Kenneth Kamal Scott
Tenor
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Please tell our readers about your career highlights so far.
Soloist with Boston Symphony Orchestra with John Williams conducting, starring role on Broadway for five years, faculty member of the Mannes College Opera division, New School University vocal faculty.
What are your goals for the next five years? The next 10 years?
To concertize and record as much as possible.
What do you listen to when you turn on the radio?
WQXR and the Jazz Café.
What is your dream role, and why?
Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor because the tessitura suits me and his character is strong.
How do you handle the inevitable rejection that is part of a singer’s life?
I totally put it behind me and continue forward. My belief in my own abilities and [my own] honest self-criticism is what truly matters.
How do you balance career and family?
I include my family in my profession, and I’m never too busy to be concerned about the issues they are confronted with.
What is your favorite article you’ve read in Classical Singer, and why?
The article concerning the death of Jerry Hadley [September 2007]. There was a tremendous sense of understanding and compassion. It was nice to know that the industry really cared.
Who is your favorite singer and why?
Jussi Björling. Other than Leontyne Price, his was the most consistent beauty I’d ever heard.
What is your favorite techno tool you use as a singer?
The iPod [for its] clarity of recording and easy transference to laptop.
Do you have a motto by which you live?
It can be done.
Anything else you’d like to say during your moment in Center Stage?
Do not rush vocal development. If you’re working correctly, let patience have her perfect work. The voice will grow at any age.
