PHOTOS by Marcus Shields
Kevin is an opera, theatre, film and television director and producer based in New York City.
Kevin has directed over 100 original projects in multiple mediums. Career highlights include three productions for PBS GREAT PERFORMANCES: the world premiere of BEL CANTO (Lyric Opera of Chicago), the world premiere of DOUBT (Minnesota Opera) and Bernstein’s MASS (Ravinia Festival). Kevin’s long collaboration with acclaimed composer Gregory Spears includes five world premieres: FELLOW TRAVELERS (Greg Pierce, librettist: Cincinnati Opera, Prototype Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Arizona Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and Virginia Opera, New York Times: Best Classical Music, 2016, New Yorker: Best Classical Recordings 2016, Opera News: Best Classical Recordings of the Decade), O COLUMBIA (Royce Vavrek, librettist: Houston Grand Opera), PAUL’S CASE (Kathryn Walat, co-librettist: Urban Arias, Prototype Festival, Opera News: Best Classical Recordings of 2014) and, with librettist Tracy K. Smith, CASTOR & PATIENCE (Cincinnati Opera, New York Times: Best Classical Music, 2022) and THE RIGHTEOUS (Santa Fe Opera, 2024). In 2026, Kevin launched the 10th Anniversary National Tour of FELLOW TRAVELERS at Seattle Opera. The Tour will travel to over a dozen companies around the country in 2026 and 2027.
Other world premiere highlights include KANSAS CITY CHOIR BOY (written by Todd Almond and starring Courtney Love and Almond, Prototype Festival, CTG/LA, ART/Boston, Arsht Center/Miami), THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS (Mason Bates, composer, Mark Campbell, librettist: Santa Fe Opera, Indiana University, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, GRAMMY Winner: Best Opera Recording), the Pulitzer-Prize Winner LIFE IS A DREAM (Lew Spratlan, composer, James Maraniss, librettist: Santa Fe Opera), OSCAR (Theo Morrison, composer; John Cox, librettist: Santa Fe Opera, Opera Philadelphia), THE GOOD SWIMMER (Heidi Rodewald, composer, Donna Di Novelli, librettist: BAM Next Wave Festival), THE NINTH HOUR (written by and starring Kate Douglas and Shayfer James: Met Live Arts at the Cloisters), IRON & COAL (written by and starring: Jeremy Schoenfeld: Strathmore Arts Center, Prototype Festival), EIGHTY-SIXED (Sam Salmond, composer, Jeremy J. King, bookwriter: Diversionary Theatre), THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (Kevin Putt, composer, Mark Campbell, librettist: Minnesota Opera) & UNHOLY WARS (created by and starring Karim Sulayman: Spoleto Festival USA). Five of Kevin’s productions (OSCAR, BEL CANTO, STEVE JOBS, CASTOR & PATIENCE and THE RIGHTEOUS) have been nominated for Best Opera of the INTERNATIONAL OPERA AWARDS.
Kevin’s long association with the work of Leonard Bernstein includes directing MASS 6 times (Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Philadelphia Orchestra etc), CANDIDE (starring Bradley Cooper & Carey Mulligan, Philadelphia Orchestra) and WEST SIDE STORY (Philadelphia Orchestra). Kevin’s productions of MASS have been recorded for commercial release twice (one of them GRAMMY nominated) and were named “One of the Best Events of the Year” by The New York Times and The Washington Post for the Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center iterations in 2008 and by The Chicago Tribune for the 2018 Ravinia Festival production.
Kevin’s production of VIRGINIA for the Wexford Opera Festival won the 2010 Irish Times Theatre Award for Best New Opera Production. His production of NORMA at Canadian Opera Company won three Dora Awards (Best Costume Design, Best Set Design, Best Female Performance) and his production of the play CANDY & DOROTHY won the GLAAD Media Award in 2007.
Kevin’s short films and music videos have screened at over 50 film festivals, winning several awards. Kevin also directed the opera scene and served as a consultant for Apple TV’s DICKINSON (Season 2, Episode 6: “Split the Lark.”).
As an event director, Kevin has directed the PARK AVENUE ARMORY’s annual gala four times (2015-2017, returning again in 2019), featuring Kimbra, Patti Lupone, the Young Profressionals, Raja Feather-Kelly, Sondra Radvanovsky, MIKA and hundreds of performing artists from multiple disciplines. He also directed the 2019 BAM Gala, featuring Neneh Cherry.
In the summer of 2020 at the height of the global pandemic, Kevin co-founded a new, ever-growing Artist Collective called UP UNTIL NOW, with Brandon Kazen-Maddox and Jecca Barry. UP UNTIL NOW COLLECTIVE. UP UNTIL NOW is committed to developing and producing interdisciplinary work that helps build new structures for artistic creation across all art and media platforms. UUN creates inclusive, expansive collaborative spaces that center stories of empathy, intimacy, and connection. Among UP UNTIL NOW’s recent projects include SOUL(SIGNS): AN ASL PLAYLIST, for Broad.stream. Our first ASL music video for Gladys Knight and the Pips’ “Midnight Train to Georgia” was featured the Times Square Alliance’s “Midnight Moment,” playing on 80+ screens in Times Square every night in July. Kevin directed six music videos with UUN in 2021, including projects with Shayfer James, Morgan James and Coyle Girelli. Other recent UUN projects include SOUL(SINGS): OPERA for Boston Lyric Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Columbus and Opera Omaha (Reel Abilities Film Festival NYC, 2022), a video campaign for Pride 2022 for Global Citizen and our short film UP UNTIL NOW, which premiered at OutFEST Fushion and NEW FEST in 2022. UUN’s immersive, multi-sensory haptics film installation, UP UNTIL NOW: midair for some time, was presented by the Center for Performance Research, JACK and HERE, in collaboration with Reel Abilities Film Festival NYC. Upcoming: SOUL(SIGNS): Making Music Visible, airing on PBS in April, 2025.
Kevin was raised in Maine. He graduated from Bowdoin College and spent a year abroad at Oxford University.
PHOTOS by Marcus Shields
