garden-variety “stand-up, sit-down” oratorio format we are used to seeing. Stegall was able to absorb viewers into the action so that they became characters in the drama themselves, something which is rarely achieved in opera, let alone oratorio.Stegall employed an impressive range of vocal techniques in order to convey Jonah’s emotional trajectory from fear to abandon to penitence. His ability to create the illusion of crying out while maintaining a beautiful tone quality was especially moving."
- San Francisco Classical Voice, March/2016
“The Evangelist, the superb tenor Kyle Stegall, narrated the story with great passion, his delivery heartfelt and nuanced.”
“Mr. Stegall sang with flutist Sandra Miller. This beautiful aria showcased both the singer and flutist’s ornamented phrases, glistening with brilliant idiomatic flourishes.”
– Classical Sonoma, December/2015
"Tenor Kyle Stegall followed the same passage with the sternly triumphant, "He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn," and "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron." His sound was bright, focused, and full of retribution."
“…outstanding, with extra kudos for Stegall in his role as Evangelist. His lively and empathetic delivery aptly reflected the changing moods and aspects of the biblical storyline. The aria “Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet” (Joyful shepherds, haste, ah hasten), a joyful coloratura back-and-forth with a solo flute, was lovely, the tenor briefly stepping out of his role as Evangelist to urge the shepherds to visit the newborn Christ.”
– San Francisco Classical Voice, December/2015
“All four displayed marvelous voices, with Mr. Stegall especially praiseworthy for the quality of his tenor in the higher registers.”
– Meals from the Marketplace, December/2015
“Tenor Kyle Stegall had a wonderfully bright, flexible voice & very clear diction. He sand his recitatives expressively, & his virtuoso arias sounded fluent & agile.”
– Not for Fun Only, December/2015
“The Requiem also brought professional vocal talent to the stage:… tenor Kyle Stegall — by far the best and most musically self-aware of the four.”
“Stegall in particular has a soulfulness to his singing that is something that can’t be taught, and it was wonderful hearing the young tenor in a role that could have been written for him at this point in his career.”
– San Francisco Civic Center, January/2015
” Kyle Stegall was brilliant with his portrayal of Acis. His tone was perfect, and the characterization true and genuine. Tenors can seem so pretentious and pompous, but this one seemed as though he could really love.”
– The Sacramento Choral Scholar, January/2015
“Kyle Stegall truly stunned in the second act. His honeyed voice took on a fervent, almost startling power when vocalizing his rage against Polyphemus (“Love sounds th’alarm and fear is a-flying”). The jealous passion was evident in his burning eyes.”
– The Daily Californian, January/2015
“Tenor Kyle Stegall and soprano Nola Richardson were the sweetest Acis and Galatea I have ever heard, both tall and beautiful and radiant of voice.”
– The Reverberate Hills, January/2015
“Stegall has a clear high tenor voice with plenty of power.”
– The Berkeley Daily Planet, January/2015
“…the feather-light phrasing of tenor Kyle Stegall, who was a bright and energetic Acis, a shepherd too distracted by love to take proper care of his flock.”
– San Francisco Classical Voice, January/2015
“Mr. Stegall’s soaring melismas and ascending ornaments, accompanied by the orchestra, left no doubt that he was in full command of his instrument.”
– Classical Sonoma, December/2014
“Tenor, Kyle Stegall, led into “Hallelujah,” with “He that dwelleth,” and “Thou shalt break them,” with a heroic, flexible sound proclaiming the vengeful retribution of God.”
“…Stegall’s sterling reading of Britten’s Winter Words cycle: blemish-free production and a ringing mastery of the required compass…”
– The Sydney Morning Herald, September/2014
“tenor Kyle Stegall was very persuasive in the role of the Evangelist.”
– The American Bach Society, May/2014
“The most impressive by far was Kyle Stegall, the tenor who sang the demanding part of the Evangelist with lovely tone, ardent expression and good diction.”
– The New York Times, April/2014
“…the resounding narrations and arias by Evangelist Kyle Stegall were pointed and never over dramatic.”
“The sweetness of his voice was a pleasure…and …made the musical parts seem secondary to the text.”
– Seen and Heard International, April/2014
“Kyle Stegall’s Actéon was intense and convincing, and he showed another, more dramatic voice than the one I admired in his role as the Evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion.”
– Seen and Heard International, April/2014
“Particularly good moments in the oratorio were the tenor aria “Every valley shall be exalted” by Kyle Stegall and “Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened” by mezzo-soprano Kristee Haney.”
– Kansas City Metropolis, December/2013
“Kyle Stegall was particularly entrancing as the 1st Israelite, with a light, fluid, flexible tenor perfect for Handel. May his career prosper and San Francisco see him again soon.”
