Bass-baritone Kelly Markgraf has been hailed by the New York Times for his "heart-stirring" singing and "charismatic" stage presence. In the summer of 2017, he created the role of Paul Jobs in Mason Bates’s premiere of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at the Santa Fe Opera, which later received a 2019 GRAMMY® Award for Best Opera Recording. He also created the role of Hannah-Before in Laura Kaminsky’s transgender opera As One, one of the most frequently performed new operas in the United States today. Since its widely acclaimed premiere at BAM, Markgraf has reprised the role many times including recent productions with Opera Colorado and San Diego Opera.

Markgraf has enjoyed collaborations with some of the world’s most esteemed conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Alan Gilbert, Giancarlo Guerrero, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Robertson, Robert Spano, and Edo de Waart. He has performed with the nation’s leading symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas, he made his San Francisco Symphony debut as Bernardo in a live concert recording of West Side Story, which was later nominated for a GRAMMY® Award.

As a frequent chamber music collaborator, Mr. Markgraf has appeared at Alice Tully Hall with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and acclaimed pianist Wu Han, as well as the OK Mozart, Chamber Music Northwest, and Music@Menlo festivals. He has twice performed in recital with the Marilyn Horne Foundation at Carnegie Hall and has collaborated in recital with pianists Gil Kalish and Ken Noda.