Dr. Kilkenny is a passionate, versatile performer with an equal passion for education and pedagogy. His operatic roles range from the comedic (Dulcamara in l’Elisir d’amore, Figaro and Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Elviro in Serse, Betto in Gianni Schicchi), to the tragic (Renato in Un ballo in maschera, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Lino in Bastianello) to the villain (Mephistopheles in Faust) and everything in between (Colline in La bohème, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Peter in Hänsel und Gretel, King Balthazar in Amahl, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Sagristano in Tosca). Some companies Nicholas has had the pleasure of working with include Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Nickel City Opera, Geneva Light Opera, Opera Sacra, Hudson Opera Theater, Eastman Opera Theater, and Rochester Lyric Opera.

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As an advocate for performing and marketing new opera works, Dr. Kilkenny has had the privilege of premiering the roles of Dr. Mynter in Persis Vehar’s Shot! with Nickel City Opera, Captain in David Rosenbaum’s new adaptation of Twelfth Night, and Judge in David Glen Nettles’ The Fall of Stag Lee with Buffalo Opera Unlimited. In 2014 he recorded the role of Katis for Cary Ratcliff’s opera Eleni, in collaboration with soprano Kathryn Lewek.

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In addition to his opera career, Nicholas is often heard performing the bass and baritone solos to iconic concert works, including Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium, St. Matthew Passion and Magnificat, Dvořák’s Te Deum, Haydn’s Creation, Lord Nelson Mass and Missa in tempore belli, Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and Five Mystical Songs, and the Requiem set by Mozart, Brahms, Fauré, and Duruflé.

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While his professional performance experience is clearly rooted in classical music, Dr. Kilkenny has found equal success as a freelance contemporary musician performing a variety of instruments, including acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, and keyboard, in a wide range of venues, such as musical theater pit orchestras, recording studio sessions, live music venues and festivals, and private events. Recent credits include playing guitar for Theatre444’s productions of RENT!, tick…tick…BOOM!, and Alice by Heart.  

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Dr. Kilkenny’s passion for performance is matched only by his passion for teaching and pedagogy. His teaching philosophy is creating a specified curriculum for each student that is catered to help them grow as an artist and achieve their goals. This is achieved by employing practices acquired through years of education and experience in pedagogy, classical and contemporary music performance, music technology, and stagecraft.

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Dr. Kilkenny holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from SUNY Buffalo State University, a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Literature with a minor in Pedagogy from Eastman. He was a finalist in the Friends of Eastman Opera Theater Competition and the 2014 recipient of the William McIver Award for Excellence in Teaching. Nicholas is currently on faculty at Nazareth University’s School of Music where he teaches applied voice and voice related courses. He has also been on faculty at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, Houghton University, Finger Lakes Community College, and as a teaching assistant at the Eastman School of Music.