Stewart Kempster

Born in Chirk, North Wales and he began his musical life as a parish church organist and choir master. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Mark Wildman and Iain Ledingham and whilst at the RAM he won many prizes and awards and took part in several masterclasses and concerts. He has since performed much of the Bass operatic repertoire with many different opera companies both at home and abroad. Roles include Banco Macbeth, Don Basilio Il Barbieri di Siviglia, Lodovico Otello, Father Truelove Rakes Progress, Zaccaria Nabbuco and Ffion Mac Cumhail in William Sweeney’s Gaelic opera An Turus performed with the Paragon Ensemble. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Porgy Porgy and Bess and the four villain roles in Tales of Hoffman for Wexford Festival Opera. Stewart is an accomplished oratorio singer and he has sung with all the major choirs and orchestras in Scotland in the works of Handel, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s Creation, the requiems of Mozart, Fauré and Verdi with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Opera Orchestra. He has sung all the major works of J.S. Bach and many of his church cantatas in the City of London Bach Cantata Series. Stewart appears on a number of CD recordings, including Leighton’s Hymn to Matter and the Duruflé Requiem with the National Youth Choir and the SNO and several recordings and broadcasts from Wexford Festival Opera and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He recently worked on the acedemy award winning soundtrack of the Lord of the Rings series of films working with the composer Howard Shore. His recent operatic work includes Leporello Don Giovanni, Sarastro Magic Flute and Superintendent Budd Albert Herring for the Opera Project and the Longborough Festival. Also with Diva Opera group, Colline La Bohème and Montorone Rigoletto and a European tour, singing Don Magnifico Cenerentola and Raimondo Lucia, taking him to many music festivals in France, Switzerland and Russia and culminating in a performance of Cenerentola in the legendary La Fenice opera house in Venice. When not performing, Stewart is an examiner to the Associated Board and in his spare time enjoys hill walking and driving his 1962 Rover 100 motor car.