Kevin Starnes has performed a variety of styles in a career spanning over twenty years. Praised for his “powerful voice” and “rich tone”, Mr. Starnes is a baritone based in Fenton, Michigan.

While at the University of Michigan, he performed the role of the Duke in Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” under the direction of Paul Curran and Martin Katz. He went on to perform Theseus in Britten’s “A Midsummer Nights Dream”, and Max Kane in William Bolcom’s “Dinner at Eight” under the direction of Robert Swedberg and Kathleen Kelly. In 2018, he will sing the role of Bartolo in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” once again under the baton of Maestro Martin Katz.

No stranger to the theatrical stage, Mr. Starnes has performed a variety of roles. He delighted audiences as Danny Zuko in “Grease” in 2001. More recently, Mr. Starnes gave audiences the old razzle dazzle as Billy Flynn in “Chicago”. He was credited as “a true highlight” as Herod in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” with his signature number being hailed as full of “panache and style”.

Mr. Starnes has been a soloist for major works on numerous occasions. He has performed Handel’s Messiah on numerous occasions. Most recently, he tackled Mozart’s Requiem, as well as Mozart’s Coronation Mass. In the past, he has performed Faure’s Requiem, Shubert’s Mass in G, as well as Twine’s “Changed My Name” under the direction of Mary Alice Stollak.

A seasoned choral artist, Mr. Starnes is a professional chorister with the First Congregational Church Choir in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Previously, he has sung with the Flint Festival Chorus, and with the Living Christmas Card during the holiday season.

Mr. Starnes will soon be graduating from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance with a Master of Music in voice performance, and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan. In the interim between his music degrees, Mr. Starnes completed a Master of Arts in arts adminsitration at The University of Michigan-Flint, helping to develop a community outreach program centered around opera education. He currently resides in Fenton, Michigan, with his lovely wife Jennifer and three amazing sons.