Alcorn State University is poised to host a celebration of music as internationally recognized bass performer Kenneth Kellogg brings his talents to campus. Sponsored by a grant from the Coalition of African Americans in the Performing Arts, Kellogg will present a recital on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 1 p.m. in the Oakland Memorial Chapel. Following that, he will conduct a masterclass workshop on Monday, Sept. 30, at 2:30 p.m. in the Bolden Fine Arts Building Little Theater. Both events are free and open to the public.
Kellogg’s Musical Life
Kellogg, who has been praised for his “commanding stage presence” and “rich, resonant bass,” has woven music into his life’s fabric since childhood. He was born and raised in Washington, D.C. His formal training began at the Duke Ellington School of the Performing and Visual Arts, where he cultivated his vocal and visual arts talents.
Throughout his career, Kellogg has portrayed numerous iconic roles, including the title role in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” Mephistopheles in “Gounod’s Faust”, and Sarastro in “Die Zauberflöte.” Notably, he originated the leading role in Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s opera “Blue,” which earned acclaim as the best new opera of 2020 by the Music Critics Association of North America.
He has also participated in several new opera workshops, including Jake Heggie’s “Moby Dick” at the San Francisco Opera and the West Coast premiere of Terence Blanchard’s “Champion: An Opera in Jazz,” where he performed as Young Emile Griffith.
Kellogg has graced stages across the United States and Europe. He frequently serves as a guest lecturer on music, actively promotes artist rights and consults on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within performing arts organizations.
He is an alumnus of the Adler Fellowship Program at the San Francisco Opera and the Domingo-Caftriz Emerging Artist Program at the Washington National Opera. The singer holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Ohio University